If you had “Forest 3 goes to space” on your Game Awards bingo card, congratulations—you are a prophet. In a night packed with predictable sequels and expected DLCs, Endnight Games dropped the biggest curveball of the evening. The survival horror series that taught us to fear the woods is leaving Earth behind entirely.
The world premiere trailer for Forest 3 opened not with the familiar rustling of leaves, but with the hum of a starship cockpit. Minutes later, chaos ensued, sending our protagonist hurtling towards a mysterious, vibrant, and undeniably deadly alien planet. It’s a massive departure from the grounded (albeit mutant-infested) islands of the previous games, and the community is already buzzing with theories.
From the Forest to the Final Frontier
The trailer confirmed that Forest 3 is a direct follow-up to 2024’s Sons of the Forest, but the setting has shifted dramatically. Instead of crafting log cabins to keep out cannibals, players appear to be stranded on a world teeming with bioluminescent flora and “human-like abominations” that look far more extraterrestrial than the mutants we are used to.
This sci-fi twist isn’t just aesthetic. The footage showed the player character wielding futuristic tools, including a shoulder-mounted mechanical arm that seems to assist with gathering or perhaps combat. It suggests a higher-tech tier of survival mechanics, moving beyond stick-and-rock crafting into something more advanced.
New Tech, New Nightmares
While the setting has changed, the core DNA of the series—survival, terror, and building—remains. The trailer showcased dangerous new environments, from jagged obsidian cliffs to dense, suffocating alien jungles. The enemies shown were swift and terrifying, hinting that the AI improvements from Sons of the Forest have been pushed even further to adapt to this new vertical and hostile terrain.
Fans have noted that despite the high-tech intro, the character is quickly stripped of their ship, forcing them to survive with what they can scavenge. It’s the classic Forest loop, but on a planetary scale. The presence of a wormhole or portal in the trailer also suggests that this might not be a simple space travel story, but something tied to the artifact lore from the first two games.
Conclusion
Endnight Games has taken a massive risk by pivoting the franchise to sci-fi, but if the trailer is any indication, it’s a risk that might pay off. Forest 3 looks to be expanding the scope of survival horror in a way few expected. We don’t have a release date yet, but it’s safe to say we will be watching the skies—and the shadows—very closely.
FAQs
When is Forest 3 coming out?
No official release date was announced in the trailer. Given Sons of the Forest launched in 2024, a 2026 or 2027 window seems likely.
Is it still a survival game?
Yes. despite the sci-fi setting, the gameplay loop focuses on survival, crafting, and building, similar to previous entries.
Is Kelvin coming back?
There was no sign of Kelvin or Virginia in the trailer, but given Endnight’s love for companion AI, it’s possible we will see new companions (or maybe a robot helper).
What platforms will it be on?
Platforms haven’t been confirmed, but based on history, a PC release is guaranteed, with console ports likely to follow.
Is it a direct sequel?
Endnight confirmed it as a follow-up to Sons of the Forest, implying it continues the lore, likely exploring the origins of the artifacts and the alternate dimensions hinted at in the previous games.