Speedrunner beats Sons of the Forest within eight minutes without hurting a soul

Sons of the Forest
(Image credit: Endnight Games)

Sons of the Forest has somehow been completed in under eight minutes.

The survival horror game might've only just launched in early access last week, but it hasn't taken long for speedrunners to dissect Sons of the Forest thoroughly. Right now, the world record for completing it is seven minutes and 38 seconds. You can see it in full below.

Yes, if you were wondering, this speedrun does take advantage of glitches. They're there from the very outset of the Sons of the Forest speedrun, as the player inexplicably scales a mountain, almost flying up it like an eagle, arriving at the summit in no time.

This speedrun might fall into the 'Peaceful' category with zero combat, but it still allows glitches. It'll be interesting to see if any subsequent Sons of the Forest speedruns opt to forgo the non-violence aspect when attempting to beat this time, but if speedrunners do stop to take foes on, we'd imagine they'd be hard-pressed to beat the record here. Not to mention the time it takes to usually get essential items like the Sons of the Forest shovel.

Still, a sub-eight-minute speedrun is nothing to sniff at, even if it does incorporate glitches and other exploits. Sons of the Forest plonks you on an island and tasks you with surviving at the outset, so this speedrunner having broken the survival horror game wide open this quickly after launch is dang impressive.

It's almost as impressive as everyone's love for Kelvin, the beloved Sons of the Forest companion you're trapped on the remote island with from the outset of the adventure.

If you, like the speedrunner here, want to take advantage of all the glitches available, check out our Sons of the Forest cheats guide for more.

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.