18 Best Games Like The Forest | 2026 Survival Horror Picks

I’ll walk through 18 intense survival experiences that capture those feelings in different ways. Some lean into horror, others into crafting or co-op, but all deliver high-stakes gameplay where every decision matters.

Our Top Picks for Games Like The Forest

There’s no shortage of best survival games out there, but not all of them hit the same nerve as The Forest. These five stand out because they capture that same blend of isolation, danger, and strategy.

The Long Dark

SURVIVAL

This one strips out the monsters but cranks up the dread. You’re stranded in a frozen wilderness after a disaster, battling hunger, weather, and wildlife. What makes it great is how it leans into realism and silence.

ARK: Survival Evolved

SURVIVAL

ARK throws you into a world full of dinosaurs, but don’t let that fool you. The core loop is all about gathering, crafting, and building while everything around you wants you dead.

Rust

SURVIVAL

If you like The Forest but wish it had more player-driven chaos, Rust delivers. You start with nothing but a rock and a torch, and every step forward feels earned. What makes Rust so gripping is its unforgiving PvP, where other players are often the biggest threat.

These five only scratch the surface. Keep scrolling for the full lineup of 18 games similar to The Forest that fans will appreciate.

18 Best Games Like The Forest – Survival, Crafting, and Co-Op

This full list goes beyond the top picks to cover a wide range of survival experiences. Each game brings its own spin on base-building, danger, and exploration in hostile environments.

How many of these have you played?

Scroll down and discover the best games like The Forest available right now.

The Long Dark

Best Realistic Wilderness Survival Game

Our Score ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, macOS, Windows, Linux, GeForce Now Creator/s Hinterland Studio Inc.

Average Playtime 30–60 hours depending on mode and playstyle Metacritic Score 77/100

The Long Dark

drops players into the frozen wilderness of northern Canada. There are no monsters or mutants here – only silence, cold, and the quiet dread of knowing help isn’t coming.

You’re on your own, and every decision could be the one that keeps you alive.

The gameplay centers around survival. You’ll scavenge abandoned cabins, forage for food, boil water, and fight the cold with whatever shelter or fire you can find. The environment is brutal, and the world doesn’t care if you make it.

With no map markers or hand-holding, everything must be learned through observation and experience. The game’s harsh, realistic survival in the frozen Canadian wilderness makes each choice feel personal and earned.

Visually, the art is stylized but bleak. The pastel sky, muted snowdrifts, and sparse buildings create a sense of loneliness that lingers as you explore. Survival Mode is fully open-ended, while Wintermute offers a narrative-driven option with a slower, more reflective pace.

Pro tip

Always harvest clothing from corpses or cabins early in-game. The right jacket or boots can be the difference between surviving the first night or freezing in place.

Final Verdict:

The Long Dark

stands out by stripping survival down to its essentials. Fans of The Forest who enjoy tension, strategy, and self-reliance will find this frozen wasteland both punishing and deeply rewarding.

ARK: Survival Evolved

Best Dinosaur Survival Sandbox

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• PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, Linux, GeForce Now
• Creator/s
• Studio Wildcard, Instinct Games, Snail Games USA
• Average Playtime
• 60–100+ hours depending on server and playstyle
• Metacritic Score
• 70/100
• Stranded, starving, and unarmed,

ARK: Survival Evolved

• drops you onto a tropical island crawling with dinosaurs and unknown threats. It’s a brutal survival experience where
• every action drains your resources
• , and the environment punishes hesitation. For fans of
• dinosaur games

, this one stands out as you’re not just fighting to live – you’re building relationships with creatures that can become your allies or your end.

Players start with nothing but their hands, forced to gather materials, craft primitive tools, and build shelter. Over time, you’ll learn to tame wild beasts, grow crops, form tribes, and research advanced technologies. The first-person perspective also makes combat feel intense, putting it right alongside some of the best FPS games when battles break out against players or predators.

The world is dynamic, full of storms and shifting temperatures that change how you approach each day. The standout mechanic is the ability to tame and ride over 100 unique creatures, creating a bond between player and beast that carries real weight in survival or combat.

It’s true that a few players called ARK too demanding or buggy at times, though I personally think its ambition and depth more than make up for it.

