Choose Risk of Rain 2
Choose Risk of Rain 2 if you want an Indie game with Steam Leaderboards, Online PvP, and PvP. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 95.3% positive across 160,098 reviews.
Risk of Rain 2 vs Returnal™
Risk of Rain 2 and Returnal™ 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. Risk of Rain 2 (2020) is 3 years older than Returnal™ (2023). Risk of Rain 2 scores higher on Steam reviews (95.3% positive) than Returnal™ (81.1% positive). 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 Returnal™
Choose Returnal™ if you want the Subtitle Options, Color Alternatives, and Save Anytime side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2023) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 4,484 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Risk of Rain 2 and Returnal™ sit in Action on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online Co-op, and Adjustable Text Size, 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
 Risk of Rain 2 |  Returnal™ | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2020 | 2023 |
| Genres | Action, Indie | Action |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Unsupported |
| Price | 24.99 USD | 59.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 95.3% positive (160,098 reviews) | 81.1% positive (4,484 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Hopoo Games | Housemarque, Climax Studios |
Side by side
- Both are Action games on Steam.
- Risk of Rain 2 (2020) is 3 years older than Returnal™ (2023).
- Risk of Rain 2 scores higher on Steam reviews (95.3% positive) than Returnal™ (81.1% positive).
- Risk of Rain 2 is currently ~58% cheaper on Steam than Returnal™ (24.99 USD vs. 59.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Steam Deck: Risk of Rain 2 is Deck Playable, Returnal™ is Deck Unsupported.
Risk of Rain 2 vs Returnal™ — FAQ
- Which is better, Risk of Rain 2 or Returnal™?
- On Steam reviews Risk of Rain 2 scores higher (95.3% positive) than Returnal™ (81.1% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Risk of Rain 2 is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Risk of Rain 2 or Returnal™ first?
- If you want chronology, Risk of Rain 2 (2020) came out before Returnal™ (2023). 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 Risk of Rain 2 and Returnal™ 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 Risk of Rain 2 and Returnal™ have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Risk of Rain 2 ships Online Co-op, Co-op; Returnal™ ships Online Co-op, Co-op.