- Games
- Sons Of The Forest
Sons Of The Forest
Build an island refuge with friends, then search caves where mutants wait beyond your light.
Online co-op for up to 8 players.
- 8 online
Where to buy
Playing together
- Online co-op8 players
- Local co-opNot confirmed
- Not confirmedFriends on different platforms, such as PC and PlayStation, can play together.
- Not confirmedA friend can join or leave while you are already playing, without starting over.
- Not confirmedFriends play free with a Friend's Pass or similar.
- Steam DeckUnsupportedValve's own rating
About the game
You arrive on a forested island while searching for a missing family. You cut trees, put up shelters, gather food and make weapons. Seasons change the places you travel through and the supplies you need. Away from camp, caves and underground rooms hold useful equipment and clues, along with creatures that make each step into the dark feel risky.
Up to eight players share the same world online. You can gather building supplies together, share items and defend the home you make. Quiet work around camp gives way to trips underground, where preparation matters. You choose how much time to spend building and how quickly to follow the mystery. It suits friends who want a lasting project with regular scares.
How it feels
Kind of game
One lasting world your group settles. You gather, build and push into dangerous places together.
- At its heart
- Now and then
- Laughter and chaos
- Calm and coziness
- Story
- Working in sync
- Puzzles and figuring out
- Getting better
- Sessions
- Ongoing world
Rated on our own feel scale. 6 sources back these ratings.
Screenshots
From the Steam store page. Open one to see it full size.
If you liked Sons Of The Forest
You will probably enjoy these too. Each one says why.
The Forest
Why it scores 91%
What they share
- Kind of game
- Shared survival world
- About
- Wilderness survival, Monsters and Scavenging
- Notable in both
- Fear, Tension and danger, Planning ahead, Fighting, Unlocks and progress
- Core to both
- Exploring, Building and creating
- Sessions
- Ongoing world
- Co-op
- Online co-op for up to 8 players
- 8 online
Both give your group a hard world to survive in together. Both are about surviving in the wild and monsters that hunt you. Both are often scary.
No big difference from Sons Of The Forest.
Once Human
Why it scores 89%
What they share
- Kind of game
- Shared survival world
- About
- Wilderness survival and Monsters
- Core to both
- Exploring, Building and creating
- Notable in both
- Time to hang out, Tension and danger, Planning ahead, Fighting, Unlocks and progress
- Sessions
- Ongoing world
- Co-op
- Online co-op
How Once Human differs
- Less scary than Sons Of The Forest
- Online
- Crossplay
Both give your group a hard world to survive in together. Both are about exploring places you have not seen. Both let you build things together.
But less scary than Sons Of The Forest.
MISERY
Why it scores 86%
What they share
- Kind of game
- Shared survival world
- About
- Monsters and Scavenging
- Notable in both
- Fear, Time to hang out, Building and creating, Exploring, Tension and danger, Fighting, Unlocks and progress
- Sessions
- Ongoing world
- Co-op
- Online co-op
How MISERY differs
- A roguelike, so every run starts over
- 10 online
Both give your group a hard world to survive in together. Both are about monsters that hunt you and scavenging for loot. Both are easy to play while you chat.
No big difference from Sons Of The Forest.
All co-op facts
Last checked 24 October 2026. The small numbers link to the page that states each fact.
Co-op
- Fewest players online
- Not confirmed
- Local co-op
- Not confirmed
- Most players on one screen
- Not confirmed
- Split or shared screen
- Not confirmed
- Separate-device co-op
- Not confirmed
- Most players on separate devices
- Not confirmed
- Free base co-op
- No
The checked computer full-base edition has a paid base-game access model. Demos, trials, guest passes, platform sharing and temporary grants do not establish ongoing free base co-op.
- 1
- Confirmed free setups
- Does not apply
- Crossplay
- Not confirmed
- Crossplay between
- Not confirmed
- Friends can join mid-game
- Not confirmed
- Only one of you needs to buy it
- Not confirmed
Sources
8 pages
store.steampowered.comStore page, read 24 October 2026
Backs Online co-op, Genres, Kind of game, About, Building and creating, Fighting, Free base co-op.
