Choose The Painscreek Killings
Choose The Painscreek Killings if it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 89% positive across 2,765 reviews.
The Painscreek Killings vs Scene Investigators
The Painscreek Killings and Scene Investigators 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. The Painscreek Killings (2017) is 6 years older than Scene Investigators (2023). The Painscreek Killings scores higher on Steam reviews (89% positive) than Scene Investigators (65.5% 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 Scene Investigators
Choose Scene Investigators if it's the newer release (2023) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Scene Investigators launched in 2023.
Both The Painscreek Killings and Scene Investigators sit in Indie and Adventure 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
 The Painscreek Killings |  Scene Investigators | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2023 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure | Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 24.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 89% positive (2,765 reviews) | 65.5% positive (333 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | EQ Studios | EQ Studios |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- The Painscreek Killings (2017) is 6 years older than Scene Investigators (2023).
- The Painscreek Killings scores higher on Steam reviews (89% positive) than Scene Investigators (65.5% positive).
- The Painscreek Killings is currently ~20% cheaper on Steam than Scene Investigators (19.99 USD vs. 24.99 USD).
- Both are Deck Playable.
The Painscreek Killings vs Scene Investigators — FAQ
- Which is better, The Painscreek Killings or Scene Investigators?
- On Steam reviews The Painscreek Killings scores higher (89% positive) than Scene Investigators (65.5% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, The Painscreek Killings is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play The Painscreek Killings or Scene Investigators first?
- If you want chronology, The Painscreek Killings (2017) came out before Scene Investigators (2023). 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 Painscreek Killings and Scene Investigators 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.