Choose Velvet Guard
Choose Velvet Guard if you want a Free To Play experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. Velvet Guard launched in 2018.
Velvet Guard vs Twin Stick Heroes
Velvet Guard and Twin Stick Heroes both land in Action, 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 Action, Indie, Casual on Steam. Velvet Guard (2018) is 3 years older than Twin Stick Heroes (2021). Velvet Guard is free; Twin Stick Heroes is paid (14.99 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 Twin Stick Heroes
Choose Twin Stick Heroes if it's the newer release (2021) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Twin Stick Heroes launched in 2021.
Both Velvet Guard and Twin Stick Heroes sit in Action, Indie, and Casual on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Shared/Split Screen 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
 Velvet Guard |  Twin Stick Heroes | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2021 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Free To Play, Casual | Action, Indie, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | 14.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 100% positive (11 reviews) | 2 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Multi-player |
| Developers | Pongu Games | Franklin Burnett, Ronald Burnett |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Casual on Steam.
- Velvet Guard (2018) is 3 years older than Twin Stick Heroes (2021).
- Velvet Guard is free; Twin Stick Heroes is paid (14.99 USD).
Velvet Guard vs Twin Stick Heroes — FAQ
- Should I play Velvet Guard or Twin Stick Heroes first?
- If you want chronology, Velvet Guard (2018) came out before Twin Stick Heroes (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 Velvet Guard and Twin Stick Heroes similar?
- They overlap on Action, 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 Velvet Guard free?
- Yes — Velvet Guard is a free-to-play Steam title. Twin Stick Heroes is paid (14.99 USD).