Risk of Rain (2013) vs The Binding of Isaac
Risk of Rain (2013) is a platformer roguelike game from Hopoo Games (2013) while The Binding of Isaac is a roguelike RPG game from Edmund McMillen (2011).
What each one is
Steam files Risk of Rain (2013) under Platformer and Roguelike. In contrast, it files The Binding of Isaac under Roguelike and RPG.
Risk of Rain is an action platformer with roguelike elements. With permanent death as a primary feature, players will have to play their best to get as far as possible. Fight on a mysterious planet with randomly spawning enemies and bosses, either alone or with 3 friends in online co-op.
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At a glance
| Risk of Rain (2013) | The Binding of Isaac | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 7.9/10 | 8.3/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (93%, 29,833) | Overwhelmingly Positive (95%, 62,842) |
| Critic aggregate | 77/100 | 84/100 |
| Price | $1.99 | $4.99 |
| Install size | 0.13 GB | — |
| Steam Deck | playable | playable |
| Released | 2013 | 2011 |
| Developer | Hopoo Games | Edmund McMillen |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Risk of Rain (2013) vs The Binding of Isaac, 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 (2013)Platformer roguelike gameThe Binding of IsaacRoguelike RPG gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Risk of Rain (2013)Action Roguelike, Rogue-like, IndieThe Binding of IsaacAction Roguelike, Rogue-like, IndieThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Risk of Rain (2013)Score 7.9 · 93% on Steam · 77 criticThe Binding of Isaac ✓Score 8.3 · 95% on Steam · 84 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 (2013)29,833 reviews · 1 add-on · 0.13 GBThe Binding of Isaac62,842 reviews · 1 add-onReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Risk of Rain (2013) ✓$1.99The Binding of Isaac$4.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Risk of Rain (2013)PlayableThe Binding of IsaacPlayableValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Across the rounds a number can settle, it is level at 1 each. Which one is "better" is the part no figure decides, so we leave it to what you want from the two.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueRisk of Rain (2013) and The Binding of Isaac 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: The Binding of Isaac (GamingPickz Score 8.3)
- The cheaper right now: Risk of Rain (2013) ($1.99)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: The Binding of Isaac (62,842 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
Action RoguelikeRogue-likeIndieActionGreat SoundtrackDifficultPerma Death2D
Where they differ
PlatformerPixel GraphicsOnline Co-OpCo-opLocal Co-OpMultiplayer
Procedural GenerationDarkTop-DownAdventureDungeon CrawlerBullet Hell
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Risk of Rain (2013) is demanding, for players who want a challenge. The Binding of Isaac is demanding, for players who want a challenge.
System requirements, side by side
| Risk of Rain (2013) | The Binding of Isaac | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | Direct X9.0c Compatible Card | — |
| Minimum CPU | 2.5 GHz | — |
| Minimum RAM | 1 GB | — |
| Install size | 0.13 GB | — |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Risk of Rain (2013) · The Binding of Isaac.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 6 accessibility features for Risk of Rain (2013) and 0 for The Binding of Isaac. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Risk of Rain (2013) and The Binding of Isaac in scope?
Risk of Rain (2013) has drawn 29,833 Steam reviews, ships 1 add-on and installs in 0.13 GB. The Binding of Isaac has drawn 62,842 Steam reviews and ships 1 add-on.
Is Risk of Rain (2013) or The Binding of Isaac better?
By the GamingPickz Score, The Binding of Isaac rates higher (8.3 to 7.9). 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 (2013) or The Binding of Isaac?
Risk of Rain (2013) is cheaper right now at $1.99, against $4.99. 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.