Pro tip

Taming a flying mount early can completely change how you navigate and survive. Focus on Pteranodon or Argentavis depending on your region.

Final Verdict:

ARK: Survival Evolved

offers pure chaos and progression in a living, breathing world. If you enjoyed the resource management and base-building in The Forest, but want it scaled up with massive creatures, deeper crafting, and unpredictable PvP, this one delivers in full.

Rust

Best PvP Survival Game with Base Raiding

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• PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows, macOS
• Creator/s
• Facepunch Studios
• Average Playtime
• 50–300+ hours depending on server type and PvP preference
• Metacritic Score
• 69/100
• In

Rust

, the only goal is to stay alive – but the island doesn’t make that easy. Between the cold, starvation, wild animals, and other players, every moment is a test. There’s no story, no hand-holding, and no safety net. You spawn naked with a rock, and what happens next is entirely up to you.

The moment-to-moment gameplay revolves around gathering resources, crafting gear, and building shelter, but that’s just the start. What sets

Rust

apart is its always-online world where other players are often more dangerous than the environment. Sure, a few players found the PvP-heavy world too unforgiving, but for me, that unpredictability is exactly what makes the game so thrilling.

Visually,

Rust

has evolved from a scrappy alpha to one of the most striking open world games out there. Its island is now detailed and alive with diverse biomes, abandoned buildings, and player-built bases that vary wildly by server.

Pro tip

Always stash backup gear in a hidden external base. Your main shelter is a flashing target on PvP servers.

Final Verdict:

Rust

• is raw, unpredictable, and completely player-driven. If what you loved about
• The Forest

was tension, danger, and survival with no guarantees, Rust cranks all of that up and leaves it in the hands of real people.

Subnautica

Best Underwater Survival Adventure

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• PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, GeForce Now
• Creator/s
• Unknown Worlds Entertainment
• Average Playtime
• 30–50 hours for main story, 60+ for full exploration
• Metacritic Score
• 87/100
• After a crash landing on an alien planet covered almost entirely by water,

Subnautica

forces you to adapt quickly. With limited oxygen and no safe land in sight, the deep sea itself becomes both your home and your greatest threat. The atmosphere is equal parts wonder and dread, with glowing reefs giving way to pitch-black trenches filled with predators.

The core loop blends resource gathering, crafting equipment, and building underwater world. You’ll construct submarines, harvest kelp, scan alien technology, and push further into hostile zones where each dive feels more dangerous than the last.

What makes

Subnautica

special is how it ties survival to discovery. The world hides secrets about the crash, the alien structures scattered across the seafloor, and the infection spreading through its ecosystem. The explore and survive in a beautiful but dangerous alien ocean USP is central – every dive balances awe with the fear of what lurks in the dark.

Pro tip

Always bring extra batteries for your Seaglide. Running out of power in the deep can mean a slow, helpless death.

Final Verdict:

Subnautica

is a masterclass in tension and exploration. Fans of The Forest will appreciate how it mixes survival mechanics with mystery, offering a setting that’s as breathtaking as it is unforgiving.

Grounded

Best Miniature Survival Game

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• Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4
• Creator/s
• Obsidian Entertainment, Xbox Game Studios
• Average Playtime
• 30–70 hours depending on co-op or solo play
• Metacritic Score
• 83/100

Grounded

flips the survival formula by shrinking you down to the size of an ant and dropping you in an ordinary backyard that suddenly feels massive and hostile. Every blade of grass becomes a towering tree, while ants, spiders, and bees take on the role of predators in this strange ecosystem.

Gameplay revolves around collecting resources, crafting tools, and building bases in places that balance safety with early access to resources. You’ll scavenge dew drops for water, roast bugs for food, and reinforce shelters against insect raids.

Shrunk to insect size, you’ll survive the backyard’s wild ecosystem. The familiar setting twisted into something dangerous keeps it fresh, and community feedback often praises how inventive the base-building feels when scaled to this miniature world.

Pro tip

Build your base near a water droplet source or juice box. It saves time on hydration runs and reduces the risk of being ambushed while searching for water.

