Choose The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition
Choose The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition if it matches what drew you to this matchup. 3,019 Steam reviews back the pick.
The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition vs The Curse of Monkey Island
The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition and The Curse of Monkey Island both land in 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 are Adventure games on Steam. The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition (2009) is 9 years older than The Curse of Monkey Island (2018). The Curse of Monkey Island scores higher on Steam reviews (97.3% positive) than The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition (95.9% 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 The Curse of Monkey Island
Choose The Curse of Monkey Island if it's currently about 30% cheaper on the Steam Store. 1,613 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition and The Curse of Monkey Island sit in Adventure on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (95.9% vs 97.3% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition |  The Curse of Monkey Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2009 | 2018 |
| Genres | Adventure | Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Unsupported |
| Price | 9.99 USD | 6.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 95.9% positive (3,019 reviews) | 97.3% positive (1,613 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | LucasArts | LucasArts |
Side by side
- Both are Adventure games on Steam.
- The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition (2009) is 9 years older than The Curse of Monkey Island (2018).
- The Curse of Monkey Island scores higher on Steam reviews (97.3% positive) than The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition (95.9% positive).
- The Curse of Monkey Island is currently ~30% cheaper on Steam than The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition (6.99 USD vs. 9.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition is Deck Playable, The Curse of Monkey Island is Deck Unsupported.
The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition vs The Curse of Monkey Island — FAQ
- Which is better, The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition or The Curse of Monkey Island?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition sits at 95.9% positive (3,019 reviews), The Curse of Monkey Island at 97.3% (1,613). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition or The Curse of Monkey Island first?
- If you want chronology, The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition (2009) came out before The Curse of Monkey Island (2018). 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 The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition and The Curse of Monkey Island similar?
- They overlap on 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.