A creepy island has just become a more sought after place than 1000 planets thanks to this survival game.

 

We’re always keeping an eye on the ever-changing fortunes of Steam’s top-listed games, and there have been some interesting developments lately. There was the whole The Day Before scandal a few weeks ago, when one of Steam’s top-listed games suddenly disappeared due to a trademark dispute, and the story just got weirder and weirder from there.

And this week, survival horror sandboxer Sons of the Forest took the top spot on the wishlist from Starfield, Bethesda’s highly anticipated RPG. It seems more Steam users are now interested in exploring a single creepy island than visiting 1000 planets in outer space.

Of course, there’s little explanation as to why an indie survival game beat Bethesda’s next RPG on gamers’ shopping lists. Starfield is coming to PC Game Pass at launch, so I’m sure plenty of Steam users won’t even be playing it on Steam. And despite plenty of speculation, Starfield still doesn’t have a freaking release date. Also… why bother putting Starfield on a wishlist? Not that you need an email reminder from Valve when it finally comes out. You’ll hear about it from all the streamers, YouTubers and gaming sites around the world.

But it’s still a pretty amazing feat for a game that’s all about cutting down trees and slicing cannibals in the forest, especially considering that just two weeks ago developer Endnight Games announced that Sons of the Forest was not a full release, but an Early Access one. will be released on February 23. The words “early access survival game” don’t typically inspire confidence in the hearts of gamers.

 

King, king. But what the hell is Sons of the Forest?

If you’re not familiar with Sons of the Forest, it’s the sequel to another survival game, The Forest, which went into early access in 2014 (back when Steam Greenlight was still around). Stranded on an island, you had to build a shelter, craft weapons and tools, collect food and water, and fight the island’s terrifying inhabitants, a tribe of evil cannibals.

The Forest got off to a shaky start, as unfinished games often do, but it showed plenty of potential with stunning visuals, terrifying enemies, and a memorable survival and combat system (you could use a severed leg as a melee weapon). Over the next few years, the developers improved it several times, adding new features like co-op and even VR support, and eventually it attracted the masses. More importantly, the crowd has remained: thousands still play The Forest daily, with a peak of over 76,000 continuous players just a few months ago.

So The Forest became a kind of cult hit, and the sequel has some fun treats. This time you’re visiting an island to track down a missing billionaire, and you’re not alone. You can play Sons of the Forest not only in co-op, but you will also have a partner to help you. As IGN revealed last month, an AI-controlled survivor named Kelvin will pick up the slack, chopping wood, stockpiling resources, and doing other mundane jobs while you focus on building or exploring. Apparently, you’ll be able to pick up other companions later in the game, including a three-legged mutant. This is definitely interesting enough to add to my own wishlist.

According to the game’s Steam page Sons of the Forest plans to be in early access for 6-8 months, although this may change based on player feedback. The game will be released on February 23rd.