The Forest

Every step along the dark underground tunnel echoes loudly, as if the cave itself is breathing down your neck. The dim light of a lighter illuminates the terrifying scenes – totems of skulls flicker against the stone walls, mutilated bodies of tourists hang from the ceiling, torn tents and bloody rags lie everywhere. You want to drop everything and run without looking back. But the hero of The Forest clutches a climbing axe in his hand and moves on – where the darkness becomes even thicker. Because in these nightmarish caves, among wild cannibals, is his missing son. And for his sake, he is ready to go through real hell.

The Forest Free Steam Account

The Forest is a shining example of what enthusiasts can do if they believe in their work. In 2013, four Canadians, who had previously worked on special effects for Hollywood blockbusters like 300 and Spider-Man, decided to challenge the industry and founded Endnight Games Ltd. Their first project was described simply and boldly: “a realistic Minecraft about surviving on an island with cannibals.”

In 2014, The Forest was released in early access on Steam. But back then, it was still a very raw draft – a tiny map, a couple of types of half-naked natives, a dozen basic buildings, and gameplay that was more like a set of bugs. It was playable, but only with a good imagination and strong nerves.

And yet, the team did not give up. The developers worked hard, fixed bugs, added content and — most importantly — listened carefully to the players. Even No Man’s Sky fans would envy such openness and dedication to the community. Only four years later, when the game finally acquired a finished form, it left Early Access.

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That’s how the dream of four guys from Canada became one of the most recognizable survival games. How do you like that, Sean Murray?

Survive at any cost: what is hidden in The Forest

On the coast, where emerald waves gently caress the warm sand, colorful birds chirp, and everything seems calm and idyllic… except for the smoking hulk of a plane that crashed just a couple of hours ago. It is here that Eric Leblanc, the protagonist of The Forest, comes to his senses. Waking up after the crash, he manages to see how a blood-covered native drags his son, Timmy, deep into the forest.

But Eric is not one to give up. After all, it was not for nothing that he spent years writing survival books and hosting a Bear Grylls-style show. Pulling an axe from the chest of a dead flight attendant, grabbing a lighter and a backpack, he grits his teeth and sets off into the thicket. The father goes to look for his son – and he doesn’t care that there is a hostile forest and wild natives around.

Despite the fact that the game from Endnight Games seems to be about the struggle for life in harsh conditions, the survival component itself leaves much to be desired. Yes, the character needs to eat, drink, and not freeze at night. Yes, you will have to tinker with crafting. Here is just a part of what The Forest offers the survivalist to do:

• Chop trees and build shelters
• Create spears, bows and traps from scrap materials
• Collect berries, mushrooms and medicinal herbs
• Hunt animals and tan skins
• Brew potions and maintain a fire

It sounds brutal, but in reality, you can safely ignore all of this. Want to survive for real? You can build a house, a farm, and even a fort from logs. But if you don’t want to spend hours on crafting, just build a raft (the natives don’t like water) and a hut to save. Why hunt rabbits if chocolates and soda in suitcases from the wreckage of the plane appear again and again after loading? Realism? No, we haven’t heard of it. This is more of a dark Minecraft than a survival simulator.

Cannibals, Ambushes, and Molotov Cocktails: How Combat Works in The Forest

Skirmishes with cannibals evoke very mixed feelings. On the one hand, there is something frighteningly human about these savages. They do not always rush into the attack – often they just stand at a distance and silently watch. Sometimes, having received a punch in the teeth, they prefer to retreat. And sometimes they arrange real ambushes, like in Alien: Isolation – silently jumping from the trees right behind your back.

During the day, they can quietly follow the hero to find out where he has settled, and at night they can come to visit with torches and clubs. And all would be fine, but battles in open areas quickly lose their intrigue: it is enough to climb a large rock and from there comfortably shoot them with a bow, throw spears or fry them with Molotov cocktails. While the poor natives helplessly poke at the rock like blind kittens, you just watch from above, trying not to repeat the fate of Captain Cook.

Unfortunately, eight-player co-op doesn’t help either. There’s not much variety in the buildings and traps, so defending your base from another wave of cannibals quickly becomes boring. Comparisons with Rust or Fortnite are out of the question. And the world itself, although photorealistic, eventually becomes tiresome: forests, skulls on poles, tourists’ tents, and identical native huts flicker before your eyes without much variety.

A reasonable question arises – why all this at all? Steam already has enough Minecraft clones. But here’s the paradox: as soon as the hero goes down into the caves, the game suddenly changes. That’s where the fun begins.

