Kerbal Space Program vs Oxygen Not Included
Kerbal Space Program is an open-world sandbox game from Squad (2015) while Oxygen Not Included is an open-world sandbox game from Klei Entertainment (2019).
What each one is
Steam files Kerbal Space Program under Open-World and Sandbox. In contrast, it files Oxygen Not Included under Open-World and Sandbox.
In Kerbal Space Program, take charge of the space program for the alien race known as the Kerbals. You have access to an array of parts to assemble fully-functional spacecraft that flies (or doesn’t) based on realistic aerodynamic and orbital physics.
Oxygen Not Included is a space-colony simulation game. Deep inside an alien space rock your industrious crew will need to master science, overcome strange new lifeforms, and harness incredible space tech to survive, and possibly, thrive.
At a glance
| Kerbal Space Program | Oxygen Not Included | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 8.4/10 | 8.6/10 |
| Steam rating | Overwhelmingly Positive (96%, 146,438) | Overwhelmingly Positive (97%, 143,589) |
| Critic aggregate | 88/100 | 85/100 |
| Price | $39.99 | $24.99 |
| Install size | — | 3 GB |
| Steam Deck | playable | verified |
| Released | 2015 | 2019 |
| Developer | Squad | Klei Entertainment |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Kerbal Space Program vs Oxygen Not Included, 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
Kerbal Space ProgramOpen-world sandbox gameOxygen Not IncludedOpen-world sandbox gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Kerbal Space ProgramSpace, Simulation, SandboxOxygen Not IncludedColony Sim, Base-Building, SurvivalThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Kerbal Space ProgramScore 8.4 · 96% on Steam · 88 criticOxygen Not Included ✓Score 8.6 · 97% on Steam · 85 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Kerbal Space Program146,438 reviews · 2 add-onsOxygen Not Included143,589 reviews · 7 add-ons · 3 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Kerbal Space Program$39.99Oxygen Not Included ✓$24.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Kerbal Space ProgramPlayableOxygen Not Included ✓VerifiedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Oxygen Not Included takes 3 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueKerbal Space Program and Oxygen Not Included 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: Oxygen Not Included (GamingPickz Score 8.6)
- The cheaper right now: Oxygen Not Included ($24.99)
- Better on a Steam Deck: Oxygen Not Included (verified)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
SpaceSimulationSandboxSpace SimBuildingIndieOpen WorldSingleplayer
Where they differ
PhysicsScienceModdableEducationFunnyReplay Value
Colony SimBase-BuildingSurvivalResource ManagementManagement2D
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Kerbal Space Program is demanding, for players who want a challenge. Oxygen Not Included is demanding, for players who want a challenge.
System requirements, side by side
| Kerbal Space Program | Oxygen Not Included | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | DX10 (SM 4.0) capable | Intel HD 4600 (AMD |
| Minimum CPU | Core 2 Duo 2.0 Ghz | Dual Core 2 GHz |
| Minimum RAM | 4 GB | 8 GB |
| Install size | — | 3 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Kerbal Space Program · Oxygen Not Included.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for Kerbal Space Program and 0 for Oxygen Not Included. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Kerbal Space Program and Oxygen Not Included in scope?
Kerbal Space Program has drawn 146,438 Steam reviews and ships 2 add-ons. Oxygen Not Included has drawn 143,589 Steam reviews, ships 7 add-ons and installs in 3 GB.
Is Kerbal Space Program or Oxygen Not Included better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Oxygen Not Included rates higher (8.6 to 8.4). 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, Kerbal Space Program or Oxygen Not Included?
Oxygen Not Included is cheaper right now at $24.99, against $39.99. 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.