Risk of Rain 2 vs Risk of Rain Returns
Risk of Rain 2 is a roguelike survival game from Hopoo Games (2020) while Risk of Rain Returns is a roguelike game from Hopoo Games (2023).
Quick answer: Risk of Rain 2 rates higher, 8.6 to 7.8 on the GamingPickz Score, and Risk of Rain Returns is the cheaper at $7.49.
What each one is
Risk of Rain 2 is filed under Roguelike and Survival. In contrast, Risk of Rain Returns under Roguelike.
Escape a chaotic alien planet by fighting through hordes of frenzied monsters – with your friends, or on your own. Combine loot in surprising ways and master each character until you become the havoc you feared upon your first crash landing.
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!
Story, characters and reception
Reception
Reception Upon its launch into early access , Hopoo Games offered Risk of Rain 2 with a "buy one, get one free" promotion for the first few days. A week from release, Hopoo announced that over 650,000 players had played the game, with about 150,000 of those having taken advantage of the special promotion. Within a month of the game's early access release, it had sold over a million copies. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Risk of Rain received generally favorable reviews from critics, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic . Fellow review aggregator OpenCritic assessed that the game received strong approval, being recommended by 73% of critics. Risk of Rain was named one of the Student Showcase winners of the 2014 Independent Games Festival , and subsequently won the Student Prize Award. (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Risk of Rain 2 | Risk of Rain Returns | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 8.6/10 | 7.8/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (94%, 352,120) | Very Positive (90%, 28,691) |
| Critic aggregate | 85/100 | 77/100 |
| Price | $8.24 | $7.49 |
| Install size | 4 GB | 0.34 GB |
| Steam Deck | playable | verified |
| Released | 2020 | 2023 |
| Developer | Hopoo Games | Hopoo Games |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Risk of Rain 2 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
Risk of Rain 2Roguelike survival 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
Risk of Rain 2Third-Person Shooter, Action Roguelike, Co-opRisk of Rain ReturnsAction Roguelike, Online Co-Op, 2DThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Risk of Rain 2 ✓Score 8.6 · 94% on Steam · 85 criticRisk of Rain ReturnsScore 7.8 · 90% on Steam · 77 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Risk of Rain 2352,120 reviews · 7 add-ons · 4 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
Risk of Rain 2$8.24Risk of Rain Returns ✓$7.49Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Risk of Rain 2PlayableRisk 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 catalogueRisk of Rain 2 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.
- 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: Risk of Rain 2 (GamingPickz Score 8.6)
- 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: Risk of Rain 2 (352,120 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
Action RoguelikeMultiplayerCo-opActionRogue-likeLooter ShooterLootOnline Co-Op
Where they differ
Third-Person ShooterRogue-liteShooterGreat SoundtrackDifficultThird Person
2DPvELocal Co-OpSci-fiControllerArcade
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Risk of Rain 2 is demanding, for players who want a challenge. Risk of Rain Returns is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Risk of Rain 2 | Risk of Rain Returns | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | GTX 580 / AMD HD 7870 | — |
| Minimum CPU | Intel Core i3-6100 / AMD FX-8350 | — |
| Minimum RAM | 4 GB | — |
| Install size | 4 GB | 0.34 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Risk of Rain 2 · Risk of Rain Returns.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 6 accessibility features for Risk of Rain 2 and 9 for Risk of Rain Returns. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Risk of Rain 2 and Risk of Rain Returns in scope?
Risk of Rain 2 has drawn 352,120 Steam reviews, ships 7 add-ons and installs in 4 GB. Risk of Rain Returns has drawn 28,691 Steam reviews, ships 1 add-on and installs in 0.34 GB.
Is Risk of Rain 2 or Risk of Rain Returns better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Risk of Rain 2 rates higher (8.6 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, Risk of Rain 2 or Risk of Rain Returns?
Risk of Rain Returns is cheaper right now at $7.49, against $8.24. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Should I get Risk of Rain 2 or Risk of Rain Returns?
Risk of Rain 2 rates higher, 8.6 to 7.8 on the GamingPickz Score, and Risk of Rain Returns is the cheaper at $7.49. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
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
All comparisonsHow 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.