Choose Spelunky
Choose Spelunky if you want the Steam Leaderboards side of the pairing. On Steam, it's currently about 25% cheaper on the Steam Store. 10,185 Steam reviews back the pick.
Spelunky vs Spelunky 2
Spelunky and Spelunky 2 both land in Indie 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 are Indie games on Steam. Spelunky (2013) is 7 years older than Spelunky 2 (2020). Spelunky 2 scores higher on Steam reviews (93.3% positive) than Spelunky (92.1% positive). 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 Spelunky 2
Choose Spelunky 2 if you want an Action game with Online PvP and Online Co-op. On Steam, it's the newer release (2020) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 13,985 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Spelunky and Spelunky 2 sit in Indie on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Shared/Split Screen PvP, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (92.1% vs 93.3% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Spelunky |  Spelunky 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2013 | 2020 |
| Genres | Indie | Action, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | 14.99 USD | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 92.1% positive (10,185 reviews) | 93.3% positive (13,985 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op |
| Developers | Mossmouth | Mossmouth, BlitWorks |
Side by side
- Both are Indie games on Steam.
- Spelunky (2013) is 7 years older than Spelunky 2 (2020).
- Spelunky 2 scores higher on Steam reviews (93.3% positive) than Spelunky (92.1% positive).
- Spelunky is currently ~25% cheaper on Steam than Spelunky 2 (14.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Both are Deck Verified.
Spelunky vs Spelunky 2 — FAQ
- Which is better, Spelunky or Spelunky 2?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Spelunky sits at 92.1% positive (10,185 reviews), Spelunky 2 at 93.3% (13,985). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Spelunky or Spelunky 2 first?
- If you want chronology, Spelunky (2013) came out before Spelunky 2 (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 Spelunky and Spelunky 2 similar?
- They overlap on Indie 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 Spelunky and Spelunky 2 have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Spelunky ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op; Spelunky 2 ships Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op.
- Do Spelunky and Spelunky 2 both run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — both are Steam Deck Verified, meaning Valve confirms they run with full controller support, legible text, and default settings out of the box.