Choose The Gardens Between
Choose The Gardens Between if it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. The Gardens Between launched in 2018.
The Gardens Between vs The Button Effect
The Gardens Between and The Button Effect both land in Indie, Adventure on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Indie, Adventure on Steam. The Gardens Between (2018) is 8 years older than The Button Effect (2026). The Gardens Between is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; The Button Effect has no Deck rating yet. No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose The Button Effect
Choose The Button Effect if it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. The Button Effect launched in 2026.
Both The Gardens Between and The Button Effect sit in Indie and Adventure on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 The Gardens Between |  The Button Effect | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2026 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure | Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 19.99 USD | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 93.2% positive (955 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | The Voxel Agents | Frycandle |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- The Gardens Between (2018) is 8 years older than The Button Effect (2026).
- The Gardens Between is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; The Button Effect has no Deck rating yet.
The Gardens Between vs The Button Effect — FAQ
- Should I play The Gardens Between or The Button Effect first?
- If you want chronology, The Gardens Between (2018) came out before The Button Effect (2026). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are The Gardens Between and The Button Effect similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Adventure on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Does The Gardens Between run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — The Gardens Between is rated Deck Verified by Valve. The Button Effect doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.