Is The Forest worth playing in 2025?

Remember the disturbing and claustrophobic horror film “The Descent”? Well, The Forest from Endnight Games is not just a game, but an almost interactive nightmare in the spirit of this film. Here, the light of a lighter barely breaks through the darkness, illuminating only a couple of steps in front of you. Rustling in the darkness, drops of water falling from the ceiling, and narrow tunnels through which you literally have to squeeze make your heart pound. One awkward step – and you fly down the rope, right into the mouth of the unknown. And there pale creatures with inhuman faces are already waiting. You have to desperately swing an axe, burn the bodies of enemies to get armor from bones – and down again, into the darkness, where creepy multi-legged creatures crawl along the walls, as if assembled from human bodies. And so a simple story about survival turns into a real horror with elements of survival. Everything here works for the atmosphere: as in Alien: Isolation, to move forward, you need to collect equipment – scuba gear to swim through flooded areas, explosives to break through rubble, an ice ax to climb steep walls. Even crafting feels special: attach knocked-out teeth to a club – get a reinforced weapon, wrap mutant skin around your hands – ready armor. Simple, clear and wildly effective.

The deeper you go into the catacombs, the more you are drawn into the story, which at first seems very simple – a father is looking for his son. But soon questions arise: why did the natives hunt the boy instead of guarding him? Where did the monsters come from? Who built the strange gates deep in the earth? What are industrial containers doing on a seemingly deserted island? The answers are hidden in notes, Timmy’s drawings, video recordings – you need to be attentive to put the pieces of the mosaic together.

Yes, the plot takes inspiration from films like The Descent, Lost, Cannibal Hell, even a little bit from Dead Space – but it works. It’s gripping. And when you spend 20 hours in this world, getting wet from the rain, fighting monsters and digging in the dark – you will definitely not let go until the very end.

If you need a game that scares not only with blood and nudity, but also raises uncomfortable topics – from the murder of children to the animal side of man – The Forest will be the right choice. Yes, it has rough edges: imperfect survival balance, strange bugs like animals flying into the sky, and some items are hard to find without hints. But all this pales in comparison to how rarely such ambitious and atmospheric projects from indie developers appear in the genre – and for 435 rubles.

What we liked:

• A creepy, provocative plot;
• Creepy and memorable monsters;
• A crushing atmosphere in the spirit of “The Descent”;
• Excellent work with sound and light;
• Smart enemy AI;
• Intuitive crafting system;
• Attractive price on Steam.

What we didn’t quite make it:

• The forest turned out to be less interesting than the caves;
• Survival only really comes into its own on high difficulty;
• There are bugs;
• Sometimes it’s too dark, even at maximum brightness;
• 8-player co-op can glitch;
• The world isn’t that huge.

Definitely yes – especially if the mere mention of the films The Descent or Cannibal Hell gives you goosebumps.

The Forest System Requirements

How to play The Forest for free on Steam via VpeSports

Imagine: you are alone in a dense forest, all you hear is the rustling of branches, the crackling of a fire, and the feeling that someone is watching you. Welcome to The Forest — a game where survival becomes a real art. And you know what’s the coolest thing? You can experience all of this absolutely free. Yes, without unnecessary expenses, subscriptions, and annoying demo versions.

We have found a working way to get into this creepy but addictive world through special shared accounts. No cracks, viruses, or weird sites — everything is legal, fast, and available to everyone. Just go to the VpeSports website, go through an easy registration, and open the section with free Steam accounts. There, among other titles, The Forest is already waiting for you — with gloomy caves, mutants, and an endless fight for life.

On the game page, you will find a launch button — behind it are hidden instructions that are understandable even to those who are hearing the word Steam for the first time. A couple of clicks – and you are already building yourself a flimsy hut from sticks, trying not to go crazy from loneliness and constant danger. Everything works clearly, without dancing with a tambourine.

After you get a little comfortable in the forest, don’t be lazy – tell us how you like the experience. Write a short review on the page – this is not just feedback, this is real help to other players. If the comment does not appear right away, no problem. The system will tell you what needs to be changed, and after a little revision, you will receive your login details by email.

And to be in the know when new accounts, updates or features appear – subscribe to our Telegram. There you can also ask a question if something does not work, and they will help you without formalities. Well, if you want a detailed guide with all the tricks for launching The Forest and other games – it is already on our website, just take it and use it.