Sleeping in Sons of the Forest explained

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Why can't you sleep in Sons of the Forest, being tired and more.

Sons of the Forest sleep
(Image credit: Newnight)

Sons of the Forest sleep system requires you to be safe, meaning you can't sleep when enemies are close by and aware of you. It's a way to stop players from just skipping past encounters by taking a nap, or to ensure that you can't get clubbed to death in your sleep. With sleep being pretty essential to your survival in Sons of the Forest, we'll explain how you can rest, build a bed or equivalent, and what the effects of sleep (or going without) are.

How to sleep in Sons of the Forest

To sleep in Sons of the Forest, you need to build a Shelter of some sort, or any structure that allows you to rest inside it. The Shelter is the easiest one to make though, and can be crafted from a stick and a tarp. Place the tarp on the ground, then use a stick at one corner to prop it up into a little fabric lean-to. This is a shelter! You can use more sticks to prop it up further, but it'll function with one.

  • Sleep
  • Save the game

Sleep progresses time rapidly, but undoes tiredness and exhaustion. It's also important to remember those things will build up faster if your character exerts themselves more by doing physically strenuous tasks or going without food or water for too long.

Tiredness impacts stamina and your ability to perform physical tasks and combat - it's not something you want to have hanging on your back if you can avoid it.

Why can't I sleep in Sons of the Forest?

If you can't sleep in Sons of the Forest, even with a shelter built, it's likely because there's enemies nearby! Make sure that the surrounding area is clear of threats, either by killing them, driving them away, or placing barricades that stop them from getting too close. Once you've made the surrounding zone safe, you should be able to take a nap.

What does sleep and being tired mean?

Sons of the Forest drop item

(Image credit: Newnight)

Being tired in Sons of the Forest is measured by the little Moon icon in the lower right, which refills after each rest you have. It also depletes faster if you engage in more physically demanding activity, like constant sprinting, combat or woodcutting.

Tiredness limits the cap on your stamina, reducing your max amount as it depletes. Obviously this is a big problem considering all the times that stamina can save your life, so constant, regular rest is essential to survival.

That being said, keep in mind that because rest passes time in the game, you'll wake up with your hunger and thirst meters drastically higher. Make sure you have a drink and snack ready to go the next morning!

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Joel Franey
Joel Franey
Guides Editor, GamesRadar+

Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and Very Tired Man with a BA from Brunel University, a Masters from Sussex University and a decade working in games journalism, often focused on guides coverage but also in reviews, features and news. His love of games is strongest when it comes to groundbreaking narratives like Disco Elysium, UnderTale and Baldur's Gate 3, as well as innovative or refined gameplay experiences like XCOM, Sifu, Arkham Asylum or Slay the Spire. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at Eurogamer, Gfinity, USgamer, SFX Magazine, RPS, Dicebreaker, VG247, and more.