Sons of the Forest has launched into early access, is so popular that it crashed Steam

What could be scarier?

Image via Endnight Games

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The wait for the long-anticipated survival game Sons of the Forest is finally over — but, in an ironic turn of events, the game’s arrival to Steam Early Access has caused such a stir that the program can barely keep up. Developer Endnight Games officially announced the game’s availability on Twitter, much to the chagrin of hundreds of users who were waiting for the release for hours.

Several replies have expressed frustration with Endnight Games for not allowing users to pre-download Sons of the Forest, and for its rather sluggish rollout. Prior to the announcement, the game’s listing on Steam was said to be released to the public in less than an hour, but the wait was far longer.

Hey Everyone,
Sons Of The Forest is now available in Early Access on Steam!
— Endnight Games (@EndNightGame) February 23, 2023

While this listing issue seems to have been fixed, as the game is currently available for download, hundreds of replies to the initial Tweet have shown that players have been unable to initiate their purchase of the game. Numerous Twitter accounts have complained about error messages occurring when adding the game to their cart; even worse, some players have expressed that their Steam program has crashed entirely.

However, it appears that some streamers have managed to access Sons of the Forest despite the server issues; the game is currently dominating the horror genre on Twitch, with tens of thousands of viewers flocking to streams to get their first look at the newest indie horror adventure. While a small portion of players have been able to download and stream the game, it looks like a large amount are still experiencing installation issues.

That being said, it seems like most players are channeling their frustration through humor, with memes and reaction images already beginning to circulate on Twitter. While delays in long-awaited game releases may be a headache for prospective players, crashing Steam shows just how many people have been anticipating Endnight Games’ latest release. The continued hype surrounding independent game developers is what allows them to create more of the indie horror content we crave.