How to set up controller support for Sons of the Forest

Sons of the Forest has quite the learning curve when it comes to its controls. Everything is meticulous and slow-paced, and controller enthusiasts may find the PC controls a little frustrating. The game is only available on PC, however, and no console release has been announced as of now. For players who prefer controllers, the idea of playing with mouse and keyboard may be a turn off. The good news here is that controller support is available for Sons of the Forest. Here’s everything you need to know to get it up and running.

Does Sons of the Forest have controller support?

Sons of the Forest is completely compatible with controllers if that is your preferred method of play. The game does not do a very good job of getting this across, however. Being a PC only release, some players might just assume that they have to commit to a mouse and keyboard, but a controller should function in the game without any extra steps.

Related: Can you run Sons of the Forest on Steam Deck?

All that you need to do on your end to play with a controller is to plug one into your computer via USB. The game should take care of the rest upon launching it up. Menus are fully controller compatible as well, so there is no awkward switching between PC controls and controller between sessions unless you want to invite your Steam Friends into a lobby.

The game will even display controller inputs instead of PC as you traverse the environment. One thing we learned quickly is that you will likely want to go into the gameplay settings and switch both Run and Crouch to Toggle instead of Hold as the game requires holding down the left thumbstick to run by default, which is murder on the left thumb over long stretches of running.

Related: Is Sons of the Forest coming to PS4 and PS5? Answered

Sons of the Forest’s controller inputs are similar to how they are in The Forest. Those who committed to it in the original game will not find it too jarring in this sequel. The debate will always remain about whether or not your aim is hindered when fighting mutants, but you can always blame that on your nerves when your friends call you out on it.