Final Verdict:

Grounded

is clever, tense, and surprisingly deep. Fans of The Forest will love how it transforms ordinary surroundings into a survival gauntlet, mixing teamwork and creativity with genuine danger.

Stranded Deep

Best Ocean Crash Survival Experience

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• PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, macOS, Windows, Linux
• Creator/s
• Beam Team Games, Beam Team Publishing
• Average Playtime
• 25–60 hours depending on survival style
• Metacritic Score
• 65/100
• A plane crash strands you in the heart of the Pacific Ocean, and

Stranded Deep

challenges you to endure without outside help. Survival is never straightforward, as hunger, thirst, sun exposure, and injury constantly test your ability to adapt.

You’ll spend time scavenging wrecks, hunting for food, and crafting tools to build shelter and secure water. As your skills grow, you can expand into farming, raft construction, and deep-sea exploration, where sharks and other dangers add constant tension.

Some players found the pace a little too slow or repetitive, but honestly, I liked how it gave me time to soak in the atmosphere.

Stranded Deep

balances quiet moments of calm, like drifting sunsets, with storms and predators that remind you how fragile survival really is.

Pro tip

Craft a water still as early as possible. Relying on coconuts for hydration can lead to sickness if overused.

Final Verdict:

Stranded Deep

rewards patience, planning, and resilience. Fans of The Forest will enjoy its realistic survival systems and sense of constant vulnerability.

Miscreated

Best Post-Apocalyptic Multiplayer Survival

Our Score ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ Windows, GeForce Now Creator/s Entrada Interactive LLC Average Playtime 40–100 hours depending on server activity Metacritic Score TBD Set in the ruins of a world devastated by The Final War,

Miscreated

throws players into a bleak, post-apocalyptic landscape where survival is anything but guaranteed. Humanity clings to life in forests, crumbling cities, and toxic wastelands, while mutants and hostile survivors make every encounter dangerous.

The core experience blends scavenging for supplies, building shelters, and facing constant environmental threats. Weather shifts dramatically with thunderstorms, snowstorms, or even radiation clouds altering survival conditions, forcing players to adapt on the fly. Over 15 drivable vehicles and an extensive crafting system add depth, while more than 100 weapons create endless strategies for defending yourself.

What sets

Miscreated

apart is its focus on post-apocalyptic survival with mutants and hostile players, and on a great gaming monitor it all feels incredibly real.

Food and water are often contaminated, crops must be grown for long-term stability, and other survivors can be more ruthless than the environment itself.

Pro tip

Always inspect scavenged food and water – contamination can kill you faster than a mutant attack.

Final Verdict:

Miscreated

is brutal, unpredictable, and deeply atmospheric. Fans of The Forest will appreciate its mix of survival mechanics and high-stakes encounters that demand constant awareness.

Conan Exiles

Best Barbarian-Themed Open World Survival

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• PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows, GeForce Now
• Creator/s
• Funcom
• Average Playtime
• 60–200+ hours depending on server and playstyle
• Metacritic Score
• 68/100
• Set in the ruthless world of Conan the Barbarian,

Conan Exiles

• throws players into the Exiled Lands
• where survival is far from guaranteed

. After being cut down from the corpse tree, you begin with nothing but your will to live.

This top survival game blends traditional systems – hunting, crafting, and gathering – with large-scale construction. You can create a simple campfire or raise an entire fortress that dominates the desert skyline.

Exploration takes you through deserts, swamps, and frozen peaks, each presenting unique hazards like sandstorms, freezing cold, or hostile creatures. What makes the experience stand out is its brutal open-world survival in the savage lands of Conan. PvP servers transform the world into a constant struggle, where betrayal and raiding are as dangerous as the environment itself.

Pro tip

Establish your first base near water but away from main travel paths to avoid early raids.

Final Verdict:

Conan Exiles

delivers a mix of raw survival, large-scale battles, and the freedom to build empires. Fans of The Forest will appreciate its intensity, only amplified by the constant threat of both nature and rival clans.

Project Zomboid

Best Isometric Zombie Survival Sim

Our Score ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ Windows, macOS, Linux, GeForce Now Creator/s The Indie Stone Average Playtime 60–200+ hours depending on playstyle and servers Metacritic Score TBD

Project Zomboid

asks one question – how will you die?

