Choose Champions Online
Choose Champions Online if you want a Free To Play experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. 3,102 Steam reviews back the pick.
Champions Online vs The Tau Experiment
Champions Online and The Tau Experiment both land in Massively Multiplayer, RPG 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 Massively Multiplayer, RPG on Steam. Champions Online is free; The Tau Experiment is paid (Price unknown). Both support cooperative play. 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 Tau Experiment
Choose The Tau Experiment if you want an Action, Indie, and Adventure game with Online Co-op.
Both Champions Online and The Tau Experiment sit in Massively Multiplayer and RPG on Steam and both list Multi-player, MMO, 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
 Champions Online |  The Tau Experiment | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2011 | — |
| Genres | Massively Multiplayer, RPG, Free To Play | Action, Indie, Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 69% positive (3,102 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Cryptic Studios | Mistflux Games |
Side by side
- Both share Massively Multiplayer, RPG on Steam.
- Champions Online is free; The Tau Experiment is paid (Price unknown).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Champions Online is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; The Tau Experiment has no Deck rating yet.
Champions Online vs The Tau Experiment — FAQ
- Are Champions Online and The Tau Experiment similar?
- They overlap on Massively Multiplayer, RPG 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 Champions Online and The Tau Experiment have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Champions Online ships Co-op; The Tau Experiment ships Online Co-op, Co-op.
- Is Champions Online free?
- Yes — Champions Online is a free-to-play Steam title. The Tau Experiment is paid (Price unknown).
- Does Champions Online run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Champions Online is rated Deck Playable by Valve. The Tau Experiment doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.