- Online co-op: The feature list names Online Co-op. The maker describes friends building and sharing supplies.
- Genres: The maker calls this a survival horror simulator and describes crafting.
- Kind of game: Friends build defenses and explore one island together.
- About: The maker describes changing seasons, food gathering, mutant enemies and supply gathering.
- Building and creating: Construction includes cabins and larger compounds.
- Fighting: The maker describes fighting mutants with axes and firearms.
- Free base co-op: The checked computer full-base edition has a paid base-game access model. Demos, trials, guest passes, platform sharing and temporary grants do not establish ongoing free base co-op.
store.steampowered.comStore data, read 24 October 2026
Backs Steam app ID, Platforms, Release status.
- Steam app ID: The returned product is Sons Of The Forest with app ID 1326470.
- Platforms: The released Steam build is for Windows.
- Release status: Steam lists the game as available to play.
store.steampowered.comStore data, read 24 October 2026
Backs Steam Deck.
- Steam Deck: Valve rates the game Unsupported on Steam Deck.
escapistmagazine.comPress, read 24 October 2026
Backs Most players online, Working in sync.
- Most players online: The Escapist guide, February 24, 2023, explicitly describes up to eight in the native peer-to-peer squad. This is historical count support. The technical guide also displays one through eight, but current maker authorship was not independently authenticated and it is not presented as official support.
- Working in sync: The Escapist guide dated 2023-02-24 describes shared hunting, fighting and construction. These jobs help the group without requiring constant synchronized actions.
store.steampowered.comOfficial news, read 24 October 2026
Backs Release date, Voice chat by distance, Puzzles and figuring out.
- Release date: Endnight announces the full 1.0 release on 2024-02-22. The earlier 2023 date is Early Access.
- Voice chat by distance: The 1.0 notes add proximity voice chat and separate filtering for the walkie talkie.
- Puzzles and figuring out: The notes describe assembling artifact pieces and extra steps to open a late cave door. These are occasional obstacles.
gamesradar.comPress, read 24 October 2026
Backs Sessions, Exploring, Tension and danger, Calm and coziness, Time to hang out, Getting better, Unlocks and progress, Planning ahead, Fear.
- Sessions: GamesRadar+ review updated 2024-03-01 describes open ended base projects beside a story path with an ending. The lasting world is the main structure.
- Exploring: GamesRadar+ review updated 2024-03-01 describes the island, underground expeditions and gear found in caves.
- Tension and danger: GamesRadar+ review updated 2024-03-01 contrasts ordinary survival with dangerous late caves.
- Calm and coziness: GamesRadar+ review updated 2024-03-01 says basic needs become manageable and players can settle down to build.
- Time to hang out: GamesRadar+ review updated 2024-03-01 describes unhurried base projects between expeditions. Room for casual conversation is an inference from that pace.
- Getting better: GamesRadar+ review updated 2024-03-01 finds basic crafting accessible but deeper caves demand better preparation.
- Unlocks and progress: GamesRadar+ review updated 2024-03-01 describes useful gear acquired during expeditions.
- Planning ahead: GamesRadar+ review updated 2024-03-01 describes gathering equipment and supplies before difficult cave trips.
- Fear: GamesRadar+, updated March 1, 2024, describes caves designed around darkness, sudden creatures and disorientation. This independently supports the core horror rating.
gaming.netPress, read 23 October 2026
Backs Fear, Story.
- Fear: Gaming.net review published 2024-02-23 and updated 2026-04-02 describes horror as the main draw, including darkness and hostile creatures.
- Story: Gaming.net review published 2024-02-23 and updated 2026-04-02 finds the narrative thin beside open ended survival play.
pcgamer.comPress, read 23 October 2026
Backs Laughter and chaos.
- Laughter and chaos: PC Gamer feature dated 2023-02-24 describes friends laughing at the helper Kelvin. This supports occasional group humour rather than constant funny failure.