Similar to its predecessor, Sons of the Forest does have an ending despite its open-world survival setup. Also like the previous game, it's a little odd and you're never quite sure of what's going on, why, or what it all means. There are things you can piece together of course, but the big picture is a little vague if you're not fully paying attention or missed out on a few notes.
6 Lingering Questions We Have After Sons Of The Forest
These lingering unanswered questions will make you wonder about the game's ending.
Though the game itself is regularly updated with its backstory filled out a little more each time, it still helps to have a general idea of what is going on and why you should keep pushing through to the finale. So whether you're still scratching your head after those end credits, or aren't there yet and are wondering if it's all worth it, here's the ending of Sons of the Forest explained.
Updated November 20, 2023 By Matthew Mckeown: Unlike its predecessor, Sons Of The Forest had a much smoother launch. It’s still a little rough around the edges, but it's been on much firmer rails and is looking a lot more solid and fleshed out than it used to. Though not much has changed with the game lore-wise, there’s a boatload of new stuff to shove into your survival pack.
For example, new craftable arrows with explosive, poison, fire, or shock tips, a new cave to explore, new cannibal types, more decorations, and a bunch of great quality of life changes. The island is always changing, often for the better, so here’s a refresher on why you’re there and how it all goes wrong at the end of the game.
Warning: Spoilers For The Endings Of Sons Of The Forest Below
How Many Endings Are There?
There are multiple endings in Sons of the Forest. Though the companions present at the end depend on who you bring with you to the finale, in general, the story remains the same depending on one of two decisions made at a key point in the game.
The previous game did something similar, so it's not surprising the sequel does the same thing.
However, unlike the last game, the final results of your choices are much clearer and overall better options. With one essentially providing a new game-plus mode that lets you continue to run rampant on the island as you can harass the locals and build a kick-ass Forest Base to your heart's content for as long as you like.
The Ending, Explained
In total, there are three endings to Sons of the Forest, with two of them being the normal endings and an extra secret ending. Although there are multiple endings for Sons of the Forest, it doesn't really affect the main story in any major way.
The plot still follows the same beats as you uncover the mysteries of the island and the Golden Cube buried at its center. The VIP Bunker is accessed and the cube is entered by our protagonist and some characters from the previous game.
Sons Of The Forest: Beginner's Guide
Sons Of The Forest is an unforgiving survival game, but we've got the tips and tricks you need to survive your foray into the cannibal island.
A countdown begins on a laptop held by Timmy that shows the time left until the Golden Cube starts a process known as a "Cycle". The room begins to shake as your new companion splits into multiple versions of himself, wailing and grasping his head.
One wall of the cube phases out to show a super-advanced city in an unknown place and time. Then it all calms down and the big mystery box opens back up again.
On the other side is a giant mutated slug creature that was once Jianyu Zhang, a security assistant for Puffton Corporation and also a spy for a rival company called Sahara Therapeutics, now helpless and confused.
Then it all cuts to black and you awaken on a beach with a helicopter waiting nearby to take you off the island, and this is where the different endings kick in.
Leave The Island
There are two endings that involve leaving the island, with two achievements tied to them called "Keep Your Friends Close" and "Fought Demons".
The first one involves leaving the island with Virginia and Kelvin, while the other is just the protagonist, Kelvin, and some mysterious men. They could be rescue personnel, agents of the Puffton estate, or members of the investigation team the protagonist is also a part of, but this isn't clarified.
To unlock the first ending, just befriend and keep Virginia alive before going into the VIP Bunker, and she'll follow you onto the whirly bird in a cutscene. The other ending unlocks regardless, as long as the helicopter is boarded at the end.
Sometimes this ending may bug, so keep Virginia in your active party before you go into the Bunker.
Stay Behind
The other ending involves the protagonist leaving society behind to stay on the island and live out their life as a wandering woodsman, turning his back on the Helicopter and picking up the supply bag directly behind him.
The helicopter leaves and the game essentially continues as normal. So if there are any crafting projects you have left unfinished or areas unexplored, you can easily go back to whatever you were getting up to.
It’s a much more rewarding ending to your adventures as it brings more gameplay instead of a cutscene, and it’s a holdover from the previous Forest game, as you could do the same if you chose to stay behind.
If the protagonist chooses to stay on the island, the helicopter can be summoned back at any time by going all the way back into the VIP Bunker and using the radio. Getting on it will trigger the "Fought Demons" ending and the credits will roll.
Theories On What It All Means
The problem you'll run into when you try to find the meaning in the ending of Sons of the Forest is that a lot of sources will give you an undefine shoulder shrug. It's vague, rushed, and brings up a lot of questions.
For example, what was the significance of the city? Are there multiple universes and that's why Timmy split? Is the duo that's found in the cube a previous version of Tim and Eric? Why do some react negatively to crucifixes? Why does the cube mutate everyone within its range every eight lunar cycles?
We simply don't know.
So a lot of what's going on has to be put to fan theory. There are signs it could be a demonic entity, an alien device, or a connection to a potential multiverse, but the ambiguity is an unfortunate issue that plagued the previous game as well, as it left many feeling like it was unfinished.
However, the developers have been updating the game regularly so there could be some answers to these persistent questions. Plus, the original got an ending far into its release, so there's at least a sign we could get changes to the finale.
Whilst the developers themselves haven't addressed the ending issues directly, there have been small hints of something coming as various updates have changed certain characters, such as Virginia getting a more mutated older form.
Regardless, the general theory of the ending is that the mysterious box is the source of the mutations and everyone involved decided that the cube and its power was something they had no control over. The mutation event was always going to happen and taking shelter inside the gilded box was the only way to survive until help could arrive and the survivors could leave the affected area.
The choice to stay could allow for further story beats to take place where the box is dealt with or the otherworld shown inside is expanded upon. But again, it's mostly speculation.
