Deep Rock Galactic vs Risk of Rain Returns
Deep Rock Galactic is an FPS horror game from Ghost Ship Games (2020) while Risk of Rain Returns is a roguelike game from Hopoo Games (2023).
What each one is
Steam files Deep Rock Galactic under FPS and Horror. In contrast, it files Risk of Rain Returns under Roguelike.
Deep Rock Galactic is a 1-4 player co-op FPS featuring dwarven space miners, procedurally-generated destructible environments, and endless hordes of alien monsters. Explore cave systems, mine for minerals, and work together to survive!
Carefully designed, beautifully remastered, and loaded with new ways to play—Risk of Rain is back and better than ever! Dive into the iconic roguelike full of unique loot combinations, enhanced with new Survivors, overhauled multiplayer, fan favorite content from Risk of Rain 2, and more!
At a glance
| Deep Rock Galactic | Risk of Rain Returns | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 8.2/10 | 7.8/10 |
| Steam rating | Overwhelmingly Positive (97%, 379,460) | Very Positive (90%, 28,691) |
| Critic aggregate | 85/100 | No aggregate |
| Price | $29.99 | $7.49 |
| Install size | 3 GB | 0.34 GB |
| Steam Deck | playable | verified |
| Released | 2020 | 2023 |
| Developer | Ghost Ship Games | Hopoo Games |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Deep Rock Galactic vs Risk of Rain Returns, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Deep Rock GalacticFPS horror gameRisk of Rain ReturnsRoguelike gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Deep Rock GalacticDwarf, Co-op, PvERisk of Rain ReturnsAction Roguelike, Online Co-Op, 2DThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Deep Rock Galactic ✓Score 8.2 · 97% on Steam · 85 criticRisk of Rain ReturnsScore 7.8 · 90% on SteamThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Deep Rock Galactic379,460 reviews · 14 add-ons · 3 GBRisk of Rain Returns28,691 reviews · 1 add-on · 0.34 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Deep Rock Galactic$29.99Risk of Rain Returns ✓$7.49Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Deep Rock GalacticPlayableRisk of Rain Returns ✓VerifiedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Risk of Rain Returns takes 2 of the marked rounds to 1. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueDeep Rock Galactic and Risk of Rain Returns on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- Multi-platform
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Deep Rock Galactic (GamingPickz Score 8.2)
- The cheaper right now: Risk of Rain Returns ($7.49)
- Better on a Steam Deck: Risk of Rain Returns (verified)
- Lighter on storage: Risk of Rain Returns (0.34 GB)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Deep Rock Galactic (379,460 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
Co-opPvEClass-BasedLootSci-fiSpaceActionAtmospheric
Where they differ
DwarfFPSProcedural GenerationShooterExplorationFirst-Person
Online Co-OpMultiplayer2DLocal Co-OpControllerArcade
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Deep Rock Galactic is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Risk of Rain Returns is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Deep Rock Galactic | Risk of Rain Returns | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 | — |
| Minimum CPU | Intel i5, 3rd gen (or equivalent) | — |
| Minimum RAM | 6 GB | — |
| Install size | 3 GB | 0.34 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Deep Rock Galactic · Risk of Rain Returns.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 8 accessibility features for Deep Rock Galactic and 9 for Risk of Rain Returns. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Deep Rock Galactic and Risk of Rain Returns in scope?
Deep Rock Galactic has drawn 379,460 Steam reviews, ships 14 add-ons and installs in 3 GB. Risk of Rain Returns has drawn 28,691 Steam reviews, ships 1 add-on and installs in 0.34 GB.
Is Deep Rock Galactic or Risk of Rain Returns better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Deep Rock Galactic rates higher (8.2 to 7.8). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Deep Rock Galactic or Risk of Rain Returns?
Risk of Rain Returns is cheaper right now at $7.49, against $29.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.