Choose Heavy Rain
Choose Heavy Rain if you want an Action experience. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 6,053 Steam reviews back the pick.
Heavy Rain vs The Empty Desk
Heavy Rain and The Empty Desk both land in 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 are Adventure games on Steam. Heavy Rain (2020) is 5 years older than The Empty Desk (2025). The Empty Desk is currently ~58% cheaper on Steam than Heavy Rain (8.49 USD vs. 19.99 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 The Empty Desk
Choose The Empty Desk if you want an Indie and Casual experience. On Steam, it's currently about 58% cheaper on the Steam Store. The Empty Desk launched in 2025.
Both Heavy Rain and The Empty Desk sit in Adventure 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
 Heavy Rain |  The Empty Desk | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2020 | 2025 |
| Genres | Action, Adventure | Indie, Adventure, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 8.49 USD |
| Steam reviews | 80.9% positive (6,053 reviews) | 4 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Quantic Dream | CheesecakeGames |
Side by side
- Both are Adventure games on Steam.
- Heavy Rain (2020) is 5 years older than The Empty Desk (2025).
- The Empty Desk is currently ~58% cheaper on Steam than Heavy Rain (8.49 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Heavy Rain is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; The Empty Desk has no Deck rating yet.
Heavy Rain vs The Empty Desk — FAQ
- Should I play Heavy Rain or The Empty Desk first?
- If you want chronology, Heavy Rain (2020) came out before The Empty Desk (2025). 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 Heavy Rain and The Empty Desk similar?
- They overlap on 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.
- Does Heavy Rain run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Heavy Rain is rated Deck Verified by Valve. The Empty Desk doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.