Choose Portal 2
Choose Portal 2 if you want the Camera Comfort, Custom Volume Controls, and Playable without Timed Input side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 98.9% positive across 169,764 reviews.
Portal 2 vs It Takes Two
Portal 2 and It Takes Two both land in Action, 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, Adventure on Steam. Portal 2 (2011) is 10 years older than It Takes Two (2021). Portal 2 scores higher on Steam reviews (98.9% positive) than It Takes Two (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 It Takes Two
Choose It Takes Two if it's the newer release (2021) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 46,479 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Portal 2 and It Takes Two sit in Action and Adventure on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, 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
 Portal 2 |  It Takes Two | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2011 | 2021 |
| Genres | Action, Adventure | Action, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | 9.99 USD | 13.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 98.9% positive (169,764 reviews) | 95.9% positive (46,479 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op |
| Developers | Valve | Hazelight Studios |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Adventure on Steam.
- Portal 2 (2011) is 10 years older than It Takes Two (2021).
- Portal 2 scores higher on Steam reviews (98.9% positive) than It Takes Two (95.9% positive).
- Portal 2 is currently ~29% cheaper on Steam than It Takes Two (9.99 USD vs. 13.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Both are Deck Verified.
Portal 2 vs It Takes Two — FAQ
- Which is better, Portal 2 or It Takes Two?
- On Steam reviews Portal 2 scores higher (98.9% positive) than It Takes Two (95.9% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Portal 2 is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Portal 2 or It Takes Two first?
- If you want chronology, Portal 2 (2011) came out before It Takes Two (2021). 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 Portal 2 and It Takes Two similar?
- They overlap on Action, 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 Portal 2 and It Takes Two have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Portal 2 ships Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op; It Takes Two ships Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op.
- Do Portal 2 and It Takes Two 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.