Two games, $17.99 each, sitting side by side on Steam’s Top Sellers chart. One has 97% positive reviews and nearly 27,000 concurrent players. The other has a top review that reads, in part: “Terrible Performance on a game that looks like it could be from 10 years ago.”

That’s the gap between #4 and #5 right now. Far Far West and Farever share a price point, a chart neighborhood, and a 10% launch discount. They do not share a launch.

The Cowboy Cometh

Far Far West, the co-op extraction shooter from developer Evil Raptor and publisher Fireshine Games, dropped into early access on April 28 to numbers most indie studios only dream about. According to MassivelyOP, the game sold 250,000 copies in its first 48 hours. Its all-time concurrent peak has topped 34,000 players. As of May 7, it sits at 26,998 concurrent with a Steam review score of “Overwhelmingly Positive” — 97% across 12,962 reviews, with 12,635 positive and just 327 negative.

That’s not just good for an early access launch. That’s the kind of reception that buys a studio time, goodwill, and a community willing to ride along through the rough patches that early access inevitably brings.

Evil Raptor is cashing in on that goodwill with a substantial 2026 roadmap. According to FandomWire, the plan includes a new enemy army called the Zurkers, melee weapons, new spells and jokers for spell combos, exploration events, clan systems (referred to as “Companies”), and player and mount customization. The studio has already pushed a hotfix addressing save file backups, buffing bow weapon XP, and adjusting boss health pools. Ship, fix, expand, repeat — the rhythm of a team with momentum.

The concept is unapologetically loud: robot cowboys blasting hellish monsters with firearms and magic spells in a 1-4 player co-op format. It’s not reinventing the wheel. It’s putting spinners on it and driving it through a monster-infested saloon. Players are here for the ride.

The Stutter Next Door

One spot below sits Farever, the multiplayer open-world action RPG from Shiro Games, which launched into early access on May 6. Shiro is no amateur operation — the Bordeaux-based studio built Northgard (over 3 million units sold according to the studio’s own press materials), Wartales, and Dune: Spice Wars. Their track record is legitimate.

But Farever is fighting a different battle. Its Steam score sits at “Mostly Positive” — 77% across 351 reviews (272 positive, 79 negative). Not a disaster, but for a studio with Shiro’s pedigree launching beside a competitor cracking 97%, it stings.

The issue is performance. The top review on Farever’s Steam page pulls no punches: “Terrible Performance on a game that looks like it could be from 10 years ago. The quick stutter issue takes all the enjoyment out of the game. Apparently it was present in the play tests as well and they still launched the game this way.”

A defender with 3.2 hours played acknowledges that “there is some stuttering but its not world ending nor is it something that feels like such a massive chasm in performance that i feel they cant fix.” That’s the strongest case being made for Farever right now — that the problems might be fixable. Not exactly a rallying cry.

MassivelyOP’s columnist echoed the concern, noting that the game’s performance “leaves a lot to be desired” and confirming it wasn’t limited to a single hardware configuration. Their recommendation: “maybe zip your wallet until the performance stuff gets worked out first.”

At 6,445 concurrent players, Farever isn’t flatlining. But it’s running at roughly a quarter of Far Far West’s player count with a fraction of the review volume — which means the early narrative is being written by the people most frustrated, not the people quietly having a fine time.

Same Price, Different Planets

Both games are $17.99. Both are early access. Both have ambitious roadmaps — Farever’s plans include new regions, classes like Druid and Monk, an auction hall, PvP, and a level cap climb to 50. The scope is there.

The divergence is in execution. Far Far West shipped polished enough to earn near-universal praise, then immediately patched. Farever shipped with a known stuttering issue that was reportedly present in playtests, according to multiple player accounts.

That’s the early access math. Players will tolerate unfinished content. They will not tolerate unfinished performance. Content is a roadmap problem. Stuttering is a credibility problem.

Shiro Games has the portfolio to turn this around — the studio has shipped quality titles repeatedly, and Farever’s core design, a multiplayer fantasy RPG with exploration, crafting, and scaled co-op combat, has its supporters. But every day that top review sits there unaddressed is a day that $17.99 gets spent one chart position higher.

Sources