Choose Alien Swarm
Choose Alien Swarm if you want a Free To Play game with Color Alternatives. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. 10,259 Steam reviews back the pick.
Alien Swarm vs Rockhounds
Alien Swarm and Rockhounds both land in Action 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 are Action games on Steam. Alien Swarm is free; Rockhounds is paid (Price unknown). Both support cooperative play. 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 Rockhounds
Choose Rockhounds if you want an Indie and Early Access game with Online Co-op and Playable without Timed Input.
Both Alien Swarm and Rockhounds sit in Action on Steam and both list Multi-player, Camera Comfort, and Custom Volume Controls, 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
 Alien Swarm |  Rockhounds | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2010 | — |
| Genres | Action, Free To Play | Action, Indie, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 94.7% positive (10,259 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Valve | Triangle Studios |
Side by side
- Both are Action games on Steam.
- Alien Swarm is free; Rockhounds is paid (Price unknown).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Alien Swarm is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Rockhounds has no Deck rating yet.
Alien Swarm vs Rockhounds — FAQ
- Are Alien Swarm and Rockhounds similar?
- They overlap on Action 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.
- Do both Alien Swarm and Rockhounds have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Alien Swarm ships Co-op; Rockhounds ships Online Co-op, Co-op.
- Is Alien Swarm free?
- Yes — Alien Swarm is a free-to-play Steam title. Rockhounds is paid (Price unknown).
- Does Alien Swarm run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Alien Swarm is rated Deck Playable by Valve. Rockhounds doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.