diff --git a/packages/repl/src/lib/workers/bundler/index.ts b/packages/repl/src/lib/workers/bundler/index.ts
index 119725d4f4..38e7c8ac59 100644
--- a/packages/repl/src/lib/workers/bundler/index.ts
+++ b/packages/repl/src/lib/workers/bundler/index.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import type { Warning } from '../../types';
 import type { CompileError, CompileOptions, CompileResult } from 'svelte/compiler';
 import type { File } from 'editor';
 import { parseTar, type FileDescription } from 'tarparser';
+import { max } from './semver';
 
 // hack for magic-string and rollup inline sourcemaps
 // do not put this into a separate module and import it, would be treeshaken in prod
@@ -230,6 +231,8 @@ async function resolve_from_pkg(
 	return subpath;
 }
 
+const versions = Object.create(null);
+
 async function get_bundle(
 	uid: number,
 	mode: 'client' | 'server',
@@ -288,10 +291,46 @@ async function get_bundle(
 				}
 
 				const pkg_name = match[1];
+
+				let default_version = 'latest';
+
+				if (importer?.startsWith(packages_url)) {
+					const path = importer.slice(packages_url.length + 1);
+					const parts = path.split('/').slice(0, 2);
+					if (!parts[0].startsWith('@')) parts.pop();
+
+					const importer_name_and_version = parts.join('/');
+					const importer_name = importer_name_and_version.slice(
+						0,
+						importer_name_and_version.indexOf('@', 1)
+					);
+
+					const default_versions = (versions[importer_name_and_version] ??= Object.create(null));
+
+					if (!default_versions[pkg_name]) {
+						const pkg_json_url = `${packages_url}/${importer_name_and_version}/package.json`;
+						const pkg_json = (await fetch_if_uncached(pkg_json_url, uid))?.body;
+						const pkg = JSON.parse(pkg_json ?? '""');
+
+						if (importer_name === pkg_name) {
+							default_versions[pkg_name] = pkg.version;
+						} else {
+							const version =
+								pkg.devDependencies?.[pkg_name] ??
+								pkg.peerDependencies?.[pkg_name] ??
+								pkg.dependencies?.[pkg_name];
+
+							default_versions[pkg_name] = max(version);
+						}
+					}
+
+					default_version = default_versions[pkg_name];
+				}
+
 				const pkg_url =
 					pkg_name === 'svelte'
 						? `${svelte_url}/package.json`
-						: `${packages_url}/${pkg_name}@${match[2] ?? 'latest'}/package.json`;
+						: `${packages_url}/${pkg_name}@${match[2] ?? default_version}/package.json`;
 				const subpath = `.${match[3] ?? ''}`;
 
 				// if this was imported by one of our files, add it to the `imports` set
diff --git a/packages/repl/src/lib/workers/bundler/semver.ts b/packages/repl/src/lib/workers/bundler/semver.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..945b56541e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/repl/src/lib/workers/bundler/semver.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+// https://devhints.io/semver
+export function max(version: string) {
+	if (!version || version === '*' || version === 'x') {
+		return 'latest';
+	}
+
+	// strip any * parts, e.g. 1.2.x becomes 1.2
+	version = version.replace(/\.[x*].+/, '');
+
+	const match = /^([~^])?(\d+|[*x])(?:\.(\d+|[*x])(?:\.(\d+|[*x]))?)?(?:-.+)?$/.exec(version);
+
+	if (!match) {
+		// bail
+		console.warn(`Could not resolve version from ${version}`);
+		return 'latest';
+	}
+
+	const [_, qualifier, major, minor] = match;
+
+	// ^ means 'same major', unless 0.x
+	if (qualifier === '^') {
+		if (major === '0') {
+			if (minor === '0') {
+				return version.slice(1);
+			}
+
+			return `${major}.${minor}`;
+		}
+
+		return major;
+	}
+
+	// ~ means 'same minor'
+	if (qualifier === '~') {
+		if (minor !== undefined) {
+			return `${major}.${minor}`;
+		}
+
+		return major;
+	}
+
+	return version;
+}