99 Nights in the Forest story explained

Do you know where the 99 Nights in the Forest story comes from? We go over the real-life occurrence that inspired it, along with what happens at the end of the game and some theories about what it might all mean.

Scroll down to find out the 99 Nights in the Forest lore, and then make sure you grab all the new 99 Nights in the Forest codes from our guide to help you survive. We’ve also got all the details on the next 99 Nights in the Forest update for more biomes to roam.

What is the 99 Nights in the Forest story?

99 Nights in the Forest takes place – as you may guess – in a forest. Here, an unusual monster known as the Deer started appearing in the woods at night, and, shortly after, several children went missing. After police involvement turned up no clues, the forest was closed off. That’s where you come in – you have 99 nights to find out what really happened.

Turn back now if you don’t want spoilers!

If you manage to survive the Deer and other 99 Nights in the Forest monsters, you eventually find the diaries and ranger logs that lead you through the forest, allowing you to rescue the missing children.

The game is inspired by a real-life story, where four stranded children survived in the Amazon jungle in Colombia. You can read about it on the BBC here, but four kids aged one, four, nine, and 13 survived 40 days in the jungle thanks to the instincts of the eldest. Soldiers and locals carried out a rescue operation, and they eventually found and rescued the children.

You can also see how the game came to be in this Roblox developer forum post, which includes sketches of the characters and information on how the creators met.

Are there any theories about the 99 Nights in the Forest story?

Any game with a story can draw in creative thinking, and 99 Nights in the Forest is no different. Players in the community post their thoughts on social media, including the game’s Reddit page, and there’s even a list on the wiki.

Most theories speculate what happens to the children, and whether the entire Forest is a testing ground made by the Cultists – and that the Deer is some sort of escaped experiment. Some players also theorize that the Deer may be the mother of the missing children.

Theories also suggest that the Deer could be a version of the Wendigo, a popular cryptid that stands on two feet and tends to eat people. Similarly, the Owl may take inspiration from the Kikiyaon – an African cryptid that takes the form of an owl and lives in a forest.