diff --git a/dist/setup/index.js b/dist/setup/index.js
index 28d5dc8f..0a0c0bad 100644
--- a/dist/setup/index.js
+++ b/dist/setup/index.js
@@ -71768,15 +71768,25 @@ function translateArchToDistUrl(arch) {
     }
 }
 function parseNodeVersionFile(contents) {
-    var _a;
+    var _a, _b;
+    let nodeVersion;
     const found = contents.match(/^(?:nodejs\s+)?v?(?<version>[^\s]+)$/m);
-    const nodeVersion = (_a = found === null || found === void 0 ? void 0 : found.groups) === null || _a === void 0 ? void 0 : _a.version;
-    if (nodeVersion) {
-        return nodeVersion;
+    nodeVersion = (_a = found === null || found === void 0 ? void 0 : found.groups) === null || _a === void 0 ? void 0 : _a.version;
+    if (!nodeVersion) {
+        try {
+            // Try parsing the file as an NPM `package.json`
+            // file.
+            nodeVersion = (_b = JSON.parse(contents).engines) === null || _b === void 0 ? void 0 : _b.node;
+            if (!nodeVersion)
+                throw new Error();
+        }
+        catch (err) {
+            // In the case of an unknown format,
+            // return as is and evaluate the version separately.
+            nodeVersion = contents.trim();
+        }
     }
-    // In the case of an unknown format,
-    // return as is and evaluate the version separately.
-    return contents.trim();
+    return nodeVersion;
 }
 exports.parseNodeVersionFile = parseNodeVersionFile;
 function isLatestSyntax(versionSpec) {
diff --git a/src/installer.ts b/src/installer.ts
index 8fa44b01..193ff16a 100644
--- a/src/installer.ts
+++ b/src/installer.ts
@@ -495,24 +495,26 @@ function translateArchToDistUrl(arch: string): string {
 }
 
 export function parseNodeVersionFile(contents: string): string {
-  // In the case of an unknown format,
-  // return as is and evaluate the version separately.
-  let nodeVersion = contents.trim();
+  let nodeVersion: string | undefined;
 
-  try {
-    // Assume all content parseable as JSON is a valid,
-    // NPM `package.json` file
-    const packageJson = JSON.parse(contents);
-    nodeVersion = packageJson.engines.node || nodeVersion;
+  const found = contents.match(/^(?:nodejs\s+)?v?(?<version>[^\s]+)$/m);
+  nodeVersion = found?.groups?.version;
 
-    if (!nodeVersion) throw
-  } catch (err) {
-    // If not, assume it is a node version file
-    const found = nodeVersion.match(/^(?:nodejs\s+)?v?(?<version>[^\s]+)$/m);
-    nodeVersion = found?.groups?.version || nodeVersion;
+  if (!nodeVersion) {
+    try {
+      // Try parsing the file as an NPM `package.json`
+      // file.
+      nodeVersion = JSON.parse(contents).engines?.node;
+
+      if (!nodeVersion) throw new Error();
+    } catch (err) {
+      // In the case of an unknown format,
+      // return as is and evaluate the version separately.
+      nodeVersion = contents.trim();
+    }
   }
 
-  return nodeVersion;
+  return nodeVersion as string;
 }
 
 function isLatestSyntax(versionSpec): boolean {