Start here
How to Play Trees Hate You: A Beginner Guide
Start Trees Hate You, learn the confirmed controls, use checkpoints, and turn each surprise trap into a better next attempt.
Short answer
The useful version.
Open the browser demo, use WASD or the arrow keys to move, and treat every death as information. The current expanded demo uses checkpoints, so a failed trap should cost a short retry rather than the whole run.
- Best starting version
- Browser demo for speed
- Confirmed inputs
- Keyboard or controller
- Core loop
- Observe, fail, adjust, retry
- Current structure
- Two full demo levels plus a transition
Choose the version that matches your goal
The official itch.io page offers an HTML5 build and a Windows download. The separate Steam Demo is another free option and includes Steam Cloud. Use the browser build when you want the quickest start; use a downloadable build when the web version runs poorly.
This fan site keeps the game behind a deliberate Play button so a large external game file does not load before you ask for it. The official itch.io link remains available as a direct fallback.
- Browser: quickest way to test the game.
- Windows download: useful when browser frame rate is poor.
- Steam Demo: useful for Steam Cloud and the current Steam demo experience.
Learn the small input set first
Tykenn's itch.io page confirms keyboard movement with WASD or the arrow keys and controller movement with the left stick. Start with short taps instead of holding a direction. Small inputs make it easier to see which movement triggered a trap.
If nothing moves, click inside the game frame once. Browser games often need focus before they receive keyboard or controller input.
Use checkpoints as an experiment loop
The expanded demo added checkpoints throughout each scene. When you respawn, change one decision: stop earlier, wait longer, approach from a different pace, or watch the object that moved just before the hit.
Changing one variable is more useful than sprinting through the whole section differently. You learn the trigger instead of merely hoping for a lucky run.
Keep the first run spoiler-light
The surprise is part of the comedy. On a first run, look for movement and timing without reading a complete trap list. Use detailed help only after the same section has stopped being funny and started wasting your time.
For a smoother session, keep sound on, close heavy background tabs, and switch to a downloadable build if the browser version stutters.
Primary sources
Check the developer's current pages.
Builds and store details can change. These first-party pages take precedence over this fan guide.