indiegame.fan
The Dark Forest: Survival header art

The Dark Forest: Survival

Survive in The Dark Forest, a zombie-infested woodland. Upgrade your weapons, gather resources, and withstand brutal, blood-soaked waves in first-person combat — alone or in co-op with up to 4 players.

Steam Page
Release
Coming Soon
Steam Reviews
No reviews yet

Does this feel indie?

Vote based on whether this game feels indie to you. You can change your vote at any time. Results earn an IGF score after 10 accepted votes.
No votes yet
Vote on More Games
Game contextLatest: IGF Team
ContextThe evidence factors used to assess whether this game belongs on IndieGame.Fan.Status
Notes
Latest Contributor: IGF TeamEdit notes
Search Google: Who developed The Dark Forest: Survival?Developer scaleThe operating scale of the game's developer.
Search Google: Who published The Dark Forest: Survival?Publisher scaleThe operating scale of the game's publisher.
Search Google: Is The Dark Forest: Survival self-published or published by CompactStudioCS?Publisher statusHow the game's publishing relationship is classified.
Search Google: How is The Dark Forest: Survival and CompactStudioCS funded?FundingThe known source of funding behind the game.
Search Google: Who controls the creative direction and IP for The Dark Forest: Survival and CompactStudioCS?Creative controlWho appears to retain creative control of the game.
Search Google: What is the release status of The Dark Forest: Survival?Release statusWhether and how the game has been released.

Media

7 items

About the Game

Co-op zombie survival focused on physical base building, nighttime stealth, and gore with dismemberment. Explore to gather resources, raise defenses, and coordinate to protect your area while smart AI hordes look for ways to break through. At night you’ll see little—and noise gives you away.

Gameplay Loop

Explore & gather: obtain wood, stone, and metal from trees, rocks, metal nodes, and bushes to craft and upgrade.

Build & reinforce: place walls and barriers piece by piece with visible damage (cracks) and physical collapse when destroyed.

Defend & survive: focus on melee combat (firearms available), use stealth, and manage light/sound.

Repair & upgrade between attacks to endure the next night.

AI & Threat

Zombies have auditory perception (noise attracts) and reduced vision in darkness.

In Horde mode, the AI attacks intelligently, re-evaluates routes, and targets weak points in your defenses to open a path toward your area.

Gore & dismemberment: zombies can lose limbs, be decapitated, and crawl when mutilated; blood and remains may persist.

Building & Destruction

Piece-by-piece placement with clear damage feedback (cracks) and physics-based collapse.

Resource gathering is limited to trees, rocks, metal nodes, and bushes (currently you cannot dismantle other world structures).

Progression & Objectives

Improve defenses, paths, and team coordination.

Main goal: protect the area and survive as many nights as possible.

Modes & Multiplayer

Online co-op (PvE).

Horde mode with increasing pressure.

Exploration for resource gathering and expanding defenses.

Standout Features

Permanent night: light and sound are the core gameplay.

Systemic gore that changes zombie behavior when they’re mutilated.

Physical construction with real collapse and clear damage readability.

Horde AI that intelligently exploits your weaknesses.

Length & Replayability

Rising difficulty with high replay value through routes, base layouts, and team decisions. Dynamic AI and noise generate different situations each run.

Accessibility & Performance

Designed for many active zombies thanks to optimizations (pooling and LOD).

Key Features

  • 🛠️ Physical defenses with collapse and visible cracks.

  • 🔨 Wood/stone/metal gathering from trees, rocks, metal nodes, and bushes.

  • 😱 Advanced gore: dismemberment and viscera; zombies can crawl without legs.

  • 🧠 Smart horde AI: re-evaluates routes and strikes weak points.

  • 🌙 Eternal night: stealth, flashlight, and visibility/noise management.

  • 🤝 Online co-op (PvE).

  • ⚔️ Melee-focused combat (firearms available).