Choose The Forest
Choose The Forest if you want the Multi-player, Online Co-op, and LAN Co-op side of the pairing. On Steam, it has co-op, so you can bring a friend. 175,474 Steam reviews back the pick.
The Forest vs Whitetail Challenge
The Forest and Whitetail Challenge 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. Whitetail Challenge (2016) is 2 years older than The Forest (2018). Whitetail Challenge is currently ~80% cheaper on Steam than The Forest (3.99 USD vs. 19.99 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 Whitetail Challenge
Choose Whitetail Challenge if it's currently about 80% cheaper on the Steam Store. Whitetail Challenge launched in 2016.
Both The Forest and Whitetail Challenge sit in Action, Indie, and Adventure 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 |  Whitetail Challenge | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2016 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Simulation | Action, Indie, Adventure, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 3.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 95.3% positive (175,474 reviews) | 6 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op | Single-player only |
| Developers | Endnight Games Ltd | PSR Outdoors |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Whitetail Challenge (2016) is 2 years older than The Forest (2018).
- Whitetail Challenge is currently ~80% cheaper on Steam than The Forest (3.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- The Forest has co-op; Whitetail Challenge does not.
- The Forest is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Whitetail Challenge has no Deck rating yet.
The Forest vs Whitetail Challenge — FAQ
- Should I play The Forest or Whitetail Challenge first?
- If you want chronology, Whitetail Challenge (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 Whitetail Challenge 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.
- Does Whitetail Challenge have multiplayer like The Forest?
- No. The Forest supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op), while Whitetail Challenge is listed as single-player only.
- Does The Forest run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — The Forest is rated Deck Playable by Valve. Whitetail Challenge doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.