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The ForestVSZelter

Which is the smarter buy right now? We crunched all the metrics.

The Forest

The Forest

ActionIndieSimulationAdventure
Quality
91Popularity
47Value
48
KinguinBetter Deal· Kinguin
-3% $19.33
Buy Now
VS
Zelter

Zelter

ActionIndieEarly AccessAdventure
Quality
44Popularity
26Value
74
KinguinBetter Deal· Kinguin
-59% $8.27
Buy Now

Winner

The Forest wins the comparison based on the metrics. Takes 9 of 15 head-to-head metrics.

Worth keeping an eye on. Currently sitting in a decent spot, but not quite a must-buy just yet.

9
The Forest
9 of 15 metrics
Zelter
6 of 15 metrics
6

Head-to-Head Metrics

Direct metric-by-metric breakdown · no weights applied

Value
Pricing & Deals
Current Best Price (USD)
$19.33 -
$8.27 Wins
Historical Low Price (USD)
$19.87 -
$8.06 Wins
Best Current Discount
-3% -
-59% Wins
Sales Frequency
6 price changes -
58 price changes Wins
Quality
Critical & User Reception
Metacritic
83/100 Wins
N/A -
Steam Review Score
95.6% positive Wins
47.9% positive -
Total Steam Reviews
570.6K Wins
1.7K -
Positive Steam Reviews
545.5K Wins
829 -
Negative Steam Reviews
25.2K -
903 Wins
Popularity
Community & Activity
Average Concurrent Players (14 days)
3.3K Wins
1 -
Steam Recommendations
564.0K Wins
1.7K -
Features
Features & Content
Achievements
45 Wins
0 -
Supported Languages
16 languages Wins
10 languages -
Release Date
Apr 2018 -
Oct 2020 Wins
GameValio Recommendation
MaybeThe Forest

Worth keeping an eye on. Currently sitting in a decent spot, but not quite a must-buy just yet.

Wait for SaleZelter

Not the best time to jump in. Prices tend to drop, and this one hasn't hit its sweet spot yet.

Statistics Over Time

Synchronized historical data for both games

Time Range:
The Forest
Zelter

Player Count Trends

— Concurrent players over time

Review Score Trends

— Positive review ratio over time

Review Volume Trends

— Total reviews accumulated over time

Price Comparison

Current deals and best prices side by side

The Forest

The Forest

2 Stores
Kinguin
Kinguin -3% $19.33Buy Now
Steam
Steam +3% $19.99View
Zelter

Zelter

2 Stores
Kinguin
Kinguin -59% $8.27Buy Now
Steam
Steam +142% $19.99View

Score Breakdown

Side-by-side value analysis for each game

The Forest

Quality

Consistent high ratings show real quality, not just hype.

96% positive (570,584 reviews) — overwhelmingly positive
Metacritic 83/100 — high marks from professional reviewers
570,584 reviews — extremely reliable sample

Value

Value isn't great at this price — better opportunities expected.

$19.33 — reasonable price
3% off — minor discount

Popularity

Past its peak but still active — niche experience.

Player count surging +84%
4,202 concurrent players — solid base
240 new reviews — still being discovered
570,584 total reviews — gaming phenomenon

Zelter

Quality

Serious issues affecting many players' experiences.

48% positive (1,732 reviews) — mostly negative
1,732 reviews — solid data foundation

Value

Average price — a good time if there's an active discount.

$8.27 — very accessible price
59% off — solid discount
Near historical low ($7.66)

Popularity

Low popularity — few active players and little community discussion.

1 concurrent players — niche audience

Game Details

Release information and metadata

Game DetailsThe ForestZelter
Release Date
April 30, 2018
October 22, 2020
Developers
Endnight Games Ltd
G1 Playground
Publishers
Endnight Games Ltd
SuperGG.com
Platforms
Windows
Windows
Achievements
45

System Requirements

PC minimum and recommended specs

The Forest

Recommended

Recommended:
  • OS *: Windows 7
  • Processor: Quad Core Processor
  • Memory: 4 GB RAM
  • Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560
  • DirectX: Version 9.0
  • Storage: 5 GB available space
  • Sound Card: DirectX®-compatible

Zelter

Recommended

Recommended:
  • OS: Windows 10
  • Processor: Intel Core i7 Skylake or equivalent
  • Memory: 8 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Nvidia GTX 860
  • DirectX: Version 12
  • Storage: 4 GB available space

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better: The Forest or Zelter?

The Forest won the comparison against Zelter based on the head-to-head metric breakdown. Check the metrics table above for a full side-by-side analysis.

How is the comparison calculated?

The comparison winner is determined objectively by counting which game wins more individual metrics in the head-to-head table — no weighting is applied. The GameValio Recommendation shown separately is our own suggestion for each game, based on a weighted score that combines quality (reviews), popularity (player counts), and affordability (price vs value) into a score out of 100. These are two different things: the comparison is objective, the recommendation is GameValio's opinion.

Is The Forest worth buying over Zelter?

Based on the metrics, The Forest won the direct comparison. However, also check the GameValio Recommendation for each game and the price comparison table to make the most informed purchase decision.

Which game has better player reviews?

Review score trends and volume over time are shown in the charts section above. The game with consistently higher positive ratios has stronger community reception.

Which game offers better value for money?

The affordability score and price comparison table above highlight the best deals. Zelter currently scores better on value relative to its quality and price.

Analysis updated: Jun 4, 2026, 04:52 PM UTC

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Disclaimer

Data sourced from Steam, Metacritic, and various stores. Not affiliated with Valve Corporation. Scores updated daily to keep recommendations fresh.

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