The Fest, In Brief
Steam's PvE Survival Crafting Fest 2026 is live through September 7 at 10 AM PT, putting discounts up to 90% on open-world survival and crafting games — no competitive PvP, just exploration, base-building, and co-op resource loops. Every title in the catalog had been out for at least 30 days before August 31, so nothing here is an impulse buy dressed up as a sale.
Two deals lead the lineup: Sons of the Forest at 70% off and Green Hell at 90% off.
Sources: Game Rant — Sons of the Forest reaches steep discount · Gagadget — Steam PvE Survival Crafting Fest full discount list
Sale Deadline
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Fest start | August 31, 2026 |
| Fest end | September 7, 2026 — 10 AM PT / 6 PM BST |
| Platform | PC and Steam Deck |
Full Discount Breakdown
| Game | Discount | Original | Sale Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green Hell | 90% | $14.99 | $1.49 |
| Sons of the Forest | 70% | $29.99 | $8.99 |
| Don't Starve Together | 66% | $14.99 | $5.09 |
| DayZ | 50% | $44.99 | $22.49 |
| The Alters | 50% | — | on sale |
| Terraria | 50% | $9.99 | $4.99 |
| 7 Days to Die | 45% | $44.99 | $24.74 |
| ARK: Survival Evolved | 34% | — | on sale |
| Raft | 33% | $19.99 | $13.39 |
| Project Zomboid | 33% | $19.99 | $13.39 |
| Palworld | 30% | $29.99 | $20.99 |
| Enshrouded | 25% | $29.99 | $22.49 |
Sons of the Forest — The Spotlight Pick
Sons of the Forest is the open-world survival horror follow-up to 2018's The Forest, developed by Endnight Games. After spending a year in Early Access, it launched at version 1.0 on February 22, 2024. The setup: you're stranded on a cannibal-infested island and must survive, alone or with up to seven other players, while slowly unraveling what the island is hiding.
What separates it from genre contemporaries is the combination of a day/night enemy AI system — cannibals behave differently depending on the time and your established presence — with real environmental storytelling woven into the island's caves and structures. It's a game that rewards patience alongside aggression.
Sons of the Forest at a Glance
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Developer / Publisher | Endnight Games / Newnight |
| Release (v1.0) | February 22, 2024 |
| Platform | PC (Steam only) — no console release |
| Co-op | Up to 8 players |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (100,000+ English reviews) |
| OpenCritic | 78/100 · 86% of critics recommend |
| Current price | $8.99 (70% off) |
| Regular price | $29.99 |
The Forest — Series Bundle Math
The original The Forest (2018) is also on sale at 78% off, bringing it to $4.39. Buying both games right now costs $13.38 total — less than Sons of the Forest's regular price on its own. The two are narratively linked; playing The Forest first adds context to Sons of the Forest's late-game revelations, though the sequel works independently for newcomers.
| Title | Discount | Base Price | Sale Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Forest | 78% | $19.99 | $4.39 |
| Sons of the Forest | 70% | $29.99 | $8.99 |
| Both together | $49.98 | $13.38 |
Forest 3 Is Coming — Context for New Buyers
At The Game Awards 2025, Forest 3 was announced. The teaser trailer showed a spacecraft crash-landing on what appears to be an alien planet, marking a significant shift in setting from the series' earthbound island survival roots. No release window has been shared.
For players new to the franchise, this sale window is a practical opportunity to work through both existing entries before the next chapter arrives. Whether that's months or years away remains unknown, but the $13.38 combined price makes the catch-up cost minimal.
Who Should Buy What
| You want | Best pick |
|---|---|
| Best value per dollar | Green Hell (90%, $1.49) |
| Co-op survival with up to 8 friends | Sons of the Forest (70%, $8.99) |
| Entry-level crafting | Terraria (50%, $4.99) |
| Long-term zombie survival | Project Zomboid (33%) or 7 Days to Die (45%) |
| Ocean exploration + building | Raft (33%) |
| Shared-world creature-taming | Palworld (30%, $20.99) |
| Hardcore open-world narrative | Sons of the Forest |
Notes Before You Buy
Sons of the Forest is currently PC-exclusive. A PS5 or console port has not been announced, and with Endnight's development focus shifted toward Forest 3, one seems unlikely in the near term. The game is rated "Playable" on Steam Deck, which is a useful option for couch survival sessions.
Green Hell at $1.49 is effectively a no-hesitation buy for anyone even mildly curious about the Amazon rainforest survival genre. Creepy Jar's slow-burn sim has been steadily patched since 2019 and holds up well.
The Fest ends September 7. The next major Steam sale is the Autumn Sale, running October 1–8 — not long away, but most of these titles are unlikely to go deeper than 33% in October. If Sons of the Forest or Green Hell are on your list, the Fest is the better window.