When it comes to brutal survival experiences, few titles compare to The Forest in their presentation, tone, and tension. Attempting to stay alive in the unforgiving wilderness while its cannibalistic natives observe and threaten players is an immense challenge, but it’s all part of the game’s ability to use atmosphere and environmental storytelling to fully immerse players in its harsh world. However, while it may be one of the more cruel survival experiences out there, a new entry in the genre on Steam could end up giving it a run for its money.
Life After End is an upcoming first-person survival-crafting game with looter-shooter mechanics by GreedyPannikin, and it looks to put players into an even more merciless world than The Forest‘s. While it doesn’t seem to include the deadly horror elements of its critically acclaimed survival cousin, the environment itself is primed to pose an even greater, more formidable threat than a group of relentless cannibals. With persistent physical debilities to deal with because of the environment, PvP trust-oriented gameplay, and a focus on hyper-realism and long-lasting consequences, Life After End on Steam appears to be a ruthless survival experience that could make The Forest look like a cakewalk.
Life After End Appears to Up The Forest’s Ante
The Forest may not be perceived as punishing in the way other survival games like The Long Dark, Green Hell, or Ark: Survival Evolved sometimes are. However, its hostile AI and survival-horror tension give it an edge that many other games in the genre don’t possess. Even with those elements, though, Life After End positions itself as a more demanding survival title than The Forest by increasing the risk of simply being in its world. As players attempt to establish a foothold in its post-apocalyptic Siberia setting, they will find themselves facing the constant threat of extreme weather and the physical conditions that can accompany them, as well as potentially setting themselves up for betrayal within presumed alliances.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
Breakdown of Life After End’s Features
- POST-APOCALYPTIC SIBERIA SETTING — Familiar places reduced to ruins in a frozen world.
- EXTREME WEATHER SYSTEMS — Frostbite, illness, hunger, thirst, and fatigue constantly threaten your survival.
- HARDCORE REALISM SURVIVAL — Your physical condition directly impacts your chances of staying alive.
- HIGH-STAKES DECISION-MAKING — Every choice matters, determining whether you endure the cold or succumb to it.
- ALLY OR ENEMY DYNAMIC — Form alliances to survive, but be prepared for betrayal when resources run thin.
- MULTIPLE MAPS AND MODES — Engage in a future storyline campaign or dive into multiplayer survival across varied maps.
- ANIMAL TAMING — Recruit dogs, cats, wolves, or even bears, each with strengths and risks that can shape your survival.
- EXPANSIVE WEAPON ARSENAL — Craft or scavenge everything from primitive spears and bows to customizable rifles.
- CRAFTING AND BASE BUILDING — Gather materials to construct tools, shelters, and defensive structures.
- INTERACTIVE ENVIRONMENT DEFENSE — Move furniture, block passages, and fortify windows within strongholds.
Life After End Makes Environmental Danger a Core Mechanic
One of the biggest ways Life After End sets itself apart from The Forest is in how it incorporates environmental danger into its survival gameplay. The Forest‘s survival mechanics—like hunger, thirst, and cold—can be lethal on their own, but players can generally stabilize them through actions like eating, drinking, building fires, and planning out their day. Life After End, on the other hand, threats to survival like illness, frostbite, hunger, thirst, and fatigue are all highlighted as core obstacles at all times, not just something players patch up and mostly ignore once stabilized.
This is primarily where Life After End‘s claimed “realism” comes into play as well, stating that “your actions will have consequences” in the context of weather and physical conditions. To survive in the environment, players will need to build shelters, search for food, and create weapons and medicine. Shelters in Life After End also have customizable defense mechanics that allow players to block entrances with furniture and lock windows with objects.
Life After End will eventually receive a full story-driven campaign sometime after launch, but players will have access to “multiple maps and modes” until then.
Life After End Pits Social Volatility Against The Forest’s NPC Hostility
Another way Life After End distinguishes itself in the survival-crafting genre is in its emphasis on social volatility. In The Forest, the main external threats come from somewhat predictable AI enemies whose behavior can be learned after players spend some time in the game. However, Life After End incorporates ARC Raiders-like PvP gameplay into the mix, where other players are both potential allies and enemies. Ultimately, it looks to be a constant game of chicken within an already punishing environment, where trust is the primary currency and betrayal is always possible. To make up for that chance of betrayal, though, players can tame animals like dogs, cats, wolves, and bears to be loyal companions—and the bears are even rideable.
Players will have more than friendly animals to keep them safe in Life After End as well, with a “huge arsenal of weapons” at their disposal. Weapons like bows, spears, and rifles can all be customized to presumably suit various playstyles, and with Life After End being tagged as a looter shooter on Steam, it’s assumed that gear like this and more can be found as players explore the Siberian wilderness.
Look for allies, but don’t forget that in this world, even friends can become enemies in a moment of danger.
Interestingly, Life After End was originally expected to launch on February 16, 2026, but for reasons unknown, it was never released. Currently, it is only available to wishlist on Steam, with nothing more than a “Coming Soon” release window to go off of. It’s unclear whether its initial release date didn’t pan out or if there was simply an error in Steam’s database, but hopefully, the game is still on track for launch sometime soon. At the very least, intrigued players can add it to their wishlist and be notified when it becomes available. Once it finally does, it’ll have a real shot at proving itself in an increasingly crowded space within the gaming industry.
Life After End is currently available to wishlist on Steam.
