Choose Raft
Choose Raft if you want a Simulation experience. On Steam, it's currently about 33% cheaper on the Steam Store. 127,970 Steam reviews back the pick.
Raft vs Valheim
Raft and Valheim 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. Raft (2022) is 4 years older than Valheim (2026). Both sit near 94% positive on Steam (Raft: 127,970 reviews, Valheim: 552,023). 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 Valheim
Choose Valheim if you want an Action and RPG game with DualShock Controller Support, DualSense Controller Support, and Camera Comfort. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 552,023 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Raft and Valheim sit in Indie and Adventure on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online Co-op, and Co-op, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (93.7% vs 93.8% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Raft |  Valheim | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2022 | 2026 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure, Simulation | Action, Indie, Adventure, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Verified |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 29.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 93.7% positive (127,970 reviews) | 93.8% positive (552,023 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Redbeet Interactive | Iron Gate AB |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Raft (2022) is 4 years older than Valheim (2026).
- Both sit near 94% positive on Steam (Raft: 127,970 reviews, Valheim: 552,023).
- Raft is currently ~33% cheaper on Steam than Valheim (19.99 USD vs. 29.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Steam Deck: Raft is Deck Playable, Valheim is Deck Verified.
Raft vs Valheim — FAQ
- Which is better, Raft or Valheim?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Raft sits at 93.7% positive (127,970 reviews), Valheim at 93.8% (552,023). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Raft or Valheim first?
- If you want chronology, Raft (2022) came out before Valheim (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 Raft and Valheim 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.
- Do both Raft and Valheim have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Raft ships Online Co-op, Co-op; Valheim ships Online Co-op, Co-op.