Should You Start A New Game for Sons of the Forest 1.0?

Now that Sons of the Forest 1.0 is finally in your hands, there is only one question to answer as you stare at that multi-legged mutant on the title screen: wait, did my progress get wiped?

Sons of the Forest kickstarted its early access journey in early 2023. If you’ve been playing since day one, it’s likely you’ve turned every stone, entered every cave, and built a pretty decent base for yourself. Sons of the Forest 1.0 promises all kinds of new content and improvements to make the game look shiny and new, but does that mean you have to give up all your progress? In this guide, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about Sons of the Forest 1.0 and save files.

Related: Sons of the Forest 1.0 Release Date & Platforms

Does Progress Carry Over to Sons of the Forest 1.0?

You can carry on with your saved game in Sons of the Forest when you download the 1.0 version. Your saves or progress will be left intact.

However, Endnight Games highly recommends you start a brand new save to experience the full game from scratch. There are several new cutscenes, blueprints, animals, NPCs, and even an alternate ending. Timmy’s even got a voice now!

So, you don’t have to start a new game, but you’re advised to do so. If you’ve already played a good chunk of the game and decided not to start a new save, you’ll likely miss a few key moments and interactions in Sons of the Forest.

What’s New in Sons of the Forest 1.0?

In Sons of the Forest 1.0 version, you’ll find fresh cutscenes, new NPCs and animals, and even gnarlier mutants. Here is every major feature that has been announced for the game:

• New mutants: Legsy, a mutant that walks on its hands and has multiple legs to kick you with; and Holey, a tanky monster based on the mutant from The Forest, will be joining Sons of the Forest 1.0.
• Raccoons: We couldn’t have asked for a cuter animal to welcome into the Forest. Raccoons can be found all over the greener and less populated areas of the map.
• Proximity Voice Chat: This feature affects you and your group members’ voice quality based on proximity and other environmental conditions. You’ll notice a slight echo when inside caves and a vague mumbling when you’re underwater. This is arguably one of the coolest additions in any online survival game ever.
• A voiced Timmy: Shawn Ashmore is now the voice of Timmy, who now gets the title of Military Press instead of being a random merc in Sons of the Forest 1.0.
• New Cutscenes and an Alternative Ending: Sons of the Forest’s story is fully wrapped up, and now includes 5 brand new cutscenes and 1 alternative ending for you to uncover.
• The Artifact: The artifact has been given a purpose, so if you manage to find all the pieces, you’ll get to uncover a year-long secret that’s haunted every Sons of the Forest player.