Descending the Woods is quite a unique game. It gives you the choice between cozy and your life hanging by the thread. On the former, you can sit by the fire in the middle of the woods and tell stories with your pals. On the latter, though, you can explore what lurks in the shadows: horrific paranormal descending on all who dare face it. With multiple gameplay elements – survival, horror, teamwork – all geared between sanity and the edge of despair, it can become tricky to find another game like it. Don’t worry, though, as we’ve compiled the best games like Descending the Woods offering a similar experience, if not completely nuts.
10. The Quarry
The Quarry - Official Launch Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games
It’s the last night of summer camp. Nine teenage counselors are partying hard at Hackett’s Quarry—a night of no kids, no adults, just pure fun. Until unpredictable horror erupts on all fronts. Blood-thirsty locals threaten to eat them alive. On the other hand, grotesque creatures hunt them down. No longer a banter-filled night, you’re forced to make life-and-death decisions. Relationships will be put through hell in The Quarry, testing their strength under the weight of survival.
9. Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Amnesia: The Dark Descent - Trailer
Descending the Woods has a sanity feature that treks dangerously close to madness the deeper you veer off into the wood. If you’d like to explore sanity meters further, then you might want to check out Amnesia: The Dark Descent. It crafts a living nightmare, with your memories faded, and only the feeling of being hunted left intact. A pile of mess, you must navigate bone-chilling corridors with dimly lit pathways and distant cries. Terror brews from within and outside too, splitting your brain in half. Yet you must find ways to piece your broken mind back together and survive.
8. Slender: The Eight Pages
Slender The Eight Pages Official Game Trailer + Slender Download
The story of the Slender Man in Slender: The Eight Pages goes that he was a mythical creature who was tall, thin, of course, and wore a black suit. The myth adds that he can stretch at will, his arms and legs towering above and below him. Plus, he has tentacles on his back. Matching his grotesque build is the ability to inflict paranoia and insanity. And while looks and sounds like a horrific guy, you have no choice but to draw closer to him to retrieve some manuscripts. The story isn’t the pull factor, but rather how atmospheric your playthrough feels. Plus, you’re always conscious: saving your battery, sprinting less to save stamina, and only looking at the Slender Man when you must.
7. Darkwood
Darkwood | Launch Trailer | PS4
Perhaps Darkwood is more your speed, and closest to Descending the Woods. Both have you scavenging for supplies during the day across a free-roam open world. But when the sun goes down, you’re forced to barricade. Horrific creatures lurk in the shadows, and if you make enough preparation, you might make it out alive. Yet as the days go by, days and nights begin to blur, imposing nightmarish danger regardless.
6. Blair Witch
Blair Witch (2016 Movie) - Official Trailer
Blair Witch is no stranger to the horror scene and the game capitalizes on the lore. The year is 1996, when Ellis heads out into the woods in search of a missing boy. However, soon, it becomes apparent this isn’t just another investigation, with bone-chilling nightmares soon springing into action. The story of the Blair Witch may just be as real as you come to terms with the nightmarish evil in the woods.
5. Chasing Static
Chasing Static - Launch Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games
Another psychological horror that you can taunt your fear with is Chasing Static. It takes you to rural North Wales, where you investigate a mysterious cafe where the villagers of Hearth have turned up missing. You’ll be free to forge on at your own pace, taking in the blend of 80s sci-fi horror and modern cinema as you please.
4. The Forest
When a jet crash lands into The Forest and leaves you as the only survivor, you’re forced to scavenge for supplies. But food and shelter will be far from your only concern. Cannibal monsters roam the forest, forcing you to build a strong base. But you can also take the fight to them, keeping in mind that they’re more intelligent than you may think. They have families and even look nearly human.
3. Through the Woods
Through the Woods - Official Xbox One and PS4 Launch Trailer
Norse-themed Through the Woods is another excellent alternative to consider. It takes you to the western beaches of Norway and puts you in the shoes of a mother searching for his missing son. The woods may be a dangerous place to venture into alone. Yet she has no choice but to face the danger and fear the forest brings.
2. 7 Days to Die
7 Days To Die Trailer | PS4
Zombie survival games will simply never go out of style, thanks to sheer urgency and overwhelming hordes of enemies to fight off. 7 Days to Die perfectly portrays a world in chaos, brutally challenging you to hold off zombies for as long as you can. The best part is how in-depth the gameplay is, with overwhelming variety. With 100 square kilometres, over 500 crafting recipes for gear and equipment, over 1300 building blocks, over 700 unique locations, over 50 buffs, boosts and ailments, and much more, getting bored is impossible. You can even craft and drive gyrocopters and motorcycles.
1. Sons of the Forest
Sons of the Forest - Exclusive Official Release Date Trailer
Sons of the Forest may start off as a straightforward mission to find a missing billionaire, but it soon blooms into a hell-on-earth adventure. You’ll tackle cannibal monsters, fighting to stay alive for as long as you can. But thankfully, you can bring friends along, building and crafting useful resources together. Nearly everywhere you go, danger lurks around the corner. So, you have to always have your weapons ready to fire. And when you have time to breathe, you'll build a strong base where you can rest and recuperate.