Choose Riven (1997)
Choose Riven (1997) if you want a Casual experience. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 1,011 Steam reviews back the pick.
Riven (1997) vs realMyst: Masterpiece Edition
Riven (1997) and realMyst: Masterpiece Edition 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. Riven (1997) (2010) is 4 years older than realMyst: Masterpiece Edition (2014). Both sit near 89% positive on Steam (Riven (1997): 1,011 reviews, realMyst: Masterpiece Edition: 1,164). 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 realMyst: Masterpiece Edition
Choose realMyst: Masterpiece Edition if you want an Indie experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2014) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 1,164 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Riven (1997) and realMyst: Masterpiece Edition sit in Adventure on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (89.8% vs 89.1% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Riven (1997) |  realMyst: Masterpiece Edition | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2010 | 2014 |
| Genres | Adventure, Casual | Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Playable |
| Price | 5.99 USD | 7.19 USD |
| Steam reviews | 89.8% positive (1,011 reviews) | 89.1% positive (1,164 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Cyan Worlds, Inc. | Cyan Worlds, Inc. |
Side by side
- Both are Adventure games on Steam.
- Riven (1997) (2010) is 4 years older than realMyst: Masterpiece Edition (2014).
- Both sit near 89% positive on Steam (Riven (1997): 1,011 reviews, realMyst: Masterpiece Edition: 1,164).
- Riven (1997) is currently ~17% cheaper on Steam than realMyst: Masterpiece Edition (5.99 USD vs. 7.19 USD).
- Steam Deck: Riven (1997) is Deck Verified, realMyst: Masterpiece Edition is Deck Playable.
Riven (1997) vs realMyst: Masterpiece Edition — FAQ
- Which is better, Riven (1997) or realMyst: Masterpiece Edition?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Riven (1997) sits at 89.8% positive (1,011 reviews), realMyst: Masterpiece Edition at 89.1% (1,164). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Riven (1997) or realMyst: Masterpiece Edition first?
- If you want chronology, Riven (1997) (2010) came out before realMyst: Masterpiece Edition (2014). 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 Riven (1997) and realMyst: Masterpiece Edition 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.