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SHENZHEN I/OVSSpaceChem

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

SHENZHEN I/O

SHENZHEN I/O

Quality
76Popularity
29Value
73
KinguinBetter Deal· Kinguin
in 16 hours
−64% $5.41
Buy Now
VS
SpaceChem

SpaceChem

Quality
91Popularity
28Value
59
GAMIVOBetter Deal· GAMIVO
−48% $5.18
Buy Now

Too Close to Call

Both games performed nearly identically across all metrics

7
SHENZHEN I/O
7 of 14 metrics
SpaceChem
7 of 14 metrics
7

Head-to-Head Metrics

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

Value
Pricing & Deals
Current Best Price (USD)
$5.41 -
$5.18 Wins
Historical Low Price (USD)
$5.09 -
$4.80 Wins
Best Current Discount
-64% Wins
-48% -
Sales Frequency
83 price changes -
104 price changes Wins
Quality
Critical & User Reception
Metacritic
N/A -
84/100 Wins
Steam Review Score
95.3% positive Wins
95.1% positive -
Total Steam Reviews
3.7K Wins
2.6K -
Positive Steam Reviews
3.5K Wins
2.5K -
Negative Steam Reviews
173 -
127 Wins
Popularity
Community & Activity
Average Concurrent Players (14 days)
40 Wins
12 -
Steam Recommendations
3.7K Wins
2.6K -
Features
Features & Content
Achievements
6 -
20 Wins
Supported Languages
2 languages -
8 languages Wins
Release Date
Nov 2016 Wins
Mar 2011 -
GameValio Recommendation
MaybeSHENZHEN I/O

Worth keeping an eye on. Currently sitting in a decent spot, but not quite a must-buy just yet.

MaybeSpaceChem

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:
SHENZHEN I/O
SpaceChem

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

SHENZHEN I/O

SHENZHEN I/O

2 Stores
Kinguin
Kinguin −64% $5.41Buy Now
Steam
Steam +177% $14.99View
SpaceChem

SpaceChem

3 Stores
GAMIVO
GAMIVO −48% $5.18Buy Now
Kinguin
Kinguin +54% $8.00View
Steam
Steam +93% $9.99View

Score Breakdown

How each game scores across quality, popularity, and affordability

SHENZHEN I/O

Quality

Most players came away satisfied — more positives than negatives.

95% positive (3,716 reviews) — overwhelmingly positive
3,716 reviews — solid data foundation

Value

Price is reasonable for what the game offers.

$5.41 — very accessible price
64% off — solid discount
Historical low: $4.01 — room for better deals

Popularity

Declining player base — could be a problem for multiplayer-dependent games.

-38% player decline
25 concurrent players — niche audience

SpaceChem

Quality

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

95% positive (2,615 reviews) — overwhelmingly positive
Metacritic 84/100 — high marks from professional reviewers
2,615 reviews — solid data foundation

Value

Seen it cheaper before — consider wishlisting and waiting.

$5.18 — very accessible price
48% off — decent discount
Near historical low ($4.49)

Popularity

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

+7% player growth
15 concurrent players — niche audience

Game Details

Release information and metadata

Game DetailsSHENZHEN I/OSpaceChem
Release Date
November 17, 2016
March 2, 2011
Developers
Zachtronics
Zachtronics
Publishers
Zachtronics
Zachtronics
Platforms
Linux, Windows, MacOs
Linux, Windows, MacOs
Achievements
6
20

System Requirements

PC minimum and recommended specs

SHENZHEN I/O

Recommended

Recommended:
  • OS *: Windows Vista / 7 / 8 / 10
  • Processor: 2.0 GHz
  • Memory: 4 GB RAM
  • Graphics: 1920 x 1080
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Storage: 450 MB available space

SpaceChem

No PC requirements data available

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better: SHENZHEN I/O or SpaceChem?

SHENZHEN I/O and SpaceChem are extremely close, with nearly identical results across all metrics. Both are excellent choices.

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 SHENZHEN I/O worth buying over SpaceChem?

Based on the metrics, Too Close to Call 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. SHENZHEN I/O currently scores better on value relative to its quality and price.

Analysis updated: Jul 19, 2026, 05:36 AM UTC

GameValio - Buy now or wait? PC game purchase timing advisorGameValio© 2026

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

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