Choose Donut County
Choose Donut County if you want an Adventure experience. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 6,536 Steam reviews back the pick.
Donut County vs Shark Simulator
Donut County and Shark Simulator both land in Indie, Casual 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, Casual on Steam. Shark Simulator (2017) is 1 year older than Donut County (2018). Donut County scores higher on Steam reviews (90.8% positive) than Shark Simulator (89.5% 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 Shark Simulator
Choose Shark Simulator if you want an Action and Simulation experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. Shark Simulator launched in 2017.
Both Donut County and Shark Simulator sit in Indie and Casual on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (90.8% vs 89.5% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Donut County |  Shark Simulator | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2017 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure, Casual | Action, Indie, Simulation, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Unsupported |
| Price | 12.99 USD | Free to play |
| Steam reviews | 90.8% positive (6,536 reviews) | 89.5% positive (429 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Ben Esposito | Aerilon Studios |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Casual on Steam.
- Shark Simulator (2017) is 1 year older than Donut County (2018).
- Donut County scores higher on Steam reviews (90.8% positive) than Shark Simulator (89.5% positive).
- Shark Simulator is free; Donut County is paid (12.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Donut County is Deck Verified, Shark Simulator is Deck Unsupported.
Donut County vs Shark Simulator — FAQ
- Which is better, Donut County or Shark Simulator?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Donut County sits at 90.8% positive (6,536 reviews), Shark Simulator at 89.5% (429). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Donut County or Shark Simulator first?
- If you want chronology, Shark Simulator (2017) came out before Donut County (2018). 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 Donut County and Shark Simulator similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Casual 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 Shark Simulator free?
- Yes — Shark Simulator is a free-to-play Steam title. Donut County is paid (12.99 USD).