Choose The Forest
Choose The Forest if you want a Simulation game with Tracked Controller Support and VR Supported. On Steam, it's currently about 20% cheaper on the Steam Store. 175,474 Steam reviews back the pick.
The Forest vs AsHes
The Forest and AsHes 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 6 years older than AsHes (2024). The Forest is currently ~20% cheaper on Steam than AsHes (19.99 USD vs. 24.99 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 AsHes
Choose AsHes if you want an Early Access experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2024) and ships with the modern feature baseline. AsHes launched in 2024.
Both The Forest and AsHes 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 |  AsHes | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2024 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Simulation | Action, Indie, Adventure, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 24.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 95.3% positive (175,474 reviews) | 3 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op |
| Developers | Endnight Games Ltd | Yanmo Games |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- The Forest (2018) is 6 years older than AsHes (2024).
- The Forest is currently ~20% cheaper on Steam than AsHes (19.99 USD vs. 24.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- The Forest is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; AsHes has no Deck rating yet.
The Forest vs AsHes — FAQ
- Should I play The Forest or AsHes first?
- If you want chronology, The Forest (2018) came out before AsHes (2024). 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 AsHes 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 AsHes have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: The Forest ships Online Co-op, LAN Co-op; AsHes ships Online Co-op, LAN Co-op.
- Does The Forest run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — The Forest is rated Deck Playable by Valve. AsHes doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.