Choose Cosmic Ray
Choose Cosmic Ray if you want an Adventure, Free To Play, and Casual experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. Cosmic Ray launched in 2018.
Cosmic Ray vs Captain Jackson
Cosmic Ray and Captain Jackson 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. Cosmic Ray (2018) is 3 years older than Captain Jackson (2021). Cosmic Ray is free; Captain Jackson is paid (1.99 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 Captain Jackson
Choose Captain Jackson if it's the newer release (2021) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Captain Jackson launched in 2021.
Both Cosmic Ray and Captain Jackson sit in Action and Indie on Steam, 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
 Cosmic Ray |  Captain Jackson | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2021 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Free To Play, Casual | Action, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | 1.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 8 reviews | 1 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Cosmocat | DIG Games |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie on Steam.
- Cosmic Ray (2018) is 3 years older than Captain Jackson (2021).
- Cosmic Ray is free; Captain Jackson is paid (1.99 USD).
Cosmic Ray vs Captain Jackson — FAQ
- Should I play Cosmic Ray or Captain Jackson first?
- If you want chronology, Cosmic Ray (2018) came out before Captain Jackson (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 Cosmic Ray and Captain Jackson 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 Cosmic Ray free?
- Yes — Cosmic Ray is a free-to-play Steam title. Captain Jackson is paid (1.99 USD).