Choose Contagion
Choose Contagion if you want the Steam Leaderboards, Subtitle Options, and Camera Comfort side of the pairing. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 5,535 Steam reviews back the pick.
Contagion vs Specimen 13
Contagion and Specimen 13 both land in Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam. Contagion (2013) is 7 years older than Specimen 13 (2020). Specimen 13 is currently ~10% cheaper on Steam than Contagion (8.99 USD vs. 9.99 USD). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Specimen 13
Choose Specimen 13 if it's the newer release (2020) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Specimen 13 launched in 2020.
Both Contagion and Specimen 13 sit in Action, Indie, and Adventure on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and Online Co-op, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Contagion |  Specimen 13 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2013 | 2020 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure | Action, Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 9.99 USD | 8.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 73.2% positive (5,535 reviews) | 5 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Monochrome, Inc | Spire Interactive |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Contagion (2013) is 7 years older than Specimen 13 (2020).
- Specimen 13 is currently ~10% cheaper on Steam than Contagion (8.99 USD vs. 9.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Contagion is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Specimen 13 has no Deck rating yet.
Contagion vs Specimen 13 — FAQ
- Should I play Contagion or Specimen 13 first?
- If you want chronology, Contagion (2013) came out before Specimen 13 (2020). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Contagion and Specimen 13 similar?
- They overlap on Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Do both Contagion and Specimen 13 have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Contagion ships Online Co-op, Co-op; Specimen 13 ships Online Co-op, Co-op.
- Does Contagion run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Contagion is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Specimen 13 doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.