The Forest cover art

The Forest

by Endnight Games Ltd

Released April 30, 2018 on PC, PlayStation 4, and SteamVR.

The Forest Trailer thumbnail

About The Forest

As the lone survivor of a passenger jet crash, you find yourself in a mysterious forest battling to stay alive against a society of cannibalistic mutants. Build, explore, survive in this terrifying first person survival horror simulator.

The game begins with the player Eric Leblanc riding in an airplane with his son Timmy Leblanc when the plane mysteriously crashes on a remote island. The player and his son manage to survive the crash, but the player watches helplessly as his son is kidnapped by a man in red war paint. In addition to trying to survive in the wild and fending off hostile wildlife and feral, cannibalistic mutants, the player searches the peninsula for his son. The forest surface leaves clues to help the player puzzle out the story, but the majority of the plot takes place in the caves that riddle the underside of the peninsula. Eventually, the player discovers an abandoned underground lab complex that was studying an artifact capable of bringing the dead back to life, but requires the sacrifice of a child. The player discovers that the kidnapper intended to sacrifice the player's son in order to revive his daughter. However, the player discovers that the daughter had mutated into an aggressive, cannibalistic monster, similar to the other mutants that roam the peninsula. The player confronts the child, who seizes and mutates further before attacking him, leading to the daughter's death. The player then attempts to use the daughter's body to revive his son, but the process is a failure, since a live sacrifice is needed. The player explores the lab further and discovers a second artifact that functions as a type of EMP device capable of bringing down nearby planes, implying that it is the cause of his own plane crash. The player then uses the artifact to cause another plane to crash, intending to find a sacrifice to revive his son. One year later, the player and his son have apparently been rescued, and they are invited onto a talk show to promote a book that the player wrote, chronicling his experiences. However, during the show, the player's son collapses and begins to have a seizure, implying he is undergoing the same mutation that the daughter had.

Release dates by platform

PCEarly accessMay 30, 2014 · Out now
SteamVRApril 30, 2018 · Out now
PlayStation 4NANovember 6, 2018 · Out now

Reviews & players

Critic score864 reviews
Steam reviewsOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 684K positive
Player score70395 ratings on IGDB
Playing now9,458on Steam at last update

PC system requirements

Official specs from Steam

Full specs

Minimum

OS *Windows 7
ProcessorIntel Dual-Core 2.4 GHz
Memory4 GB RAM
GraphicsNVIDIA GeForce 8800GT
DirectXVersion 9.0
Storage5 GB available space

Recommended

OS *Windows 7
ProcessorQuad Core Processor
Memory4 GB RAM
GraphicsNVIDIA GeForce GTX 560
DirectXVersion 9.0
Storage5 GB available space

The Forest FAQ

When did The Forest come out?

The Forest was released on April 30, 2018 for PC, PlayStation 4, and SteamVR.

Is The Forest on PlayStation 5?

No. The Forest has not been announced for PlayStation 5. It is available on PC, PlayStation 4, and SteamVR.

Is The Forest on Xbox Series X|S?

No. The Forest has not been announced for Xbox Series X|S. It is available on PC, PlayStation 4, and SteamVR.

Is The Forest on Nintendo Switch 2?

No. The Forest has not been announced for Nintendo Switch 2. It is available on PC, PlayStation 4, and SteamVR.

Who is making The Forest?

The Forest is developed by Endnight Games Ltd.

Is The Forest multiplayer?

Yes. The Forest supports single player, multiplayer, and co-operative.

How much does The Forest cost?

The Forest costs $19.99 on Steam. Prices checked October 9, 2026.

Is The Forest good?

Steam players rate it "Overwhelmingly Positive" — 96% of 684,367 reviews are positive. Critics average 86/100.

What are the minimum PC requirements for The Forest?

The minimum GPU is NVIDIA GeForce 8800GT. See the full minimum and recommended specs on our The Forest system requirements page.

The Forest series

3 games in release order

Full timeline
  1. The Forest2018
  2. Sons of the Forest2024
  3. Forest 3TBA

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