Sons of the Forest is the next project from publisher and developer Endnight Games and the sequel to its popular survival game The Forest.
Since it was revealed in late 2019, rumors about its release date and other information have surrounded it thanks in no small part to the scarcity of details shared by the team behind it.
But while there may not be all that many official details, the title’s two trailers do at least give us an initial idea of what we can expect. Here is everything we know about the Sons of the Forest release date, including details about gameplay, story, and more.
Sons of the Forest Release Date
Sons of the Forest was initially given a broad 2021 release window, but developer Endnight Games then confirmed that it needs more time to work on the game.
In a tweet, it revealed that the new release window is “early to mid 2022,” promising an exact release date once the game’s third trailer goes live. Later, on November 30, 2021, it announced that Sons of the Forest’s release date has been locked down to May 20, 2022.
On March 25, 2022, the developer admitted that a May launch was “overly ambitious” before delaying the game until October 2022.
On 31st August, 2022, the developer revealed that it was once again delaying the release of Sons of the Forest, this time targeting a release of 23rd February 2023. It said:
“Due to the scope of our new game Sons Of The Forest, it has been hard to pinpoint an exact release date, and today we have to delay one last time.
Giving us time to complete the polish we feel is needed, we will release Feb 23, 2023, priced at $29.99USD.</i>
On February 3, 2023, it was revealed that Sons of the Forest would release as an early access title in order to avoid another delay.
- Current Release Date: 23rd February, 2023
Sons of the Forest Story
It’s unclear how big a role story will play in Sons of the Forest but the trailers shown so far suggest that it starts (surprise, surprise) with a helicopter crash that leaves you character stranded in a forest.
According to the game’s Steam page, your goal is to find a billionaire who went mission on the very remote island that houses said forest, provided all the building, crafting, and surviving doesn’t get in the way.
The spooky lady featured in the game’s trailers, who may or may not be a hallucination, could suggest that the narrative thread stretches way further than simply finding a stranded billionaire.
Sons of the Forest Gameplay
As far as gameplay goes, Sons of the Forest seems to tap into all of the genre’s greatest hits. There’s quite a bit of exploration, with some added horror as you’re facing cannibals, mutants, or some other form of humanoids that seem intent to cause you harm.
You can use guns, sticks, a taser, and a crossbow to fend them off and, when you’re not fighting, you’ll likely engage with some form of crafting system or, at the very least, live out your fantasy of becoming a lumberjack.
One thing to note is the vastly improved visuals that add extra detail to wood chopping, shoveling dirt, and putting together your makeshift tools.
The game’s third trailer, which you’ll find below, also showcased some combat against various monstrosities, highlighting a shotgun, axe, and stun baton as useable weapons.
You’re free to choose how you approach exploring the island and will have to keep track of how the seasons change. While spring and summer offer chances to find fresh salmon in nearby streams, it’s a good idea to store meat for when winter inevitably sets in.
Sons of the Forest supports co-op alongside seven other players but, as IGN point out in their preview, solo players now have an AI companion by their side, ready to follow orders.
Building structures is also more involved, giving players more freedom over how they place each one of the many pieces that make up their base.
Where can you buy Sons of the Forest and how much does it cost?
Sons of the Forest will be available on PC via Steam. Based on its predecessor, there’s a chance it might also launch on PlayStation, but we’ll have to wait for official confirmation on that. It should be priced at $29.99 when it launches.
Sons of the Forest Trailers
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