Choose Shoot 'm Up
Choose Shoot 'm Up if you want the Online Co-op, LAN PvP, and LAN Co-op side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2021) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Shoot 'm Up launched in 2021.
Shoot 'm Up vs Stick Arena
Shoot 'm Up and Stick Arena both land in Action, Indie 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 Action, Indie on Steam. Stick Arena (2018) is 3 years older than Shoot 'm Up (2021). Stick Arena is free; Shoot 'm Up is paid (2.99 USD). 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 Stick Arena
Choose Stick Arena if you want a Free To Play experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. Stick Arena launched in 2018.
Both Shoot 'm Up and Stick Arena sit in Action and Indie on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and PvP, 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
 Shoot 'm Up |  Stick Arena | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2021 | 2018 |
| Genres | Action, Indie | Action, Indie, Free To Play |
| Platforms | Windows, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 2.99 USD | Free to play |
| Steam reviews | 1 reviews | 60% positive (85 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op | Multi-player |
| Developers | DukeSoft | XGen Studios |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie on Steam.
- Stick Arena (2018) is 3 years older than Shoot 'm Up (2021).
- Stick Arena is free; Shoot 'm Up is paid (2.99 USD).
- Shoot 'm Up has co-op; Stick Arena does not.
Shoot 'm Up vs Stick Arena — FAQ
- Should I play Shoot 'm Up or Stick Arena first?
- If you want chronology, Stick Arena (2018) came out before Shoot 'm Up (2021). 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 Shoot 'm Up and Stick Arena similar?
- They overlap on Action, Indie 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.
- Is Stick Arena free?
- Yes — Stick Arena is a free-to-play Steam title. Shoot 'm Up is paid (2.99 USD).