This Sons of the Forest guide has everything you need to know about how to survive the wild and the mutant cannibals within, with gameplay, cheats, item locations, tips, weapons and more besides. All the essentials are here, and you'll need them - Sons of the Forest is a brutal game, and a worthy successor to the Forest, one of the best survival games you can find out there. So if you want more info, we'll cover it below on our full Sons of the Forest guide - the ultimate survival manual.
Sons of the Forest review
Sons of the Forest has released into Early Access on PC in impressive form, with developer Endnight Games managing to strike a better balance between survival and exploration than many of its genre peers. Given the quality of the game as it exists today, we're eager to see how it evolves over time. To learn more, read our Sons of the Forest review.
Platforms and consoles
The only confirmed release platform for Sons of the Forest is PC, with developer Endnight solely focused on PC development for the time being. With that said, ports for Sons of the Forest on PS4, PS5 and Xbox are likely - the Forest launched on PC in 2018 and came to PS4 once it leaft early access. So there's every chance the sequel will arrive on PS5 or Xbox Series X at some point.
System requirements
Here's are the Sons of the Forest's PC requirements:
- MINIMUM
- OS: 64-bit Windows 10
- Processor: INTEL CORE I5-8400 or AMD RYZEN 3 3300X
- Memory: 12 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB or AMD Radeon RX 570 4GB
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 20 GB available space
- RECOMMENDED
- OS: 64-bit Windows 10
- Processor: INTEL CORE I7-8700K or AMD RYZEN 5 3600X
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 1080Ti or AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 20 GB available space
It's worth pointing out that for both versions, the official page states that an SSD is preferred.
How many players are there in multiplayer?
The max players in Sons of the Forest is 8 people in a server at any one time, not including the AI companions. Players can of course tackle the game's challenges solo if they want, but Sons of the Forest may be a lot more manageable with a whole room of people gathering resources, building defenses, and holding back the mutant hordes.
Trailer
There have been three Sons of the Forest trailers so far, each of which highlight just how far developer Endnight Games is pushing the visual fidelity, depth of its systems, and enhancing the immersion. You can watch the most recent trailer above, and it's a fantastic showcase for what's to come in 2023 – keep an eye out for the more intuitive building, and a scene where a group of mutants is scared off after the player decapitates one of the group and flashes the skull back at them.
Gameplay
The Sons of the Forest gameplay is built on The Forest's open world survival game where you use the weapons and tools you craft to survive and fight back cannibal mutants. You'll be able to play solo or in coop multiplayer sessions.
Much like The Forest, this sequel will focus heavily on crafting, cooking, and combat – the latter of which has been massively expanded to encompass more weapon types. Guns will be more prevalent, although ammunition will be limited, so Sons of the Forest will have a melee-focus.
Map and setting
The Sons of the Forest map will be roughly four-times the size of The Forest and is loosely based on the Site 2 map you may have glimpsed at the end of the first game. It's once again set in a Pacific Northwest style environment, although Sons of the Forest will feature dynamic seasons to help introduce more variety. This will not only impact the visual design of the island, but your approach to survival – food sources will be different between summer and winter, for example, while the elements themselves will alter the behaviors of enemies and present further challenges.
Companions, AI and NPCs
One of the more significant changes between The Forest and Sons of the Forest is a new AI system dubbed 'V.A.I.L.' – a tool which governs the NPC behavior. Characters will be impacted by hunger, thirst, and their mental state, which can alter their routines and reactions to events. Enemies will also have their own ecosystems, with your actions helping to influence whether mutants are more likely to stick to the network of underground caves or roam the wilds above; the developer has also teased that the cannibals will find expansive ways to coordinate their attacks, and that you can even use fear as a weapon against them if you're smart with your resources.
There are also Sons of the Forest companions that you can get to help you out by issuing commands. These AI helpers can gather resources and do other time-consuming jobs, which will help you out a lot in your survival efforts. If you want to know how the more elusive of the companions can be recruited, our Sons of the Forest Virginia guide will help you there too!
