Choose Machinarium
Choose Machinarium if you want the Steam Leaderboards side of the pairing. 4,783 Steam reviews back the pick.
Machinarium vs Botanicula
Machinarium and Botanicula both land in 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 Indie, Adventure on Steam. Machinarium (2009) is 3 years older than Botanicula (2012). Botanicula scores higher on Steam reviews (95.4% positive) than Machinarium (94.4% 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 Botanicula
Choose Botanicula if you want a Casual experience. On Steam, it's currently about 25% cheaper on the Steam Store. 2,036 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Machinarium and Botanicula sit in Indie and Adventure on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (94.4% vs 95.4% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Machinarium |  Botanicula | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2009 | 2012 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure | Indie, Adventure, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 14.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 94.4% positive (4,783 reviews) | 95.4% positive (2,036 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Amanita Design | Amanita Design |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Machinarium (2009) is 3 years older than Botanicula (2012).
- Botanicula scores higher on Steam reviews (95.4% positive) than Machinarium (94.4% positive).
- Botanicula is currently ~25% cheaper on Steam than Machinarium (14.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Both are Deck Verified.
Machinarium vs Botanicula — FAQ
- Which is better, Machinarium or Botanicula?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Machinarium sits at 94.4% positive (4,783 reviews), Botanicula at 95.4% (2,036). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Machinarium or Botanicula first?
- If you want chronology, Machinarium (2009) came out before Botanicula (2012). 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 Botanicula similar?
- They overlap on 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 Machinarium and Botanicula 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.