Choose The Forest
Choose The Forest if you want the LAN Co-op, Tracked Controller Support, and VR Supported side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 95.3% positive across 175,474 reviews.
The Forest vs Hand Simulator: Horror
The Forest and Hand Simulator: Horror both land in Action, 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 Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam. The Forest (2018) is 2 years older than Hand Simulator: Horror (2020). The Forest scores higher on Steam reviews (95.3% positive) than Hand Simulator: Horror (72.3% 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 Hand Simulator: Horror
Choose Hand Simulator: Horror if you want a Massively Multiplayer experience. On Steam, it's currently about 85% cheaper on the Steam Store. Hand Simulator: Horror launched in 2020.
Both The Forest and Hand Simulator: Horror sit in Action, Indie, and Adventure on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online Co-op, and 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
 The Forest |  Hand Simulator: Horror | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2020 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Simulation | Action, Indie, Adventure, Simulation, Massively Multiplayer |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 2.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 95.3% positive (175,474 reviews) | 72.3% positive (274 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Endnight Games Ltd | HFM Games |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- The Forest (2018) is 2 years older than Hand Simulator: Horror (2020).
- The Forest scores higher on Steam reviews (95.3% positive) than Hand Simulator: Horror (72.3% positive).
- Hand Simulator: Horror is currently ~85% cheaper on Steam than The Forest (2.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- The Forest is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Hand Simulator: Horror has no Deck rating yet.
The Forest vs Hand Simulator: Horror — FAQ
- Which is better, The Forest or Hand Simulator: Horror?
- On Steam reviews The Forest scores higher (95.3% positive) than Hand Simulator: Horror (72.3% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, The Forest 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 Forest or Hand Simulator: Horror first?
- If you want chronology, The Forest (2018) came out before Hand Simulator: Horror (2020). 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 Forest and Hand Simulator: Horror similar?
- They overlap on Action, 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.
- Do both The Forest and Hand Simulator: Horror have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: The Forest ships Online Co-op, LAN Co-op; Hand Simulator: Horror ships Online Co-op, Co-op.
- Does The Forest run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — The Forest is rated Deck Playable by Valve. Hand Simulator: Horror doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.