Choose The Forest
Choose The Forest if you want an Indie and Adventure game with Multi-player, Online Co-op, and LAN Co-op. On Steam, it has co-op, so you can bring a friend. 175,474 Steam reviews back the pick.
The Forest vs Industrial Firefighters
The Forest and Industrial Firefighters both land in Action, 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 Action, Simulation on Steam. The Forest (2018) is 2 years older than Industrial Firefighters (2020). Industrial Firefighters is currently ~10% cheaper on Steam than The Forest (17.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD). 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 Industrial Firefighters
Choose Industrial Firefighters if it's a focused single-player run rather than a multiplayer commitment. Industrial Firefighters launched in 2020.
Both The Forest and Industrial Firefighters sit in Action and Simulation on Steam, 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 |  Industrial Firefighters | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2020 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Simulation | Action, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 17.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 95.3% positive (175,474 reviews) | 6 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op | Single-player only |
| Developers | Endnight Games Ltd | VIS-Games |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Simulation on Steam.
- The Forest (2018) is 2 years older than Industrial Firefighters (2020).
- Industrial Firefighters is currently ~10% cheaper on Steam than The Forest (17.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- The Forest has co-op; Industrial Firefighters does not.
- The Forest is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Industrial Firefighters has no Deck rating yet.
The Forest vs Industrial Firefighters — FAQ
- Should I play The Forest or Industrial Firefighters first?
- If you want chronology, The Forest (2018) came out before Industrial Firefighters (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 Industrial Firefighters similar?
- They overlap on Action, 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.
- Does Industrial Firefighters have multiplayer like The Forest?
- No. The Forest supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op), while Industrial Firefighters is listed as single-player only.
- Does The Forest run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — The Forest is rated Deck Playable by Valve. Industrial Firefighters doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.