Set in the fictional towns of Muldraugh and West Point, this open-ended sandbox plunges players into a decaying world filled with danger. The game focuses on deep, realistic zombie apocalypse survival simulation, where every small decision carries weight.

The mechanics in this must-play zombie game go far beyond hunger and thirst:

you’ll deal with depression, boredom, and injuries while fending off relentless zombie hordes.

Farming, fishing, and carpentry become essential as time passes, and each day introduces new challenges like power outages, migrating hordes, and harsh winters.

Visually,

Project Zomboid

uses a top-down isometric style that feels simple at first glance but hides an incredible amount of detail.

Line-of-sight, lighting, and sound mechanics create tense moments where one misstep can lead to disaster.

Pro tip

Never underestimate boredom. Keep books, radios, or simple distractions around – mental health is just as vital as food.

Final Verdict:

For fans of The Forest who crave long-term survival with punishing realism,

Project Zomboid

offers one of the most authentic and unforgiving apocalypse simulations available.

Icarus [Best Session-Based PvE Survival Game]

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• Windows, GeForce Now
• Creator/s
• RocketWerkz
• Average Playtime
• 40–100 hours depending on mode and mission choices
• Metacritic Score
• 67/100

Icarus

• places players on a hostile planet where a failed terraforming project has left behind toxic air, violent storms, and unpredictable wildlife. As a
• space game

at its core, it drops you down from orbit with nothing, forcing you to craft shelter, hunt for food, and gather materials before the environment consumes you.

The tension rises because most gameplay is built around time-limited missions on a deadly alien planet, where each drop has strict deadlines that make survival more intense. Some players felt the time limits clashed with the open-world vibe, though I found the countdowns added just the right dose of adrenaline to every run.

Activities include chopping trees, mining caves, hunting predators, and mastering three tech trees that unlock new tools and structures. Bases are temporary, but planning them well can mean the difference between escaping alive or failing the mission. The visual design mixes realistic forests, snowy peaks, and barren wastelands with a striking sense of scale.

Pro tip

Always carry extra oxygen tanks – running out mid-mission can end a drop before it even begins.

Final Verdict:

Fans of The Forest who crave higher stakes will appreciate how

Icarus

blends co-op survival with relentless pressure, turning every expedition into a race against time.

Raft

Best Raft-Building Ocean Survival Game

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• PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows
• Creator/s
• Redbeet Interactive, Axolot Games
• Average Playtime
• 30–70 hours depending on exploration and co-op play
• Metacritic Score
• TBD

Raft

• begins with you stranded on a small wooden platform drifting through an endless ocean. Armed only with a hook, you must
• pull in drifting debris and slowly expand your raft

into a livable base.

Gameplay revolves around scavenging floating scraps, diving beneath waves for rarer materials, and crafting tools to keep hunger and thirst at bay. Over time, players can research new blueprints, construct multi-level bases, grow crops, and even raise animals aboard their floating home.

Drift, gather resources, and expand your floating base. What starts as a desperate fight for survival becomes a creative exercise in engineering as your platform transforms into a thriving vessel. Multiplayer adds another layer, allowing friends to divide tasks and overcome challenges together.

Pro tip

Prioritize building a purifier and grill early on – sustainable food and water make exploration much easier.

Final Verdict:

Fans of The Forest will enjoy Raft’s blend of survival tension and base-building freedom, only this time set against the vast, unpredictable ocean.

Miasmata

Best Survival Game with a Scientific Mystery

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• Windows
• Creator/s
• IonFx Studios
• Average Playtime
• 20–40 hours depending on exploration pace
• Metacritic Score
• 76/100

Miasmata

sets you in the shoes of Robert Hughes, a scientist stricken with a mysterious plague and abandoned on a remote island. Unlike many survival games that focus purely on crafting or combat, this one combines exploration with research, challenging you to fight illness while unraveling the island’s secrets.

Players gather plants and fungi to create medicine, chart the landscape using an innovative cartography system, and carefully manage stamina as exhaustion can be just as deadly as predators. The island is lush and atmospheric, blending thick forests, mossy ruins, and dangerous cliffs.

