The Forest sequel delayed until October

Sons of the Forest
(Image credit: Endnight)

Announced back in 2019, Sons of the Forest is a sequel to the terrifying open world survival game The Forest, which is still my pick for the grossest and most discomforting tree punching sim out there. Studio Endnight Games still hasn't released many details on the sequel, though based on early gameplay footage it's looking like a more narrative-driven affair than its predecessor, which itself was a more narrative-driven affair than most survival games.

Exactly what Sons of the Forest will be may be unknown, but we do know the game has been delayed. Initially set for a May 2022 release, it'll now hit Steam some time in October 2022.

"Over these past few weeks, we have realized that our May 2022 release date for Sons Of The Forest was overly ambitious," Endnight Games tweeted. "To be able to deliver our vision of the next step in survival games, we’ve decided to move our release date to October 2022."

Accompanying the announcement is an extremely brief five second video. It shows a seemingly half-undead figure (gross), a fish getting a mouthful bitten out of it in first-person (gross), a construction animation (fancy) and a shooting target being unfolded and placed (target practice confirmed!). The backdrops, such as the rushing stream and dense forest, definitely look prettier and denser than in the ageing 2018 predecessor. 

Jon noted the much fancier building animations back when the gameplay trailer dropped, as well as a scary "three-legged, three-armed ballerina lady" which sounds exactly like the kind of weird monstrosity the first game traded in. Prepare to be terrified, and in dire need of supplies, when Son of the Forest releases in October.

Shaun Prescott
Australian Editor

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.

Read more
Man holding gun up to approaching cannibal
Sons of the Forest's first patch in 6 months is a doozy, adding buildable rafts, a procedural wall system, and fixing more than 100 bugs
A ferocious fish-man
Frogwares shows off The Sinking City 2's first in-game footage and launches a Kickstarter safety net: 'After 3 years of this horrid war hanging over our daily lives, we've learned to adapt'
Phyre, the Elder Kindred from Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, stares intently at something in the distance, a frown writ into their forehead.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 has been delayed again, but I'm not too worried—I've played it, and it's looking great
The Alters trailer still - Two Alters talking as one cleans up food trays from a table
The Alters is altered again: 11 Bit Studios' survival game about creating alt-universe versions of yourself on a hostile alien world is delayed
A survivor in the woods with a weapon and mask
Please join me in getting super excited for all the cool looking survival games coming in 2025 (and beyond)
A fantasy character aiming a bow while a wizard readies a staff to fight monsters
Enshrouded 1.0 target date and 2025 roadmap revealed, new update arriving today, and dynamic water on the way
Latest in Survival & Crafting
Pacific Drive Endless Expeditions spring 2025 update trailer still - a sexy, tricked-out 1980s station wagon being blasted with magic healing electricity
Pacific Drive developers change their mind: A year after refusing to give it mid-run saves, it's getting mid-run saves
minecraft diamond level sword
Minecraft's never going free-to-play because as it stands it's 'the best deal in the world'
New shaders in Minecraft following Minecraft Live 2025
In the year of our lord 2025, Mojang is finally adding shaders to Minecraft, making reflective lighting and water effects more accessible for all
A dried ghast, a ghastling, and a friendly ghast all smiling
The latest Minecraft Live uncovered the tragic truth of the Nether's most bothersome mob, which has unlocked new levels of guilt
Three mobs in their regional forms in Minecraft Spring to Life update
Minecraft Spring to Life update: everything you need to know about the newest drop
Sci-fi character from Dune
Dune: Awakening promises us a breath of fresh air, skipping early access for a full launch with no monthly subscription in May
Latest in News
Ciri in The Witcher 4
The Witcher 4 won't be out until sometime in 2027 at the soonest, CD Projekt says
Dwarf Fortress adventure mode art
After 23 years of making Dwarf Fortress, even its creator is still 'terrified' of drowning all his dwarves with heavy aquifers: 'Part of the problem is we are just not good at videogames'
A unique aspect of Japanese architecture turned out to be a key reason the Like a Dragon games can reuse assets so effectively—and deliver more compact, memorable open worlds than western cities
Pacific Drive Endless Expeditions spring 2025 update trailer still - a sexy, tricked-out 1980s station wagon being blasted with magic healing electricity
Pacific Drive developers change their mind: A year after refusing to give it mid-run saves, it's getting mid-run saves
Starfield's companion robot giving a thumbs-up
Former Bethesda dev who quit Starfield to go solo says it's 'much less stressful as an indie' without daily meetings or 'office politics': it's 'very refreshing to just care about the game'
Schedule I drug deal going down
Forget REPO, Monster Hunter Wilds and Assassin's Creed Shadows, Steam's current global top seller is an early access game about managing a drug empire