Choose The Forest
Choose The Forest if you want an Action game with Multi-player, Online Co-op, and LAN Co-op. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 95.3% positive across 175,474 reviews.
The Forest vs The Long Dark
The Forest and The Long Dark both land in Indie, 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 Indie, Adventure, Simulation on Steam. The Long Dark (2017) is 1 year older than The Forest (2018). The Forest scores higher on Steam reviews (95.3% positive) than The Long Dark (88% 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 The Long Dark
Choose The Long Dark if you want a Strategy experience. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 40,071 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both The Forest and The Long Dark sit in Indie, Adventure, and Simulation on Steam, 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 |  The Long Dark | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2017 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Simulation | Strategy, Indie, Adventure, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Verified |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 95.3% positive (175,474 reviews) | 88% positive (40,071 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op | Single-player only |
| Developers | Endnight Games Ltd | Hinterland Studio Inc. |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure, Simulation on Steam.
- The Long Dark (2017) is 1 year older than The Forest (2018).
- The Forest scores higher on Steam reviews (95.3% positive) than The Long Dark (88% positive).
- The Long Dark is currently ~0% cheaper on Steam than The Forest (19.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- The Forest has co-op; The Long Dark does not.
- Steam Deck: The Forest is Deck Playable, The Long Dark is Deck Verified.
The Forest vs The Long Dark — FAQ
- Which is better, The Forest or The Long Dark?
- On Steam reviews The Forest scores higher (95.3% positive) than The Long Dark (88% 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 The Long Dark first?
- If you want chronology, The Long Dark (2017) 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 The Long Dark similar?
- They overlap on Indie, 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.
- Does The Long Dark have multiplayer like The Forest?
- No. The Forest supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op), while The Long Dark is listed as single-player only.