Choose The Forest
Choose The Forest if you want the Tracked Controller Support and VR Supported side of the pairing. 175,474 Steam reviews back the pick.
The Forest vs Elysium
The Forest and Elysium 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 8 years older than Elysium (2026). Both support cooperative play. 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 Elysium
Choose Elysium if you want the Subtitle Options, Color Alternatives, and Camera Comfort side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Elysium launched in 2026.
Both The Forest and Elysium 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 |  Elysium | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2026 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Simulation | Action, Indie, Adventure, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS |
| 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 | Artifika Games |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- The Forest (2018) is 8 years older than Elysium (2026).
- Both support cooperative play.
- The Forest is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Elysium has no Deck rating yet.
The Forest vs Elysium — FAQ
- Should I play The Forest or Elysium first?
- If you want chronology, The Forest (2018) came out before Elysium (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 Elysium 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 Elysium have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: The Forest ships Online Co-op, LAN Co-op; Elysium ships Online Co-op, LAN Co-op.
- Does The Forest run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — The Forest is rated Deck Playable by Valve. Elysium doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.