Choose The Forest
Choose The Forest if you want an Indie 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 Ars Notoria
The Forest and Ars Notoria both land in Action, 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 Action, Adventure, Simulation on Steam. The Forest (2018) is 7 years older than Ars Notoria (2025). The Forest scores higher on Steam reviews (95.3% positive) than Ars Notoria (68.1% 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 Ars Notoria
Choose Ars Notoria if you want a RPG and Early Access game with Camera Comfort, Custom Volume Controls, and Adjustable Difficulty. On Steam, it's the newer release (2025) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Ars Notoria launched in 2025.
Both The Forest and Ars Notoria sit in Action, 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 |  Ars Notoria | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2025 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Simulation | Action, Adventure, Simulation, RPG, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Unsupported |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 95.3% positive (175,474 reviews) | 68.1% positive (116 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Endnight Games Ltd | XRON Software |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Adventure, Simulation on Steam.
- The Forest (2018) is 7 years older than Ars Notoria (2025).
- The Forest scores higher on Steam reviews (95.3% positive) than Ars Notoria (68.1% positive).
- Ars Notoria is currently ~0% cheaper on Steam than The Forest (19.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Steam Deck: The Forest is Deck Playable, Ars Notoria is Deck Unsupported.
The Forest vs Ars Notoria — FAQ
- Which is better, The Forest or Ars Notoria?
- On Steam reviews The Forest scores higher (95.3% positive) than Ars Notoria (68.1% 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 Ars Notoria first?
- If you want chronology, The Forest (2018) came out before Ars Notoria (2025). 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 Ars Notoria similar?
- They overlap on Action, 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 Ars Notoria have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: The Forest ships Online Co-op, LAN Co-op; Ars Notoria ships Online Co-op, Co-op.