First-person survival horror classic The Forest is the second title from Endnight Games, released in 2018 for PC and consoles. Getting its name from the heavily-forested peninsula where the game takes place, The Forest was a massive success in Early Access on Steam. By November 2018, the game had sold just over 5 million copies. The success and critical reception of the title would eventually pave the way for a sequel in 2023.
The developers at Endnight Games cite films such as The Descent and Cannibal Holocaust as inspirations for the game’s setting and characters. Notably, the core team within Endnight Games has previous experience working on visual effects for major motion pictures. The developers have taken this experience and used it to craft an immersive single-player survival experience. The initial Early Access version of The Forest arrived in 2014 and was produced for roughly $125,000.
Both the PC and console versions of the game hold mostly positive reception on review aggregate sites such as Metacritic. The PC version boasts an aggregate score of 83/100 while the PS4 version has a slightly lower 78/100. While the gameplay is open-ended, there is an optional “ending” to the game based on choices players make during their playthrough. Depending on the ending players get, they can continue playing the game indefinitely.
The Forest Premise
Players begin The Forest as Eric LeBlanc, who is traveling via airplane with his son Timmy. Moments after the game begins the plane hits unexpected turbulence and abruptly crashes. Both Eric and Timmy survive the crash but Eric witnesses his son taken away by a mysterious figure. When Eric regains consciousness, he resolves to leave the wreckage and find his son. The only problem is that he’s isolated on a peninsula covered in dense forests roamed by mutated cannibals.
As players try to survive it becomes necessary to scout the lay of the land and scavenge supplies and materials whenever possible. While the first structures players can build amount to small lean-to shelters and shacks, it becomes possible to build entire cabins and fortify them with defenses. The locations in which players build their shelters are crucial as cannibals will routinely attack your settlement. The Forest features a day/night cycle that factors heavily into gameplay, with cannibals becoming more aggressive and arriving in greater numbers at nighttime.
Players keep track of their progress and craft blueprints via a survival guide that Eric obtains at the beginning of the game. In addition to providing the player with some basic notes and crafting recipes, the guidebook tracks all flora and fauna encountered on the peninsula. The game doesn’t feature traditional “missions” or objectives, instead handing the locus of control to the player.
The Forest Main Characters
Even though gameplay in The Forest is open, it has a distinct plot that features critical events and characters. In addition to Eric and his son Timmy, players will uncover some important denizens of the peninsula in their travels. The main characters in The Forest include:
- Eric LeBlanc: Eric is the main character and protagonist of The Forest. A former reality television star, he is forced to adapt and survive while searching for his son following their plane crash.
- Timmy LeBlanc: Timmy is Eric’s son and the main objective in The Forest is to find and rescue him. Players witness his unconscious body being carried away by a mysterious figure in the game’s opening.
- Dr. Matthew Cross: Dr. Cross is a former researcher residing in a decomissioned research facility on the peninsula. He hopes to use the Resurrection Obelisk to bring his deceased daughter back to life and needs Timmy to do so.
- Megan Cross: Megan is Dr. Cross’ daughter who loses her life to a mutant attack. Her death drives Dr. Cross insane and pushes him down the path of learning the secrets of the peninsula’s original inhabitants.
Games in The Forest Series
Since its release in Early Access, The Forest has become one of the highest-rated and most successful survival games. The rapid success and acclaim of the first game quickly gave way to a sequel getting greenlit, which was released in 2023. Games in The Forest series include:
- The Forest (2018)
- Sons of the Forest (2023)
The Forest Cheats
It’s no secret that survival games can be very difficult, especially in the early hours as players get their bearings. The Forest is no different in this regard, as players begin the game outnumbered and severely lacking in resources. Thankfully, there are plenty of official cheats available for players to use in gaining an advantage.
There are two important things to note about the game’s cheats before we dive in:
- Inputting cheats will not give a notification, sound effect, or confirmation. Cheats will work following correct input.
- Some cheats, once active, cannot turn off. Players will need to start a new game to have a save without the cheat active.
Cheats for PC and PS4
To activate the basic cheats on a console or PC, players simply need their keyboards. Normally a keyboard would indicate that cheats are PC only but players can plug any USB keyboard into their PS4 to successfully enter cheats. The Forest does feature console commands, but those are only applicable to the PC version. To enter the following cheats, simply type in the phrase exactly as it appears while playing:
- ironforest – Buildings are indestructible. Type code again to disable.
