Sons Of The Forest

Overview

22 Feb, 2024 drops you onto a remote island in Sons Of The Forest, an action, adventure, indie, simulation game for Windows. You are sent to find a missing billionaire, then the island answers with a cannibal-infested hellscape and very little mercy. Survival here means making every move count, from the first stick you break to the last wall you throw up.

This is an open-world survival horror simulator that gives you freedom instead of orders. There are no NPCs pushing missions in your face; you decide where to go, what to tackle, and how to stay alive. That means crafting, building, and scavenging in a place where nowhere feels safe, and every step can turn into trouble with mutated creatures and other threats lurking nearby.

You can go alone or bring friends, with co-op support built in. Share items, combine efforts, and build defenses together while exploring above and below ground. Seasons matter too: salmon turn up in spring and summer, while winter tightens the screws and food becomes harder to find. On this island, the cold does not care how organised you thought you were.

Why play it

• Freedom to choose your own route
• Survive solo or in co-op
• Craft, build, and defend on the fly
• Seasonal survival adds pressure

Quick facts

Beginner walkthrough

Start with the basics

You can decide what to do and where to go, so the first job is simply to stay alive and keep moving with purpose. The game does not hand out missions or NPC instructions, which means you make the calls. Explore the island, take in what is around you, and use the freedom to set your own next step.

Use what the island gives you

Crafting and building are central to survival. Break sticks to make fires, use an axe to cut out windows and floors, and turn raw materials into shelter. You can build something modest or push for a larger base, including a sea-side compound, depending on how bold you feel and how much time you want to spend fortifying.

Bring friends into the fight

Co-op is built in, so you can survive alone or with friends. Share items, work together on defenses, and bring back-up when you head above ground or below it. That teamwork matters even more when winter arrives, because food and resources become scarce and the island starts looking for a meal of its own.

Our take

Sons Of The Forest leans hard into open-ended survival: no mission barkers, just a hostile island and the tools to push back. If you want crafting, base-building, and co-op survival with changing seasons and ugly things in the dark, it gives you plenty to work with. The mood is bleak, the freedom is real, and the island is not interested in being fair.

FAQ