Choose Overcooked! 2
Choose Overcooked! 2 if you want an Indie game with Shared/Split Screen, Online PvP, and Shared/Split Screen PvP. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 14,169 Steam reviews back the pick.
Overcooked! 2 vs 2 Cooks 1 Mess
Overcooked! 2 and 2 Cooks 1 Mess both land in Action, 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 Action, Casual on Steam. Overcooked! 2 (2018) is 8 years older than 2 Cooks 1 Mess (2026). 2 Cooks 1 Mess is free; Overcooked! 2 is paid (24.99 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 2 Cooks 1 Mess
Choose 2 Cooks 1 Mess if you want a Strategy, Adventure, and Massively Multiplayer game with MMO. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. 2 Cooks 1 Mess launched in 2026.
Both Overcooked! 2 and 2 Cooks 1 Mess sit in Action and Casual on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online Co-op, 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
 Overcooked! 2 |  2 Cooks 1 Mess | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2026 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Casual | Action, Strategy, Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, Free To Play, Casual, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 24.99 USD | Free to play |
| Steam reviews | 93.6% positive (14,169 reviews) | 5 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op |
| Developers | Ghost Town Games Ltd., Team17 | 01 Studio |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Casual on Steam.
- Overcooked! 2 (2018) is 8 years older than 2 Cooks 1 Mess (2026).
- 2 Cooks 1 Mess is free; Overcooked! 2 is paid (24.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Overcooked! 2 is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; 2 Cooks 1 Mess has no Deck rating yet.
Overcooked! 2 vs 2 Cooks 1 Mess — FAQ
- Should I play Overcooked! 2 or 2 Cooks 1 Mess first?
- If you want chronology, Overcooked! 2 (2018) came out before 2 Cooks 1 Mess (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 Overcooked! 2 and 2 Cooks 1 Mess similar?
- They overlap on Action, 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.
- Do both Overcooked! 2 and 2 Cooks 1 Mess have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Overcooked! 2 ships Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op; 2 Cooks 1 Mess ships Online Co-op, Co-op.
- Is 2 Cooks 1 Mess free?
- Yes — 2 Cooks 1 Mess is a free-to-play Steam title. Overcooked! 2 is paid (24.99 USD).
- Does Overcooked! 2 run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Overcooked! 2 is rated Deck Verified by Valve. 2 Cooks 1 Mess doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.