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IkarugaVSNex Machina

Which game gives you more value right now? Every metric, head to head.

Ikaruga

Ikaruga

Quality
91Popularity
27Value
46
SteamBetter Deal· Steam
$9.99
Buy Now
VS
Nex Machina

Nex Machina

Quality
87Popularity
26Value
82
KinguinBetter Deal· Kinguin
in 1 day
−87% $2.63
Buy Now

Winner

Nex Machina wins 7 of 13 head-to-head metrics.

Not urgent, but worth watching — it's in a reasonable spot without being an obvious must-buy.

Grab It Now
6
Ikaruga
6 of 13 metrics
Nex Machina
7 of 13 metrics
7

Head-to-Head Metrics

Direct metric-by-metric comparison: winner determined by count, no weighting

Value
Pricing & Deals
Current Best Price (USD)
$9.99 -
$2.63 Wins
Historical Low Price (USD)
N/A -
$2.75 Wins
Best Current Discount
No discount -
-87% Wins
Sales Frequency
5 price changes -
111 price changes Wins
Quality
Critical & User Reception
Metacritic
84/100
84/100
Steam Review Score
95% positive Wins
89.7% positive -
Total Steam Reviews
2.2K Wins
1.5K -
Positive Steam Reviews
2.1K Wins
1.3K -
Negative Steam Reviews
109 Wins
151 -
Popularity
Community & Activity
Average Concurrent Players (14 days)
5 Wins
1 -
Steam Recommendations
2.1K Wins
1.5K -
Features
Features & Content
Achievements
25 -
39 Wins
Supported Languages
2 languages -
14 languages Wins
Release Date
Feb 2014 -
Jun 2017 Wins
GameValio Recommendation
MaybeIkaruga

A fair option right now, though it's not quite compelling enough to jump on immediately.

MaybeNex Machina

Not urgent, but worth watching — it's in a reasonable spot without being an obvious must-buy.

Statistics Over Time

Side-by-side historical trends: same time range, same scale

Time Range:
Ikaruga
Nex Machina

Player Count Trends

· Concurrent players over time

Review Score Trends

· Positive review ratio over time

Review Volume Trends

— Total reviews accumulated over time

Price Comparison

Current deals and best prices side by side

Ikaruga

Ikaruga

1 Store
Steam
Steam$9.99Buy Now
Nex Machina

Nex Machina

3 Stores
Kinguin
Kinguin −87% $2.63Buy Now
GAMIVO
GAMIVO +8% $2.83View
Steam
Steam$19.99View

Ikaruga

Quality

Consistent high ratings show real quality, not just hype.

95% positive (2,193 reviews) — overwhelmingly positive
Metacritic 84/100 — high marks from professional reviewers
2,193 reviews — solid data foundation

Value

Value isn't great at this price — better opportunities expected.

$9.99 — very accessible price

Popularity

Low popularity — few active players and little community discussion.

Player count surging +100%
8 concurrent players — niche audience

Nex Machina

Quality

Excellent community reception — players and critics agree on the quality.

90% positive (1,466 reviews) — very positive reception
Metacritic 84/100 — high marks from professional reviewers
1,466 reviews — solid data foundation

Value

Great timing to buy — competitive price for the content offered.

$2.63 — very accessible price
87% off — massive discount
Near historical low ($2.52)

Popularity

Lost much of its active player base — community is quiet.

-100% player drop
Game DetailsIkarugaNex Machina
Release Date
February 18, 2014
June 20, 2017
Developers
TREASURE
Housemarque
Publishers
TREASURE
Housemarque
Platforms
Windows
Windows
Achievements
25
39

Ikaruga

Recommended

Recommended:
  • OS *: Windows 7
  • Processor: Intel or AMD multicore processor recently 5 years
  • Memory: 2 GB RAM
  • Graphics: NVIDIA or AMD in recently 5 years
  • DirectX: Version 9.0c
  • Storage: 512 MB available space
  • Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c support

Nex Machina

Recommended

Recommended:
  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS *: 64 bit Windows 10 / 8 / 7
  • Processor: Intel Core i5-4690 or AMD FX-4300
  • Memory: 8 GB RAM
  • Graphics: 4 GB Video RAM - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 or AMD Radeon R9 390
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Network: Broadband Internet connection
  • Storage: 1 GB available space
Which is better: Ikaruga or Nex Machina?

Nex Machina won the comparison against Ikaruga based on the head-to-head metric breakdown. Check the metrics table above for a full side-by-side analysis.

How is the comparison calculated?

The comparison winner is determined objectively by counting which game wins more individual metrics in the head-to-head table. No weighting is applied. The GameValio Recommendation shown separately is our own suggestion for each game, based on a weighted score that combines quality (reviews), popularity (player counts), and affordability (price vs value) into a score out of 100. These are two different things: the comparison is objective, the recommendation is GameValio's opinion.

Is Ikaruga worth buying over Nex Machina?

Based on the metrics, Nex Machina won the direct comparison. However, also check the GameValio Recommendation for each game and the price comparison table to make the most informed purchase decision.

Which game has better player reviews?

Review score trends and volume over time are shown in the charts section above. The game with consistently higher positive ratios has stronger community reception.

Which game offers better value for money?

The affordability score and price comparison table above highlight the best deals. Nex Machina currently scores better on value relative to its quality and price.

Analysis updated: Sep 5, 2026, 11:40 AM UTC

Data sourced from Steam, Metacritic, and various stores. Not affiliated with Valve Corporation. Scores updated daily to keep recommendations fresh.

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