Choose Black Forest
Choose Black Forest if you want a Free To Play and Casual game with Steam Leaderboards. On Steam, it's the newer release (2023) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Black Forest launched in 2023.
Black Forest vs Kingdoms and Castles
Black Forest and Kingdoms and Castles both land in Strategy, Indie 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 Strategy, Indie on Steam. Kingdoms and Castles (2017) is 6 years older than Black Forest (2023). Kingdoms and Castles scores higher on Steam reviews (93.8% positive) than Black Forest (33.3% 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 Kingdoms and Castles
Choose Kingdoms and Castles if you want a Simulation experience. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 19,354 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Black Forest and Kingdoms and Castles sit in Strategy and Indie 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
 Black Forest |  Kingdoms and Castles | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2023 | 2017 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Free To Play, Casual | Strategy, Indie, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Deck Verified |
| Price | 14.99 USD | 14.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 33.3% positive (21 reviews) | 93.8% positive (19,354 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Lemuria | Lion Shield, LLC |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie on Steam.
- Kingdoms and Castles (2017) is 6 years older than Black Forest (2023).
- Kingdoms and Castles scores higher on Steam reviews (93.8% positive) than Black Forest (33.3% positive).
- Kingdoms and Castles is currently ~0% cheaper on Steam than Black Forest (14.99 USD vs. 14.99 USD).
- Kingdoms and Castles is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Black Forest has no Deck rating yet.
Black Forest vs Kingdoms and Castles — FAQ
- Should I play Black Forest or Kingdoms and Castles first?
- If you want chronology, Kingdoms and Castles (2017) came out before Black Forest (2023). 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 Black Forest and Kingdoms and Castles similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Indie 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.