Choose Star Shelter
Choose Star Shelter if you want the Shared/Split Screen, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, and Tracked Controller Support side of the pairing. Star Shelter launched in 2018.
Star Shelter vs Underlings
Star Shelter and Underlings both land in Action, 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 Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam. Star Shelter (2018) is 3 years older than Underlings (2021). Star Shelter scores higher on Steam reviews (78.3% positive) than Underlings (66.7% 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 Underlings
Choose Underlings if you want the Online Co-op and LAN Co-op side of the pairing. On Steam, it's currently about 50% cheaper on the Steam Store. Underlings launched in 2021.
Both Star Shelter and Underlings sit in Action, Indie, and Adventure on Steam and both list Multi-player and Co-op, 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
 Star Shelter |  Underlings | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2021 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Simulation, RPG | Action, Indie, Adventure, Simulation, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Unrated |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 9.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 78.3% positive (351 reviews) | 66.7% positive (15 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op |
| Developers | Overflow | One Man Games |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Star Shelter (2018) is 3 years older than Underlings (2021).
- Star Shelter scores higher on Steam reviews (78.3% positive) than Underlings (66.7% positive).
- Underlings is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than Star Shelter (9.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Star Shelter is Deck Unsupported on Steam Deck; Underlings has no Deck rating yet.
Star Shelter vs Underlings — FAQ
- Should I play Star Shelter or Underlings first?
- If you want chronology, Star Shelter (2018) came out before Underlings (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 Star Shelter and Underlings similar?
- They overlap on Action, 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 Star Shelter and Underlings have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Star Shelter ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op; Underlings ships Online Co-op, LAN Co-op.