Choose The Forest
Choose The Forest if you want an Action and Simulation game with LAN Co-op, Tracked Controller Support, and VR Supported. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 95.3% positive across 175,474 reviews.
The Forest vs Stranded Deep
The Forest and Stranded Deep both land in 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 Indie, Adventure on Steam. The Forest (2018) is 4 years older than Stranded Deep (2022). The Forest scores higher on Steam reviews (95.3% positive) than Stranded Deep (74.3% 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 Stranded Deep
Choose Stranded Deep if you want the Shared/Split Screen, Steam Leaderboards, and Shared/Split Screen Co-op side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2022) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 23,284 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both The Forest and Stranded Deep sit in Indie and Adventure on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online Co-op, and 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 |  Stranded Deep | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2022 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Simulation | Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 95.3% positive (175,474 reviews) | 74.3% positive (23,284 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op |
| Developers | Endnight Games Ltd | Beam Team Games |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- The Forest (2018) is 4 years older than Stranded Deep (2022).
- The Forest scores higher on Steam reviews (95.3% positive) than Stranded Deep (74.3% positive).
- Stranded Deep is currently ~0% cheaper on Steam than The Forest (19.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Both are Deck Playable.
The Forest vs Stranded Deep — FAQ
- Which is better, The Forest or Stranded Deep?
- On Steam reviews The Forest scores higher (95.3% positive) than Stranded Deep (74.3% 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 Stranded Deep first?
- If you want chronology, The Forest (2018) came out before Stranded Deep (2022). 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 Stranded Deep similar?
- They overlap on 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 Stranded Deep have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: The Forest ships Online Co-op, LAN Co-op; Stranded Deep ships Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op.