Sons of the Forest release date, UK launch time & PC requirements
The Sons of the Forest release date has finally arrived for players on PC, with the hotly anticipated sequel to The Forest launching today after a couple of delays.
The Sons of the Forest UK launch time has also been confirmed, so you know exactly when to stop working and start playing the creepy-looking new game.
So, if horror games are your thing and you’ve got a PC that is up to the task, keep on reading and we’ll run through the key details about the Sons of the Forest release date!
When is the Sons of the Forest release date?
The Sons of the Forest release date is Thursday 23rd February.
The game has been delayed twice, having previously been scheduled for May 2022 and October 2022 release windows before moving to its current date. However, Endnight Games has stated this will be the last delay, which is looking likely now that we have an exact date and price.
What is the UK launch time for Sons of the Forest?
The Sons of the Forest UK launch time is 5pm GMT, the developers have confirmed.
With that tantalisingly-close unlock time in mind, you might want to sneak away from work a little early if possible!
Can I pre-order Sons of the Forest?
Surprisingly not! The February 2023 release date has been confirmed for a while now, but the game’s Steam page is still showing the option to ‘wishlist’ the game rather than putting your money down in advance.
On top of that, popular PC gaming outlet CD Keys is only showing the option to ‘notify me’ when it’s possible to buy. It might be wise to just check back tonight when you’re ready to start playing!
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What platforms can I get Sons of the Forest on?
Like many things about Sons of the Forest, this too remains under wraps, but it seems very likely that you’ll end up playing Sons of the Forest on PC at launch, with PS4 and PS5 consoles possibly getting a port later on.
Microsoft Windows got The Forest originally, and it was soon ported over to PlayStation. Logic dictates that those platforms should have Sons of the Forest, too, but word is yet to reach us as to whether the game will also make itself at home on the Xbox or Nintendo Switch.
What are the Sons of the Forest PC requirements?
As per the game’s official Steam page, the PC requirements for Sons of the Forest are as follows. Check out the below if you’re wondering whether your PC can run it!
Minimum requirements to play Sons of the Forest on PC:
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- 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
- Additional Notes: SSD (Preferred)
Recommended specs to play Sons of the Forest on PC:
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- 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
- Additional Notes: SSD (Preferred)
Sons of the Forest gameplay
You can take a look at some Sons of the Forest gameplay footage in the official gameplay trailer below:
Anything other than what is in the above trailer remains hidden away in the minds of Endnight Games, but expect to meet a lot of faces that want to kill you as you make your way through the game.
The forest environment seems to be back once again, as expected, but modern buildings have been added and it would seem that we will be spending at least some of our time inside them.
Now the new release date window has been confirmed, we should have more information coming any day now about what to expect in Sons of the Forest — we’ll update you as soon as we hear anything.
Sons of the Forest trailer
Check out the official Sons of the Forest release date trailer below!
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Sons of the Forest companions explained
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Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Endnight Games)
Sons of the Forest companions are NPC allies who can help the player, and right now there are two we know of: Virginia and Kelvin. The former is a mutant with two extra limbs, the other is a soldier and fellow survivor of the crash who has to be given written commands. Both have their own specific behaviors and nuances, as well as their own limitations, but we’ll walk you through how to get them as companions in Sons of the Forest, what they have to offer, and how to give them orders.
All Sons of the Forest companions
There are two companions in Sons of the Forest that we know of so far:
- Virginia: A three-legged and three-armed mutant who will approach the player in the wild.
- Kelvin: A soldier who survived the helicopter crash that kicks off the game, but loses his hearing in the process.
Sons of the Forest guides
Companions in Sons of the Forest are friendly NPCs that you can recruit to help you complete certain tasks, fight enemies or gather resources.
Depending on the NPC, they might take direct orders, or act autonomously in ways that benefit the player overall, still being their own person but willing to tag along and aid the player.
At the moment there’s only the two companions above in the game, at least as far as we’ve found. However, considering that it’s in early access, it’s entirely possible that more will be added down the line, expanding your potential team roster.
How to get companions in Sons of the Forest
(Image credit: Endnight Games)
Each companion in Sons of the Forest is encountered in specific and particular ways that we’ve laid out below, in a situation unique to them. You can’t just go to a recruitment board and order them to show up, it’s a little more complex than that. We’ll cover how to get all the companions in the game below, and where they’re found.
How to get Virginia as a companion in Sons of the Forest
(Image credit: Newnight)
Virginia is encountered early on in Sons of the Forest, but she dictates the speed at which the encounter is had, as well as some of the following ones.
Here’s what to do:
- After you first start building a shelter or base, you may notice Virginia nearby.
- She’ll approach you slowly and silently — not aggressive, just cautious.
- Put away any weapons and allow her to approach, not making any major movements.
- She’ll run off into the forest out of sight not long afterwards. That’s normal.
- Later on, this pattern will repeat, with her emerging and disappearing again. Keep allowing this to happen.
- Eventually, Virginia will warm up to you and learn to trust you, and simply start following you of her own accord.
This is as close as you can get to Virginia being a proper companion — she doesn’t officially agree to join the party, she just silently tags along once she recognises the player isn’t a threat.
Virginia appears to be Virginia Puffton, a missing woman who we briefly see a picture of in the game’s introductory cinematic. She’s clearly been physically altered since then, but remains an ally nonetheless.
How to get Kelvin as a companion in Sons of the Forest
(Image credit: Newnight)
As close to being a «default» companion as you can get in Sons of the Forest, Kelvin is a follow soldier who suffers a serious head injury and loses his hearing in the initial helicopter accident. To get him as a companion, players need to do the following:
- When the story starts, you’ll spawn in the wreckage of the helicopter.
- Nearby, Kelvin will be on the ground, indicated by a marker.
- Walk over and press the button prompt to get him up.
There’ll be a moment where you inspect him over — noting the copious bleeding from his ears — and then he’ll be an ally you can order and around and have follow you! He’s the «standard» companion to all intents and purposes, and less independent than Virginia.
How to give orders to companions
(Image credit: Newnight)
Companions are given orders and instructions in different ways, depending on who they are:
- Kelvin: Walk up to Kelvin and press the prompted button to draw your notepad.
You’ll be given a selection of instructions to choose, pick which one you want and your character will hand that paper to him. He’ll follow that order from then on, until he’s either finished, attacked, or given a new order to replace it. - Virginia: Virginia can’t actually be given orders! As mentioned before, she does her own thing, and while she’ll follow the player and protect them in combat, she can’t actually be given orders, though you can put weapons in her hand for her to use in combat.
Can companions die in Sons of the Forest?
(Image credit: Endnight Games)
Yes, companions can die in Sons of the Forest if they take enough damage — either from you or from the cannibals who roam the island. And once dead, they’re dead permanently, with no chance of coming back. For that reason, protect them! Virginia will defend herself as best she can, but she’s not immortal, and while Kelvin can recognize danger and attempt to flee, he’s unable to defend himself or wield weapons directly.
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Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and raconteur with a Masters from Sussex University, none of which has actually equipped him for anything in real life. As a result he chooses to spend most of his time playing video games, reading old books and ingesting chemically-risky levels of caffeine. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at USgamer, Gfinity, Eurogamer and more besides.
With contributions from
- Will SawyerGuides Writer
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