- meatmode – Disables all cheats.
- rawmeatmode – Permadeath.
- regrowmode – 10% of fallen trees regrow while you sleep.
- veganmode – Enemies only appear in caves.
- vegetarianmode – Enemies only appear at night.
- woodpaste – Undoes all holes made by the hole cutter and crane.
Console Commands for PC
Similar to many other PC games, The Forest allows players to activate and then use a command console to change features of the game. The first thing players will need to do is type developermodeon at the Main Menu. There will not be a notification, but players can press F1 to see if the developer window opens. Note that some console commands will cause the game to become unstable and could result in a corrupted save file. Knowing that, here are the steps to activate the command console after typing developermodeon at the Main Menu:
- Press Z to toggle the console, F1 to turn it on or off.
- Press X or ~ to display the console log and status, F2 or ~ to turn it on or off.
- Precc C to display stats, F3 to turn it on or off.
- Use the up and down arrow keys after pressing Z to cycle through previous commands.
- Use the left and right arrow keys to make changes to commands.
- Press Enter to execute a command
| Code | Effect |
|---|---|
| buildermode on buildermode off | On – Turns on buildhack, turns on godmode, turns off survival mode, adds all items (not story items), and turns enemies off. |
| cavelight on cavelight off | Increases the light while in a cave. Creates daylight conditions inside the caves. |
| faststart on faststart off | Skips the plane crash |
| godmode on godmode off | No damage, unlimited stamina, fullness, water, energy etc. You cannot die |
| buildhack on buildhack off | Allows building like Creative Mode. Unlimited resources and building becomes super fast |
| cancelallghosts | REMOVES every blueprint that has been placed |
| buildallghosts | BUILDS every blueprint that has been placed |
| addallitems | Add all items, except story items. Use twice to fill inventory storage bags such as stick bags, etc. |
| addallstoryitems | Adds all story items, such as keycards |
| itemhack on itemhack off | Never run out of items. Must already have the item |
| survival on survival off | No need to eat, drink, etc. |
| save | Saves the game, no matter where you are in the world |
| speedyrun on speedyrun off | Fast run. Can cause unexpected death due to fall damage. If turned off, you may not be able to run. Try crouching, sprinting, jumping, etc. to reset it. |
| invisible on invisible off | Makes it so you can walk/run underwater. Disables swimming effects, water lighting & texture effects, and washing of blood, paint, & mud. Has no effect on rain |
| killallenemies | Kills all cannibals and mutants in the game. They will eventually respawn |
| enemies on enemies off | Turns enemies on or off |
| additem 77 | Adds a live rabbit to the players hand. Can be placed inside a rabbit cage |
| terrainrender on terrainrender off | Turns on terrain Turns off terrain. Can still be walked on |
| lightingtimeofdayoverride noon | Sets game lighting to noon until turned off |
| forcerain heavy | Changes weather to heavy rain, useful for filling up water collectors |
| forcerain sunny | Changes weather to sunny, useful for stopping bad weather |
| cutdowntrees 10 | 10 will cut down 10 trees. Can choose any number |
| cutdowntrees 100% | 100% will cut down all trees. Can choose any percentage |
| cutgrass 10 | Cut grass in a 10 foot radius around player. Can choose any number. Can take a long time to load if large sizes are chosen |
The Forest Cheat FAQs
How do I activate cheats in The Forest?
Go to Options>Gameplay>Allow Cheats (turn On). On the Main Menu, type developermodeon. This will allow you to enter console commands. Alternately, after typing developermodeon you can enter cheats that don’t require the command console.
What is Godmode in The Forest?
Activating God Mode will prevent your character from taking damage and grants the following stats:
- Unlimited Hydration
- Unlimited Fullness
- Unlimited Health
- Unlimited Energy
- Unlimited Stamina
- Unlimited Armor
- Unlimited Cold Armor
- Unlimited Stealth
- Immortality (No death)
Is there Creative Mode in The Forest?
Yes, Creative Mode is activated one of two ways. First, players will unlock Creative Mode after beating the game. Alternately, players can activate cheats by enabling the command console and turn on Creative Mode.