There is no single confirmed fix for every Sons of the Forest loading-screen failure. Use this order on the Windows PC/Steam version: disable mods and overlays, verify the installation, update Windows and your graphics driver, test a new single-player world, then back up and isolate the affected save. Multiplayer failures need separate host/client testing. Do not delete saves before making a copy.
Identify the type of loading failure
| What happens | Most useful direction |
|---|---|
| Every new and existing game hangs | Mods, files, drivers, hardware, storage, or configuration |
| Only one old save hangs | Damaged or incompatible save data |
| Single-player works but multiplayer hangs | Host/client connection or multiplayer save data |
| The game crashes or becomes “Not responding” | Driver, mod, memory, save, or engine failure |
| Black screen before the menu | Files, driver, overlay, permissions, or display issue |
A short delay after an update or first launch can occur, but do not wait indefinitely. Community reports describe loading tips continuing for roughly 10 minutes before the game became unresponsive; that timing is anecdotal, not an official threshold. See the documented report.
Fix 1: Restart Steam and Windows
- Exit Sons of the Forest.
- Use Steam → Exit so Steam closes completely.
- Restart Windows.
- Open Steam with no other game running and launch Sons of the Forest.
This low-risk step can clear a stuck Steam process, driver state, or background injection.
Fix 2: Disable mods and overlays
Close the game and remove or disable every mod and third-party loader, including legacy loaders such as RedLoader. Also temporarily close recording tools, performance overlays, RGB utilities, and aggressive antivirus overlays. Restart Steam, then test an unmodified new game. Add mods back one at a time only after the unmodified game loads. A community moderator specifically asked affected players to check legacy mods in a loading-screen failure report, but no particular mod is proven responsible in every case.
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Fix 3: Verify the Steam installation
- Open Steam and select Library.
- Right-click Sons of the Forest and choose Properties.
- Open Installed Files (older clients may say Local Files).
- Select Verify integrity of game files.
- After Steam finishes, restart Steam and try again.
Verification compares installed files with Steam’s manifest and can replace missing or altered files. It may report that all files are valid while the problem remains; it does not repair corrupted saves, incompatible mods, drivers, low memory, or network problems. Steam’s support page documents the game-support route. Older interfaces may call the function “Verify integrity of game cache.”
Fix 4: Update drivers and check requirements
Install the current graphics driver directly from Nvidia, AMD, or Intel, restart Windows, and install pending stable Windows updates. Avoid unsupported preview or Insider builds while diagnosing the issue. The Steam listing gives these Windows PC requirements:
| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | 64-bit Windows 10 | 64-bit Windows 10 |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 3 3300X | Intel Core i7-8700K or AMD Ryzen 5 3600X |
| Memory | 12 GB RAM | 16 GB RAM |
| Graphics | Nvidia GTX 1060 3 GB or AMD RX 570 4 GB | Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti or AMD RX 5700 XT |
| DirectX | Version 11 | Version 11 |
| Storage | 20 GB available | 20 GB; SSD preferred |
These are listed requirements, not a guarantee that every minimum-spec system will load smoothly. A slow or failing hard drive can worsen loading, but an SSD is preferred rather than mandatory. Check the current Steam listing.
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Fix 5: Test a brand-new single-player world
- Launch the game and choose Single Player.
- Start a temporary new game and let it load.
- Exit without overwriting the original world.
- Try the original save again.
- New game loads, old save hangs: the problem is probably specific to that save or its world data.
- New game also hangs: continue investigating files, mods, drivers, hardware, and configuration.
- Single-player works but multiplayer fails: use the multiplayer steps below.
Fix 6: Back up and isolate saves safely
Close the game and Steam. In File Explorer, paste this commonly reported Windows path:
%localappdata%..LocalLowEndnightSonsOfTheForestSaves
- Copy the entire
Savesfolder outside the game directory, such as to an external drive or desktop. - Use a dated name such as
SonsOfTheForest-Saves-2026-09-28. - Rename the working
Savesfolder toSaves-backup; do not delete it. - Launch the game and create a temporary save so a clean structure is created.
- If necessary, restore older save slots or backups one at a time.
The folder normally contains a numeric SteamID subfolder, and single-player, multiplayer-host, and multiplayer-client data can differ. Community save-location guidance identifies the path. Renaming creates a clean structure but cannot repair corruption inside the old world. Preserve the local copy and be cautious about Steam Cloud synchronization when moving or restoring files.
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Fix 7: Troubleshoot multiplayer loading
First determine whether the host can load the world alone, whether the affected player can start single-player, whether a brand-new multiplayer world works, and whether one player or everyone is affected.
- Restart Steam and Windows for the host and every client.
- Disable mods and overlays on every computer.
- Verify game files on every computer.
- Test a new multiplayer world.
- Test the affected player in single-player.
- Back up the save folders before changing any multiplayer data.
Community discussions describe separate Multiplayer and MultiplayerClient data and a folder-renaming workaround. Treat replacing or renaming those folders as a last-resort, user-reported workaround because it can discard progress and is not an official guaranteed repair. Save-recovery discussion and the risky multiplayer workaround describe these cases.
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Fix 8: Enable logging and contact Endnight
For a persistent failure, a Steam Community moderator has recommended collecting Player.log:
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- Right-click the game in Steam and open Properties.
- In General, find Launch Options.
- Enter
--logging. - Launch the game and reproduce the loading failure.
- Close the game and copy
Player.logfrom%localappdata%..LocalLowEndnightSonsOfTheForest.
Send the log through the support address listed by Steam: [email protected]. Include your CPU, GPU, RAM, Windows version, game version, whether a new game loads, whether multiplayer is involved, and your mod status. The logging instructions come from community/developer-support guidance; older email addresses in that thread should not be treated as the current official channel.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Last resort: Reinstall the game
Back up Saves, disable mods, verify files, update drivers, and test a new game before reinstalling. Reinstallation can replace damaged installation files, but it does not necessarily repair a corrupted world, and a mod loader or incompatible configuration may remain. Reinstall only when both new and existing games still fail after the safer checks.
Frequently asked questions
Why is it stuck near 90 percent?
The percentage does not identify one cause. Use the new-game test to distinguish a save problem from a system-wide installation, driver, mod, or hardware problem.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
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Will verifying files delete my saves?
Verification checks installation files, not your world saves. Keep a separate backup anyway before making other changes.
Should I delete the save folder?
No. Copy it first and temporarily rename it so the original remains recoverable.
Can mods cause an infinite loading screen?
Yes, especially after an update, but the available reports do not prove that any single mod causes every failure. Test with all mods and loaders removed.
How long should I wait?
A brief first-launch delay can be normal. Repeated hangs lasting several minutes, especially when the process becomes unresponsive, should be treated as a technical failure rather than a reason to wait indefinitely.
Will reinstalling fix a corrupted world?
No guarantee. Reinstalling replaces game files; it cannot reconstruct damaged save data, which is why backups and older save slots matter.
The Bottom Line
Use the least destructive sequence: remove mods, verify Steam files, update drivers, test a new world, back up and isolate the save, then collect Player.log and contact Endnight. Do not delete a save or rely on an old multiplayer workaround without a recoverable backup.
Quick Recap
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