Choose Machinarium
Choose Machinarium if you want an Adventure game with Steam Leaderboards. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 4,783 Steam reviews back the pick.
Machinarium vs The Machine's Garden
Machinarium and The Machine's Garden 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. Machinarium (2009) is 11 years older than The Machine's Garden (2020). Machinarium scores higher on Steam reviews (94.4% positive) than The Machine's Garden (92.3% 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 Machine's Garden
Choose The Machine's Garden if it's currently about 85% cheaper on the Steam Store. The Machine's Garden launched in 2020.
Both Machinarium and The Machine's Garden sit in Indie on Steam, 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
 Machinarium |  The Machine's Garden | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2009 | 2020 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure | Indie |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 2.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 94.4% positive (4,783 reviews) | 92.3% positive (13 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Amanita Design | Jon Miller, Michael Mato |
Side by side
- Both are Indie games on Steam.
- Machinarium (2009) is 11 years older than The Machine's Garden (2020).
- Machinarium scores higher on Steam reviews (94.4% positive) than The Machine's Garden (92.3% positive).
- The Machine's Garden is currently ~85% cheaper on Steam than Machinarium (2.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Machinarium is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; The Machine's Garden has no Deck rating yet.
Machinarium vs The Machine's Garden — FAQ
- Should I play Machinarium or The Machine's Garden first?
- If you want chronology, Machinarium (2009) came out before The Machine's Garden (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 Machinarium and The Machine's Garden 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.
- Does Machinarium run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Machinarium is rated Deck Verified by Valve. The Machine's Garden doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.