Games like The Forest
The Forest is first-person survival on a cannibal island: build, raid caves, keep a story in the background. Co-op is the usual way in.
Liked The Forest? Each game below says what it keeps from it and what it changes.
Steam data checked Sep 13, 2026 · How matches are scored
Compare The Forest →Closest alternatives
Loading alternatives…
Smaller games found on Steam
These share a lot with The Forest on Steam, but Shypiard has not written their profile yet.
What makes it distinctive?
Horror-tinged open-world survival craft. Base defense and exploration share the save.
Who plays The Forest?
For players who seek a camp they defend and a forest they do not trust.
Fantasy: Survival / Horror tension. Fantasy is our reading of the game, separate from the Steam review score.
A match rises when it shares the way you play: the loop, the mechanics, the session. A shared mood alone does not put a game at the top. If too little is known, the row is left off.
How to read this list
The shared spine is a persistent world you build in while something hunts you. Enshrouded and Green Hell match on both halves. Project Zomboid keeps the dread and trades the base for skills; Valheim keeps the co-op building and drops the horror. Grounded swaps exploring for defending one spot.
FAQ
Is this a Steam tag clone list?
No. Tags are one input. Mechanics, fantasy, progression and session structure are classified by Shypiard. If a signal is missing it is skipped.
Why is a famous game missing?
Either Shypiard has not profiled it yet, or it shares too little with The Forest to be a fair match. The list is never padded to reach a round number.