The game’s unique draw is the need to survive alone on an island while researching a deadly disease. It’s about patience, observation, and learning how to endure when both body and mind are under threat.

Pro tip

Always mark landmarks on your map early – navigation is as important as medicine here.

Final Verdict:

Miasmata

rewards fans of The Forest who enjoy tense solitude, slow-burn discovery, and survival with a scientific edge.

Green Hell

Best Jungle Survival with Psychological Twist

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• Creator/s
• Creepy Jar
• Average Playtime
• 25–60 hours depending on playstyle and mode
• Metacritic Score
• 78/100

Green Hell

• places you in
• the heart of the Amazon

, where every step is a fight against nature itself. Stranded and alone, you must adapt quickly, because the jungle isn’t just a backdrop – it’s an active threat. Heat, parasites, predators, and mental strain combine to create one of the toughest survival experiences available.

Players gather resources to craft tools, build shelters, and hunt for food, but the gameplay goes deeper. You’ll need to treat wounds in detail, manage your sanity, and face sudden changes in weather that push your survival skills to the edge.

The dense jungle is alive with detail, from swaying trees to hidden dangers lurking in the undergrowth. Nights are oppressive, while daytime offers little comfort as jaguars or tribes may be watching.

Green Hell

is about ultra-realistic Amazon jungle survival experience, making every choice feel urgent and every mistake costly.

Pro tip

Prioritize crafting bandages and checking your body regularly for leeches. Ignoring small wounds or parasites early can quickly spiral into serious health issues.

Final Verdict:

Green Hell

will appeal to fans of The Forest who want harsher realism and psychological tension, pushing survival into both physical and mental territory.

Darkwood

Best Top-Down Survival Horror Game

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• Linux, macOS, Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
• Creator/s
• Acid Wizard Studio
• Average Playtime
• 20–40 hours depending on choices and pace
• Metacritic Score
• 80/100

Darkwood

• flips the script on
• horror games
• . Instead of cheap scares, it builds
• fear through atmosphere, tension, and uncertainty
• . Played from a
• top-down perspective
• , you’re trapped in a cursed forest where
• daylight is your only chance to scavenge
• and
• nightfall transforms every sound into a potential threat

.

Daytime means exploring eerie woods, collecting supplies, and crafting weapons or traps. Once darkness arrives, the tone shifts – you’ll board up windows, fuel generators, and fortify your hideout against whatever stalks outside.

The game’s visual aesthetic is grim yet striking, blending muted colors, distorted perspective, and haunting sound design. Over time, the line between reality and nightmare fades, leaving you in constant unease.

Pro tip

Always manage your generator fuel carefully. Darkness in Darkwood isn’t just a backdrop – it’s lethal, and running out of light can doom an entire night.

Final Verdict:

• For fans of
• The Forest
• who crave
• slow-building dread
• ,
• player-driven survival
• , and a world that punishes complacency,

Darkwood

delivers a rare and unforgettable horror experience.

Chernobylite

Best Sci-Fi Survival in a Nuclear Exclusion Zone

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• Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
• Creator/s
• The Farm 51
• Average Playtime
• 25–40 hours depending on choices and style
• Metacritic Score
• 75/100

Chernobylite

• combines survival mechanics with psychological horror in one of the most haunting settings imaginable: the
• Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

. You play as Igor, a physicist returning to the irradiated ruins of Pripyat decades after the disaster, determined to solve the mystery of his fiancée’s disappearance.

This great stealth game balances several layers of survival. You’ll explore the decaying city, scavenging for scarce resources while competing with hostile soldiers, rival stalkers, and supernatural entities. The story is non-linear, shaped by your choices and alliances.

Visually, the game is striking – real-world 3D scans of Chernobyl lend authenticity, while the eerie lighting and surreal encounters heighten the tension. Chernobylite is a sci-fi survival horror set in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, blending exploration, strategy, and dread into a single package.

Pro tip

Focus early on upgrading your base and building a solid team. A strong foundation makes every later decision – combat or stealth – far more manageable.

Final Verdict:

Fans of The Forest who appreciate story-driven survival with a supernatural twist will find

Chernobylite

both unnerving and rewarding.