Brutal survival game Sons of the Forest is cheaper than ever, exploding on Steam

From its bloodthirsty cannibals to its freakish mutants, there’s a lot to love about Endnight Games’ Sons of the Forest. And now, there’s another reason to fall for the brutal survival game. Thanks to a massive discount players are flocking to this bizarre open-world survival horror, resulting in a huge spike.

Released in 2024, following an early access period, Sons of the Forest
is one of the most popular survival games on Steam, with an all-time peak player count of 414,257 at launch. In May, however, the game suffered some of its lowest numbers since launch. Now, though, thanks to a huge discount, Sons of the Forest is enjoying a major resurgence.

Sons of the Forest’s player numbers have almost quadrupled from May to June, with this month’s peak player count hitting 49,853. This is no coincidence. Sons of Forest has dropped to its lowest price yet on Steam with players currently to grab a mammoth 66% discount on the absurdly brilliant co-op game until Thursday July 10. So, if you’ve been waiting to jump into this challenging open world, now is the perfect time.

Sons of the Forest is as unforgiving as it is weird. You’re dropped on a remote island, tasked with locating a missing billionaire. Sounds simple enough? Unfortunately, this particular island is crawling with violent cannibals that think you look like a tasty snack. To survive, you’ll collect resources from the volatile open world, craft new and improved gear and weapons, and build a base resilient enough to withstand the island’s ever-changing seasons.

While Sons of the Forest is brutal, it’s great fun, and even more so with friends. While you can enlist some companions to help with your resource gathering and building, battling the island’s threats with your squad is infinitely better. There are plenty of ludicrous creatures, hilarious activities, and bizarre encounters hidden in the sprawling forest, and encountering them with your friends for the first time is the optimal experience.

One minute you may be listening to your friends scream in horror as you axe a perfectly friendly mutant (and potential companion) to death and the next you’re sledding down a snowy mountaintop. Really, you just want someone to cause chaos with.

Hopefully, Sons of the Forest retains this spike in numbers as more players uncover the secrets of the island. I’m even more hopeful that this bump in player numbers will encourage Endnight Games to finally provide an update on when (and what) the game’s next major overhaul will be. Until then, you can get Sons of the Forest for $10.19 / £8.49 right here.

If you enjoy Sons of the Forest, make sure to check out our picks of the best horror games and the best co-op games.

You can also follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides, or join our community Discord to stay in the know.