Choose The Forest
Choose The Forest if you want a Simulation game with Tracked Controller Support and VR Supported. 175,474 Steam reviews back the pick.
The Forest vs Ardent Wilds
The Forest and Ardent Wilds 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. Both support cooperative play. The Forest is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Ardent Wilds has no Deck rating yet. 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 Ardent Wilds
Choose Ardent Wilds if you want a RPG experience.
Both The Forest and Ardent Wilds sit in Action, Indie, and Adventure on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online Co-op, and LAN 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 |  Ardent Wilds | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | — |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Simulation | Action, Indie, Adventure, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | 19.99 USD | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 95.3% positive (175,474 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op |
| Developers | Endnight Games Ltd | Spellware Studios |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Both support cooperative play.
- The Forest is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Ardent Wilds has no Deck rating yet.
The Forest vs Ardent Wilds — FAQ
- Are The Forest and Ardent Wilds 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 Ardent Wilds have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: The Forest ships Online Co-op, LAN Co-op; Ardent Wilds ships Online Co-op, LAN Co-op.
- Does The Forest run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — The Forest is rated Deck Playable by Valve. Ardent Wilds doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.