The player can choose from various structures and buildings in the survival guide. in order to complete the particular structure. Once the blueprint is placed, the player then needs to gather the necessary resources, such as sticks, rocks, logs, etc. The player can choose to build a specific structure and then select a specific place where to place that structure in the world. The survival guide is also crucial because it allows for the player to build blueprints for various different structures that can aid the player in their survival. ДЄs seen in the opening intro of the game, the player possesses a survival guide book that the playable character authors, which contains many useful tips and general information about wilderness survival. The game also features a day and night cycle, with the player able to build a shelter and traps, hunt animals and collect supplies during the day, and defend themselves against the mutants by night. ДЄs the player progresses through the game and explores the caves underneath the forest surface, they will encounter increasingly bizarre mutations, including deformed babies and mutants with several extra appendages. Though there are no set missions, there is an optional conclusion to the game. They are also afraid of fire, and will sometimes refrain from approaching the player if there is a campfire or torch nearby. In combat, they regularly attempt to protect one another from injury, remove torches, surround the player, hide behind cover, drag wounded tribesmen to safety, keep their distance, use tactical decisions, not overextend into unknown territory, and occasionally surrender out of fear. For example, when first encountering the player, the cannibals may hesitate to attack and instead observe the player from a distance, attempt to communicate with the player through effigies, and send patrols around the player's base camp. However, the developers wanted players to question whether the peninsula's cannibalistic tribe is the enemy of the player or vice versa. While they are not necessarily always hostile to the player, their usual behavior is aggressive, especially during the night. Inhabiting the peninsula, along with various woodland creatures, are a tribe of cannibalistic mutants, who dwell in villages on the surface and in deep caves beneath the peninsula.

Players must survive by creating shelter, weapons, and other survival tools. In The Forest, players control Eric LeBlanc and must survive on a forested peninsula in search of his son Timmy after a devastating plane crash.

The forest mods 0.37