Key Highlights:
- Sons of the Forest sees 457% rise in player count during July.
- Steam Summer Sale discount brings game to just $10.19 until July 10.
- No new content since January, yet player retention remains high.
Sons of the Forest is enjoying a major resurgence thanks to a steep discount and strong word-of-mouth.
Despite no major content updates since early 2025, the open-world survival horror title has climbed back up the Steam charts, drawing in tens of thousands of new and returning players.
After a successful Early Access run that peaked with over 400,000 concurrent players, Sons of the Forest officially launched in February 2024 to strong reviews.
While initial hype eventually settled, the game maintained a steady core audience. Now, in July 2025, it has achieved its highest player count in nearly a year – spiking by around 457% compared to May – with over 49,000 concurrent players logged on June 29th alone.
The surge coincides with the ongoing Steam Summer Sale, where the game is currently discounted by 66%. This brings the price down from $29.99 to just $10.19, a drop that has clearly resonated with horror fans and survival sim enthusiasts alike.
The sale ends on July 10, so the window to grab the game at this price is limited.
The discount arrives at a time when Sons of the Forest has already been praised for its atmosphere and core survival mechanics. Set on the isolated Site 2 island, players must build, scavenge, and fend off hostile cannibals in solo or co-op play.
While some still favour the original The Forest, newcomers have left a wave of new positive reviews since the sale began, suggesting the current version feels polished and well-optimised.
Perhaps the most impressive detail is that this spike has occurred without a major content update since January 2025, when a patch introduced rafts, new wall defences, and critical bug fixes.
Since then, updates have been minimal, with no significant additions in the months that followed. Yet player retention remains high, with nightly peaks holding steady above 40,000 concurrent users – suggesting players are sticking around beyond the initial impulse buy.
After dozens of post-launch improvements, Sons of the Forest is now regarded as one of the most immersive and polished survival horror experiences on Steam.
With active servers, low entry cost, and a committed (if quiet) development team, now is arguably the best time to experience the game. It’s also worth noting that the game remains PC-exclusive. There are no confirmed plans for a console release, so players on Xbox or PlayStation platforms will need to wait, or pick it up on Steam before the sale ends on July 10.
