Sons of the Forest 2025 Updates: Rafts, Defensive Walls, and Forest 3 Announced

Sons of the Forest in 2025: Breaking the Silence

After a quiet second half of 2024 with no major content patches, Endnight Games surprised the Sons of the Forest community with a substantial update in January 2025. The studio then capped off the year with the announcement of Forest 3 at The Game Awards in December. Here is a timeline of everything that happened.

January 2025: Rafts, Walls, and Over 100 Fixes

Released on January 15, 2025, this was the first major content patch in roughly six months. It proved to be one of the most feature-packed post-1.0 updates the game has received.

Buildable Rafts

Three new raft structures were added to the building system, allowing players to construct watercraft for exploring the island’s coastlines, lakes, and rivers. A new mooring post structure lets you anchor your raft at a specific location so it does not drift away while you explore on foot. This was a heavily requested feature since the game’s early access period.

Procedural Defensive Wall System

A new procedural wall placement system was introduced that lets you draw out wall paths rather than placing individual segments. You can sketch the perimeter you want and then assign Kelvin to finish constructing the walls. This dramatically speeds up base defense construction, especially for larger compounds.

Buildable Holders

New holder structures were added for the Knight V electric unicycle and the hang glider. These give you dedicated storage spots for your vehicles near your base entrance, keeping your camp organized.

Bug Fixes and Improvements

The patch addressed over 100 bugs across building, AI, multiplayer, and general gameplay. Weapon aiming was improved for better combat accuracy, and the Hell Cave received environmental adjustments including warmer temperatures. Steam Game Recording support was also added so players can capture their survival moments through Steam’s built-in recording feature.

A hidden clothing item was added somewhere on the island for observant players to discover.

Earlier 2024 Post-1.0 Content

For context on what came before the January 2025 patch, Sons of the Forest received several notable updates after its 1.0 launch in February 2024.

New Cave and Boss Content

One of the 2024 patches added a new cave to explore along with a new boss monster tied to the game’s ending sequence. Additional lore items were scattered throughout the world to flesh out the story.

Knight V and Night Vision

A patch introduced the Knight V, a rideable electric unicycle (E.U.C.) powered by batteries, along with night vision goggles for cave exploration and nighttime gameplay. A spring trap was added for base defense that launches enemies on contact.

Solar Power and Lighting

A first pass of solar power was added to the building system. Players can place solar panels, run wires, and install light bulbs to illuminate their bases. This represents the beginning of an electrical system that may see further expansion.

Bunker Discovery System

Another update reworked how players find bunker locations. Rather than all bunkers being visible on the GPS tracker from the start, players now need to discover them through exploration. This added more mystery and incentive to explore the map thoroughly.

AI and Combat Improvements

Cannibals received new animation variations for running and lunging attacks, making them more evasive and unpredictable in combat. Kelvin gained the ability to carry two logs at a time, reset traps, and fill log sheds, making him a more useful companion for base maintenance.

December 2025: Forest 3 Announced

At The Game Awards in December 2025, Endnight Games revealed Forest 3, the next entry in the survival horror series. In a dramatic departure from the series’ formula of mutant-infested forests and islands, the trailer showed a malfunctioning spaceship crash-landing on an unknown planet. The setting appears to move the franchise into science fiction territory while presumably retaining the survival and horror elements the series is known for.

The announcement suggests that Endnight’s primary development resources are shifting toward Forest 3, which may mean Sons of the Forest will receive fewer major content updates going forward. However, the January 2025 patch showed the studio is still willing to deliver meaningful improvements to the current game.

What This Means for Server Communities

The January 2025 update is particularly relevant for dedicated server communities. Buildable rafts open up new exploration possibilities for multiplayer groups. The procedural wall system makes collaborative base building faster and more intuitive, especially when combined with Kelvin’s construction abilities. And the extensive bug fixes improve overall multiplayer stability.

If you have been away from Sons of the Forest since its 1.0 launch, the cumulative post-launch updates have added substantial new content: new vehicles, night vision goggles, electrical systems, raft building, improved AI, and a new cave with boss content.

Reactor provides Sons of the Forest dedicated server hosting with support for up to 8 players, automatic backups, and persistent worlds so your base survives between play sessions. SFTP access lets you transfer existing single-player saves to your dedicated server.