Sons of the Forest, the highly-anticipated survival-horror sequel to The Forest, has officially sold 2 million copies in its first 24 hours on sale. The news was confirmed by developer Endnight Games, which thanked fans for their support, and teased new content in the coming weeks.
Notably, the game was originally set for a complete launch in February 2023 before Endnight chose to adopt an early access model. ‘We didn’t want to delay again so have instead decided to involve the community in the continued development of this project and keep our February 23rd release date, but instead release in Early Access,’ the studio announced, just weeks ahead of launch.
This surprise change doesn’t appear to have delayed those keen to play Sons of the Forest. Two million copies sold in just a short, single-day timeframe is extremely impressive – and speaks to a growing appetite for co-op survival games. (Valheim achieved similar success in 2021.)
At its peak, Sons of the Forest reportedly hit 411,999 concurrent players, beating out a number of major blockbuster releases. As PC Gamer points out, Sons of the Forest is a much smaller production than its nearest rivals on the Steam charts – and yet, it’s eclipsed nearly every one of them.
While the success of Sons of the Forest was telegraphed by the popularity of its predecessor, The Forest, its immediate two-million milestone remains unexpected.
The game’s Steam rating is currently hovering around the ‘Very Positive’ mark at 45,622 reviews, although early impressions are decidedly mixed. Some players have praised the gameplay, building, and exploration aspects of the game, while others have warned against buying the game now due to its ‘bare bones’ mechanics and a feeling of repetition that grows after several hours.
It’s likely these criticisms will be addressed in the coming months, as Endnight Games reshapes the experience around player feedback – it’s expected the game will be in early access for 6-8 months – but in the meantime, players can now begin their journey through the forest. With two million players already jumping in, finding a co-op companion will likely be a breeze.
Sons of the Forest is now in early access via Steam.
