Sons of the Forest early-access release times unveiled

After a number of delays, Sons of the Forest is finally releasing soon via early access. Developer Endnight Games has announced that the upcoming open-world survival game will be released on February 23, 2023. Downloads will go live at 9 pm PT/12 pm ET/6 pm CET/10:30 pm IST/4 pm AEDT.

Whether solo or co-op, players should keep track of these times so they can immediately jump into the hostile sandbox world on launch day. This is because Sons of the Forest has no preload on Steam. Preloads allow you to download a game before launch so that players can access it immediately on release day. It should be noted that this is not the final version of the game but rather a pre-release version.

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What is Sons of the Forest about?

Similar to the first Forest game, Sons of the Forest sees players explore a remote, uncharted island after crashlanding. While the original featured a narrative centered around finding the protagonist's child, this time around, the hunt is for a missing billionaire.

The game supports up to eight players working together in one session to survive, but even when playing solo, players are not completely alone. Endnight Games has added an AI-controlled partner named Kelvin, who can aid players even when they are playing solo. Although Kelvin is mute due to brain trauma, players can assign commands to him, making him a valuable ally in the game.

That is a good thing as players will need all the help they can get. In addition to dealing with the elements, players will eventually encounter dangerous cannibals and mutants that lurk around the open world. In order to defend themselves against such threats, players must craft weapons, as well as gather resources to construct safe havens such as houses.

But not all NPCs are hostile. Besides Kelvin, there will be other companions to recruit, including a three-legged female mutant named Virginia. Sons of the Forest offers not only stunning visuals but also improved mechanics and smarter AI.

Since the game is still in development, players can expect to encounter bugs and issues from a technical standpoint. The Early Access period allows the team to develop the game alongside the community. The developers can make real-time tweaks and balance the game mechanics for a polished and well-rounded final product. The feedback from players can also be used to test multiplayer server functionality and change features that are highlighted.

The game launches exclusively via Steam Early Access. This means it is only available on PC for now. Since the first Forest game eventually made its way to consoles, the same can be expected of this sequel. Unfortunately, the developers have not provided a launch window for the final 1.0 release, so console players will likely have to wait for a few years.