Choose The Forest
Choose The Forest if you want an Action game with LAN Co-op, Tracked Controller Support, and VR Supported. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 95.3% positive across 175,474 reviews.
The Forest vs The Gold River Project
The Forest and The Gold River Project both land in Indie, Adventure, Simulation 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, Simulation on Steam. The Forest (2018) is 8 years older than The Gold River Project (2026). The Forest scores higher on Steam reviews (95.3% positive) than The Gold River Project (68.5% 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 The Gold River Project
Choose The Gold River Project if you want an Early Access experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. The Gold River Project launched in 2026.
Both The Forest and The Gold River Project sit in Indie, Adventure, and Simulation 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 |  The Gold River Project | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2026 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Simulation | Indie, Adventure, Simulation, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Unsupported |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 24.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 95.3% positive (175,474 reviews) | 68.5% positive (362 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Endnight Games Ltd | Fairview Games Inc. |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure, Simulation on Steam.
- The Forest (2018) is 8 years older than The Gold River Project (2026).
- The Forest scores higher on Steam reviews (95.3% positive) than The Gold River Project (68.5% positive).
- The Forest is currently ~20% cheaper on Steam than The Gold River Project (19.99 USD vs. 24.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Steam Deck: The Forest is Deck Playable, The Gold River Project is Deck Unsupported.
The Forest vs The Gold River Project — FAQ
- Which is better, The Forest or The Gold River Project?
- On Steam reviews The Forest scores higher (95.3% positive) than The Gold River Project (68.5% 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 The Gold River Project first?
- If you want chronology, The Forest (2018) came out before The Gold River Project (2026). 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 The Gold River Project similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Adventure, Simulation 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 The Gold River Project have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: The Forest ships Online Co-op, LAN Co-op; The Gold River Project ships Online Co-op, Co-op.