Choose The Forest
Choose The Forest if you want an Indie and Simulation game with LAN Co-op. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 95.3% positive across 175,474 reviews.
The Forest vs No Man's Sky
The Forest and No Man's Sky both land in Action, 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, Adventure on Steam. No Man's Sky (2016) is 2 years older than The Forest (2018). The Forest scores higher on Steam reviews (95.3% positive) than No Man's Sky (81.6% 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 No Man's Sky
Choose No Man's Sky if you want the Online PvP, PvP, and HDR available side of the pairing. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 180,011 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both The Forest and No Man's Sky sit in Action and Adventure on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online Co-op, and Tracked Controller Support, 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 |  No Man's Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2016 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Simulation | Action, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Verified |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 59.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 95.3% positive (175,474 reviews) | 81.6% positive (180,011 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op |
| Developers | Endnight Games Ltd | Hello Games |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Adventure on Steam.
- No Man's Sky (2016) is 2 years older than The Forest (2018).
- The Forest scores higher on Steam reviews (95.3% positive) than No Man's Sky (81.6% positive).
- The Forest is currently ~67% cheaper on Steam than No Man's Sky (19.99 USD vs. 59.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Steam Deck: The Forest is Deck Playable, No Man's Sky is Deck Verified.
The Forest vs No Man's Sky — FAQ
- Which is better, The Forest or No Man's Sky?
- On Steam reviews The Forest scores higher (95.3% positive) than No Man's Sky (81.6% 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 No Man's Sky first?
- If you want chronology, No Man's Sky (2016) came out before The Forest (2018). 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 No Man's Sky similar?
- They overlap on Action, 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 No Man's Sky have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: The Forest ships Online Co-op, LAN Co-op; No Man's Sky ships Online Co-op, Co-op.