Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.
Wondering how to assign Hotkeys in Sons of the Forest? Here are the quick and easy steps Hotkey weapons and items.

Sons of the Forest: How to Assign Hotkeys

Wondering how to assign Hotkeys in Sons of the Forest? Here are the quick and easy steps Hotkey weapons and items.

Knowing how to assign Hotkeys in Sons of the Forest will save you a lot of time while surviving on the game’s cannibal-infested island. Managing your inventory and opening your Backpack to grab a weapon or item can be a slog and even leave you open to attack. But until now, that was the only quick swap.

Recommended Videos

Thankfully, the functionality to hotkey weapons and items was added in Hotfix 2, bringing a much-needed quality-of-life improvement to Endnight Games’ popular title. The guide below goes over how to assign slots, and it’s super simple. 

How to Hotkey Weapons and Items in Sons of the Forest

Screenshot by GameSkinny

To bind a weapon or item to a Hotkey in Sons of the Forest

  • Open your inventory.
  • Hover over an item. 
  • Look for an empty, opaque box to the right of an item’s name.
  • Press a key on your keyboard 1-0. 

With that done, you won’t have to constantly open your inventory or add items to your Backpack as a pseudo-quick-select menu.

Items like the Modern Axe and GPS Tracker can be assigned to Hotkeys, as can the Flashlight. However, you can’t assign all items to Hotkeys. Only items with empty, opaque boxes can be bound. Once an item is bound to a slot (again, a number 1-0), that specific binding will appear in the box until the item is reassigned.

To reassign a Hotkey slot in Sons of the Forest, simply hover over an item in your inventory and press another number, 1-0. As of this writing (February 28, 2023), completely removing an item from a Hotkey slot isn’t possible beyond assigning a different item to the same binding. 

As you may expect, this only applies to players using a mouse and keyboard to play Sons of the Forest. There are no ways to do this on a controller, nor is there currently another tool, such as a weapon wheel or radial menu, that allows for it. It’s possible that Endnight Games will add that type of functionality in the future, but we don’t know for sure yet. 

And that’s how you assign Hotkeys in Sons of the Forest. Now your weapons and items are only one button press away. For other controls and functions, we have a complete list of default inputs and keybindings that acts as a companion guide and isn’t as scary as Kelvin. We’ve also covered much more about the horror game over in our survival hub

Featured image by GameSkinny.


GameSkinny is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author
Image of Jonathan Moore
Jonathan Moore
Jonathan Moore is the Editor-in-Chief of GameSkinny and has been writing about games since 2010. With over 1,200 published articles, he's written about almost every genre, from city builders and ARPGs to third-person shooters and sports titles. While patiently awaiting anything Dino Crisis, he consumes all things Star Wars. He has a BFA in Creative Writing and an MFA in Creative Writing focused on games writing and narrative design. He's previously been a newspaper copy editor, ad writer, and book editor. In his spare time, he enjoys playing music, watching football, and walking his three dogs. He lives on Earth and believes in aliens, thanks to Fox Mulder.