Choose Forest Phantoms
Choose Forest Phantoms if you want an Indie and Casual experience. On Steam, it's currently about 50% cheaper on the Steam Store. Forest Phantoms launched in 2023.
Forest Phantoms vs The Carnival Killer
Forest Phantoms and The Carnival Killer both land in Action 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 are Action games on Steam. Forest Phantoms (2023) is 1 year older than The Carnival Killer (2024). Forest Phantoms is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than The Carnival Killer (0.99 USD vs. 1.99 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 The Carnival Killer
Choose The Carnival Killer 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. The Carnival Killer launched in 2024.
Both Forest Phantoms and The Carnival Killer sit in Action 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
 Forest Phantoms |  The Carnival Killer | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2023 | 2024 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Casual | Action |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 0.99 USD | 1.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 1 reviews | 2 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op |
| Developers | Sebastian Brown, Justin Freeman | Mad Scientist Studios, Digital Cove Games |
Side by side
- Both are Action games on Steam.
- Forest Phantoms (2023) is 1 year older than The Carnival Killer (2024).
- Forest Phantoms is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than The Carnival Killer (0.99 USD vs. 1.99 USD).
- The Carnival Killer has co-op; Forest Phantoms does not.
Forest Phantoms vs The Carnival Killer — FAQ
- Should I play Forest Phantoms or The Carnival Killer first?
- If you want chronology, Forest Phantoms (2023) came out before The Carnival Killer (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 Forest Phantoms and The Carnival Killer similar?
- They overlap on Action 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 Forest Phantoms have multiplayer like The Carnival Killer?
- No. The Carnival Killer supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op), while Forest Phantoms is listed as single-player only.