The Forest Reviews

The Forest is ranked in the 86th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
T.J. Hafer
Top Critic
8.4 / 10.0
May 10, 2018

I've never been terrorized, stalked, or fascinated by enemy AI quite like I was in The Forest. It's a harrowing survival ordeal that knows how to play with tension and create the sense of a real world with complex inner workings and mysteries I was eager to discover. It's I Am Legend told in the depths of the hinterlands, with a meaningful story progression that doesn't overstay its welcome. Disregard the warnings on the walls and hidden between the trees at your own peril – and if you want a unique and memorable survival horror experience, then you should absolutely dare to do so.

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Metro GameCentral
GameCentral
Top Critic
7 / 10
Nov 14, 2018

A brutal, albeit familiar, survival game that's thoughtfully designed and elegantly refined, and as a result easily the best game of its type on PlayStation 4.

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9 / 10.0
May 14, 2018

Whether you're building a camp on the island or searching for clues to your son's whereabouts in dark and dangerous caverns, The Forest is a fantastic horror thrill ride

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8 / 10
Jun 2, 2018

The Forest's survival mechanics are captivating, but its unforgettable horrors steal the show.

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9 / 10.0
May 10, 2018

Jank and sometimes dumb mutant cannibals aside, what Endnight Games accomplished with The Forest with only a team of four people is simply extraordinary. It's one of the best survival games I've played in recent memory. Whether I was creeping my way through the woods alone at night or playing with friends during the day and showing the local residents who the true masters of their domain are, I haven't played anything like this that's been so fun and terrifying all-in-one in a long, long time.

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5 / 10.0
May 8, 2018

The Forest begins as a great survival game, but soon becomes mediocre due to its dull action. The poor gameplay mechanics and narrative are some of the elements that make it hard to recommend this game.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

Unscored
May 23, 2018

The Forest remains a huge achievement, and a survival horror game that somehow manages to keep those two elements surprisingly separate and yet let each impose upon the other in very interesting ways. I do wish it had been tidied and bug-fixed by now, but I can't stop wanting to play despite it.

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7.5 / 10.0
Nov 13, 2018

The survival genre is so crowded that there's little ground left to break, but The Forest has done it. Leveraging complex enemy AI and subverting expectations of the sort of terrible things waiting for you in the wild, Endlight Games creates a new sort of thriller. With some more polish, and a better emphasis on making all of the systems more coherent and intuitive, The Forest could truly be a very huge deal. That said, there's a reason it's sold 5 million copies. It's laser focus on executing specific ideas well pays off. It's worth trying to work around its shortcomings for at least a few playthroughs.

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9.5 / 10.0
Nov 24, 2018

Nerve-wrackingly terrifying, highly polished and boasting one of the cleverest takes on the survival genre in years, The Forest is one of finest survival horror titles available.

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8 / 10
Nov 15, 2018

An eerie open world filled with deadly AI enemies elevates The Forest above a good number of survival horror experiences out there. Don't let the lack of story and minor repetition turn you off this atmospheric title.

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85 / 100
Nov 20, 2018

Anyone who likes crafting, survival and possibly being eaten by cannibals (or eating the cannibals) should definitely give this game a whirl.

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GamePro
Top Critic
82 / 100
Nov 13, 2018

The Forest stages survival and exploration very atmospheric through horror elements, but is somewhat monotonous in the long run.

Review in German | Read full review

8 / 10
May 8, 2018

The Forest is one of the best survival game to date, especially because of its interesting story, inspired by horror movies like The Descent. Everything is here to remind you that the surrounding nature will do everything to destroy your morale and your life. Oppressive, stressful, but so exhilarating, The Forest is made for any survival games' fans, even if it suffers from weird physics and perfectible AI.

Review in French | Read full review

4.1 / 5.0
Dec 7, 2018

A challenging survival game to test the wits and palate.

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Fandom
Top Critic
4.5 / 5.0
May 4, 2018

With the support of its community, this four-person project was made into one of the better survival games (and one of the better horror games) this year.

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Gamersky
Top Critic
7.7 / 10.0
Jul 12, 2018

The Forest is an awkward open-world survival game. It's thrilling to play because of the intense atmosphere, but confusing maps and annoying enemies make it really hard for me to immerse into the game.

Review in Chinese | Read full review

8 / 10
Dec 11, 2018

The Forest is a solid survival game with quite impressive graphics, great music that complements the experience, and two gameplay modes so that those that are looking for a more challenging game can go right into that, while those that want a more relaxed run that can allow them to explore every corner of the world without having to worry about dying from someone or something attacking you. The game is heavy on the crafting side, and with everything, there is to find and collect in the game, as well as the many objectives you can complete, you'll spend a while playing this one before you can add a new Platinum trophy to your collection.

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85 / 100
Nov 21, 2018

A hybrid of horror and survival, with ample freedom in gameplay, The Forest is another formidable addition to the PlayStation 4 library. It could be better in some details, but it's a unique game because of its construction system. The coop campaign is extraordinary and represents the best way to enjoy the game, so be persuasive and convince some friends to travel along through this mysterious island.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

9 / 10.0
Aug 4, 2021

The Forest has been one of the best survival games for several years now, and it's not easy to top it somehow. Few other similar titles can offer what The Forest has been offering for years. You and your friends are sure to have dozens of hours of fun searching through caves, killing cannibals, finding your son and building your base. The development studio has even announced a sequel, which will be titled Sons of the Forest. Unfortunately, the release date is not yet known.

Review in Czech | Read full review

Hynerd.it
Riccardo Retez
8 / 10.0
Oct 22, 2020

The Forest is an innovative survival horror with a valid potential capable of frightening and entertaining for hours even if limited by excessive freedom of choice. If played in company it gives its best.

Review in Italian | Read full review