Choose The Sapling
Choose The Sapling if it matches what drew you to this matchup. 1,559 Steam reviews back the pick.
The Sapling vs Thrive
The Sapling and Thrive both land in Simulation, Early Access 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 Simulation, Early Access on Steam. The Sapling (2019) is 2 years older than Thrive (2021). Thrive scores higher on Steam reviews (90.8% positive) than The Sapling (89.4% positive). 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 Thrive
Choose Thrive if you want an Indie and Casual game with Custom Volume Controls, Stereo Sound, and Playable without Timed Input. On Steam, it's currently about 72% cheaper on the Steam Store. 1,073 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both The Sapling and Thrive sit in Simulation and Early Access on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (89.4% vs 90.8% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 The Sapling |  Thrive | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2019 | 2021 |
| Genres | Simulation, Early Access | Indie, Simulation, Casual, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | 17.99 USD | 4.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 89.4% positive (1,559 reviews) | 90.8% positive (1,073 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Wessel Stoop | Revolutionary Games Studio |
Side by side
- Both share Simulation, Early Access on Steam.
- The Sapling (2019) is 2 years older than Thrive (2021).
- Thrive scores higher on Steam reviews (90.8% positive) than The Sapling (89.4% positive).
- Thrive is currently ~72% cheaper on Steam than The Sapling (4.99 USD vs. 17.99 USD).
- Both are Deck Playable.
The Sapling vs Thrive — FAQ
- Which is better, The Sapling or Thrive?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: The Sapling sits at 89.4% positive (1,559 reviews), Thrive at 90.8% (1,073). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play The Sapling or Thrive first?
- If you want chronology, The Sapling (2019) came out before Thrive (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 The Sapling and Thrive similar?
- They overlap on Simulation, Early Access 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.