Building and crafting
Sons of the Forest will feature more robust cooking, crafting, and building systems. Endnight has introduced a digging mechanic, and the ability to use a 3D printer to create more elaborate and complex items – be it to help aid your survival, or to create different colored objects to help you stand out from your friends in multiplayer sessions.
Building will still be a core focus in Sons of the Forest, and you should expect a more grounded series of systems to help further immerse you in the world. For example, if you want to add a window to the base you're building, just pull out your axe and chop in the space for one; spears are created by sharpening wood, and campfires are created by snapping twigs and lighting them. Sons of the Forest is still a survival horror game at heart, so managing your resources and conditions will still be key, even as more challenging crafting systems are implemented.
Tips
If you want to get a quick start these Sons of the Forest tips will help you. These is a basic fast survival guide to help you get through the first few hours and night. If you need help with the basics this should get you set up.
Shovel
Many have been trying to get the Sons of the Forest shovel but it's not easy. You'll need to find the Sons of the Forest rebreather and Sons of the Forest rope gun before you can reach and each of those are a big mission in their own right. So expect to battle though three dangerous monster filled caves before you can find the shovel.
Crafting recipes
If you're not sure what to make then our Sons of the Forest crafting recipes guide will steer you in the right direction. We've listed most of the main things you might want to make, and what you'll need to make them.
Cheats
There aren't a huge amount of Sons of the Forest cheats, mainly some multiplayer console commands and a cheat mod. So you can bend the game a little if you want. However, far more useful are the Sons of the Forest item IDs that will let you add almost anything want to your inventory.
Hotkeys
A recent update has added a Sons of the Forest hotkey weapons option. Though it wasn't available at the start, now you can hotkey items using the number keys on your inventory! You can also use quickslots, a special accessible backpack you can draw out rather than having to unroll you inventory - both of which are explained at the related guide.
Water and the Flask
Feeling thirsty? Our Sons of the Forest water page explains how you can get the flask, a special item used for carrying water on you, as well as what plants will restore thirst when you eat them. Seems basic, but it means you don't have to keep running back to mountain streams mid-exploration, or risk dehydrating in a fight with mutants!
Sleep and rest
Our guide on Sons of the Forest sleep will help you understand the importance of rest, as well as why you can't sleep at certain moments. If you've tried to rest and been unable, just hearing an ominous horn noise, we'll explain why that's happening and how you can fix it.
Respawn rules
Do enemies respawn? What about allies, and items in the world? We'll explain the Sons of the Forest respawn system here, how it works and what will come back after it's killed/destroyed.
Item IDs and spawning items
Want to spawn items out of nowhere? Sons of the Forest item IDs are what's used here, a method that requires no cheats where you go into the game's code and do some quick modifications to add new items to your inventory in the game.
GPS Locators
The Sons of the Forest GPS locators are spread across the map, with three of them to find, and each one marking a treasure that'll help you in the game - though they're not easy to get at. We'll explain how to get them here and what the GPS locators themselves do at the page linked!
Log dupe glitch
The Sons of the Forest log dupe glitch is a great way to spawn infinite logs, at least until it presumably gets patched at some point in the future. Still, if you can make use of it now, you can build a glorious base before then - so leap to the link and find out how to spawn all the logs you need!
The Sled
The Sons of the Forest sled is a fun toy that allows you to speed down slopes at rapid speed, but finding one isn't easy. We'll explain how you can get hold of a sled, how it works, and whatever became of the incredibly useful Log Sled from the previous game.
The Keycards
There are three different Sons of the Forest keycards spread around the island, each one providing access to a different area that you wouldn't be able to get to without them. Integral parts of the game, we'll show you where they're all located and what they open at the attached guide!
Big Head Mode
Want to know how to turn on Sons of the Forest big head mode? It's not just fun to watch Kelvin and the Cannibals lolling around with humungous skulls, it's actually helpful to the game itself, as it marks them out more clearly in the obscuring foliage.
How to drop items
Want to know how to drop items in Sons of the Forest? It's not as easy as you'd think, and can only be done, at time of writing, under very specific conditions - surprising for a survival crafting game.
While you wait for Sons of the Forest to release in 2023, why not check in on one of these great games like The Forest.
© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission
