You’ve survived the plane crash. You’ve chopped down a few trees, maybe even built a crude shelter against the island’s unspeakable horrors. Now you want backup. But your friend is on a PlayStation, and you’re on PC. The immediate, frustrating question hits you: can you even play The Forest together?
This scenario is a common pain point for countless players drawn to the gripping survival experience from Endnight Games. The desire to team up with friends, regardless of their gaming hardware, is a cornerstone of modern multiplayer, yet finding a clear answer can be tough.
This guide provides the definitive, unambiguous answer for both The Forest and its blockbuster sequel, Sons of the Forest. We’ll explain the current cross-platform situation, detail the crucial multiplayer differences between platforms, and even show you a community workaround for local co-op play.
The Forest Cross-Platform
Let’s cut right to the chase: No, The Forest does not support cross-platform play. Players on PC (via Steam) cannot join multiplayer games with friends on a PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5. The game operates within separate, closed ecosystems for each platform. There is no way to connect the PC player base with the PlayStation Network player base.
This lack of official crossplay has been a source of confusion for years. To eliminate any remaining doubt, here is a simple breakdown of what works and what doesn’t.
| Platform 1 | Platform 2 | Supported? | Notes |
| PC (Steam) | PlayStation 4 (PS4) | No | Players are on separate server ecosystems. |
| PC (Steam) | PlayStation 5 (PS5) | No | The PS5 runs the game via backward compatibility but remains in the PlayStation ecosystem. |
| PS4 | PS5 | Yes | Both consoles are within the same PlayStation Network, allowing seamless cross-generation play. |
| PC (Steam) | Xbox | No | The Forest was never officially released on any Xbox consoles. |
| PS4 / PS5 | Xbox | No | The Forest was never officially released on any Xbox consoles. |
Why Doesn’t The Forest Support Crossplay?
The absence of cross-platform functionality wasn’t an oversight by Endnight Games. Instead, it was a practical decision rooted in the complex realities of being an independent developer.
The Indie Developer Reality
Endnight Games is a small studio. Implementing and maintaining crossplay is a massive undertaking that requires significant technical and financial resources—resources that larger AAA studios are better equipped to handle.
According to an interview with the studio, Sony approached them early in the game’s development. This led to a strong partnership that made focusing on a polished PlayStation 4 port a more viable strategy than tackling a multi-platform release and the immense complexity of cross-platform networking.
Technical and Financial Hurdles
Creating a unified multiplayer system that can talk to different services like Steam and the PlayStation Network is incredibly difficult. It involves managing different friend lists, authentication systems, and ensuring every version of the game is perfectly in sync. This requires dedicated engineering teams and a substantial financial investment that is often a luxury for an indie studio.
The PC Community’s Concerns
An often-overlooked factor is the sentiment of the core PC gaming community. A vocal portion of players worries that implementing crossplay can negatively impact the PC version of a game. The primary fears are:
- Forced Parity: Updates and bug fixes for the PC version could be delayed to match the slower, more rigorous certification process required by console manufacturers like Sony.
- Loss of Mod Support: Cross-platform games often need stricter anti-cheat systems. These systems can be incompatible with third-party mods, which are a cornerstone of The Forest’s longevity on PC. Tools like ModAPI allow for extensive customization, and losing that is a deal-breaker for many.
Ultimately, forgoing crossplay was a pragmatic choice that balanced limited resources, a beneficial partnership, and the desires of the game’s foundational PC player base.
What About Sons of the Forest? Cross-Platform & Console Status
After the massive success of the original, fans were hopeful that the sequel, Sons of the Forest, would offer a more connected experience. Here’s the current situation as of August 2025.
Current Status: A PC Exclusive
As of its full 1.0 release in February 2024, Sons of the Forest is exclusively available on PC via Steam. Therefore, cross-platform play is not a feature because there are no other platforms for it to connect with.
Will Sons of the Forest Come to Consoles?
While nothing is official, a console release on PlayStation and possibly Xbox is highly probable. The game was a commercial juggernaut, selling over 2 million copies in its first 24 hours of Early Access. It also became the most wishlisted game on Steam, surpassing AAA titles like Starfield.
This financial success gives Endnight Games the capital and market incentive to invest in console development. The original game set a strong precedent: it launched on PC in 2014 and arrived on PS4 four years later in 2018. Following a similar timeline, a console port for Sons of the Forest could reasonably be expected sometime in 2025 or 2026.
The developers themselves have fueled this speculation, stating in a Q&A that they would be “really excited to bring the game to Playstation and possibly Xbox after the Early Access period.”
Will the Sequel Be Cross-Platform?
Even with a likely console release on the horizon, cross-platform support for Sons of the Forest remains uncertain. The original game never received a crossplay update. The same technical and financial challenges would apply to the sequel. While the industry has trended more toward integrated cross-platform games, Endnight has made no commitments. Players should expect that even if Sons of the Forest arrives on consoles, it will likely follow its predecessor and keep its player bases separate.
Multiplayer Showdown: The Forest on PC vs. PlayStation
The platform you play on dramatically impacts the multiplayer experience. Beyond better performance, which is a key reason many debate if PC gaming is worth it, there are fundamental differences in features. The most critical one is the size of your survival party.
| Feature | PC (Steam) Version | PlayStation (PS4/PS5) Version | Key Takeaway |
| Max Player Count | 8 Players | 4 Players | PC allows for much larger co-op teams, enabling bigger bases and more complex strategies. |
| Mod Support | Yes (via ModAPI) | No | PC offers extensive customization, from quality-of-life tweaks to gameplay overhauls. |
| Performance | Higher framerates and graphics, hardware dependent. | Locked at 30fps; large bases can cause performance drops. | PC offers a smoother, visually superior experience for those with capable hardware. |
| Split-Screen Co-op | No (Official), but possible with community tools. | No | Neither version officially supports local “couch” co-op. |
| Saving System | Host saves world progress; clients save their inventory. | Host saves world progress; clients save their inventory. | The save system is functionally identical on both platforms. |
Unofficial Solution: How to Play Split-Screen on PC
While The Forest has no official “couch” co-op, the resourceful PC community has created a workaround. Using a free tool called Nucleus Co-op, you can run multiple instances of the game on one machine to simulate a local split-screen experience. This is an unofficial, PC-only method that requires a powerful computer.
Step-by-Step Split-Screen Setup Guide
- Prerequisites: Make sure your PC is powerful enough to run two instances of the game at once. You need one legitimate copy of The Forest on Steam and two input devices (e.g., two controllers, or a controller and keyboard/mouse).
- Download Nucleus Co-op: Get the latest version from the project’s official source (like its GitHub page).
- Get the Game Handler: Open Nucleus Co-op. Go to “Download Game Handlers” and search for The Forest. Download the script.
- Configure Instances: The app should detect your game. Assign your controllers or keyboard/mouse to different screen quadrants by dragging the icons.
- Launch and Connect: Click “Play” in Nucleus Co-op. It will launch two game windows. In the first window, host a multiplayer game and set the type to “LAN.” Once the host is in, switch to the second window, go to multiplayer, and join the LAN game.
Important Considerations
This is an unofficial solution, so expect some performance impact and potential troubleshooting. You may need third-party tools like DS4Windows to resolve controller conflicts or set custom screen resolutions in your graphics card’s control panel.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is Sons of the Forest cross-platform between PC and PS5?
No. As of late 2025, Sons of the Forest is only available on PC. Since there is no PS5 version of the game, cross-platform play is not possible.
Can PS4 and PS5 play The Forest together?
Yes. The PS5 runs the PS4 version of The Forest via backward compatibility. Because they are both in the PlayStation Network ecosystem, players on PS4 and PS5 can easily join each other’s games. For tips on getting the most out of your newer console, you might want to avoid some common mistakes everyone makes with PS5.
How many players can play The Forest multiplayer?
The player count depends on your platform. The PC version on Steam supports up to eight players. The PlayStation (PS4/PS5) version supports a maximum of four players.
Will The Forest ever get cross-platform support?
It is highly unlikely. The developer has shifted its focus to Sons of the Forest. Adding a complex feature like crossplay to the original game years after its full release is not planned.
Is The Forest on Xbox?
No, The Forest was never released for Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S. Its only console release was on the PlayStation 4.
Can you play The Forest in split-screen on PS4?
No, The Forest does not have a native split-screen or local co-op feature on PS4 or PS5. The multiplayer on consoles is strictly online-only.
The Final Verdict
The multiplayer world of The Forest is defined by its platform boundaries. The definitive answer is no cross-platform play exists between PC and PlayStation. Your choice of platform significantly impacts your experience: PC offers a large-scale, 8-player cooperative game enriched by mods, while PlayStation provides a more contained, 4-player experience.
For its successor, Sons of the Forest, the story is still developing. It’s a PC exclusive for now, making crossplay a moot point. While a console port seems inevitable given its success, players should not assume cross-platform support will be included. These limitations are a practical result of indie game development,
With over a decade of hands-on experience in troubleshooting PC hardware and gaming software, Stanley Kessler is our go-to expert for solving complex technical problems. He creates clear, step-by-step guides that help gamers navigate everything from motherboard BIOS issues to in-game bugs. Stanley’s passion is empowering readers to fix their own tech problems and get back to gaming faster.