1
Walk, don't run
Use short movements to test an unfamiliar trigger, then cross its lane when the attack has finished. Here, 'walk, don't run' means avoid rushing blind: the community demo guidance does not describe a separate sprint button.
Demo Walkthrough & Beginner Guide
Get from the picnic to the demo's closing scene. Find your current landmark below, follow the next action, and use checkpoints to learn the route one stretch at a time. Ending spoilers follow.
How do you beat Trees Hate You?
Leave the picnic, bait the opening attacks, reach each flag, and work through the stairs, misleading signs, moving hazards, and root chase to the road. Continue through the closing sequence to finish the demo. Coins and the arcade are optional; you can return for collectibles and hidden paths afterward.
This route follows the forest demo's two levels and closing transition, using 2026 community walkthroughs and the linked playthrough. Match landmarks rather than checkpoint numbers: Steam, older itch builds, and the browser mirror can differ. Optional coins, chests, and the arcade are side trips; the road and closing tree encounter are the main-route finish.
How long does Trees Hate You take to beat?
Allow about 20–60 minutes for a blind first demo run, using the linked community guide's estimate. This is a planning range from a fan guide, not a measured average or a deadline. Repeated deaths, character creation, coins, hats, and the arcade can change your session substantially.
The official Steam Demo contains two full levels and a short transition. An edited gameplay video's length and a speedrun time describe different things from a first playthrough. The full game's campaign length should be considered separately from this demo.
Community estimate · October 12, 2026 · Official demo content
From start to finish
The complete forest demo route
Use the next visible landmark to resume after a death. Route details come from the linked community guide; video links jump to matching moments in Flamingo's April 2026 playthrough. Those timestamps are video positions, not target split times.
- 1
New Game and the picnic
Choose the default character or finish customization. Move with WASD, arrow keys, or the controller's left stick.
Next: Follow the trail away from the picnic.
- 2
The first swinging tree
Bait its swing, retreat, then pass left.
Next: Continue to the gun trees.
- 3
Revolver and turning gun trees
Draw the shot; move down and around its firing lane.
Next: Reach the rocks and descending steps.
- 4
Stone descent and first flag
Avoid the center ambush; descend through the hollow and touch the flag.
Next: Continue toward the stairs.
- 5
The log above the staircase
Touch the bottom step, back away, let the trunk fall, then climb.
Next: Enter the firing corridor.
- 6
Gunfire and movable trunks
Push a loose trunk ahead as cover while crossing the firing lane.
Next: Inspect the suspicious dirt patch before the hollow log.
- 7
Dirt ambush, hollow log and the next flag
Test the suspect dirt patch, withdraw, and let the ambush finish. Cross the gap, pass through the hollow log, and touch the flag beyond it.
Next: Follow the trail toward the changing arrow signs; use this flag to retry the next stretch.
- 8
The changing arrow signs
Try the passage opposite the misleading arrow. Flamingo uses that correction at 7:10 after the sticks section.
Next: Return to the trail beyond the signs.
- 9
Red apples overhead
Keep moving across the gaps; the apples explode.
Next: Pass the optional chest detour.
- 10
Wanted poster and chest side path
For a first clear, stay on the main trail. For collectibles, check the branching routes near the poster and chest before proceeding.
Next: Rejoin the approach to the late clearing.
- 11
The rolling tree sphere
Trigger its roll, then shelter in a side recess.
Next: Continue to the arcade clearing.
- 12
Checkpoint beside the arcade
Touch the checkpoint. The cabinet asks for a coin; play if you have one, or leave the optional game and continue along the trail.
Next: Prepare for the final roots and pursuit.
- 13
Root field and pursuing tree
Follow the outer margin around the root knots; keep ahead of the pursuer.
Next: Reach the paved road.
- 14
The road beyond the forest
Continue onto the road to finish the escape sequence. The vehicle collision that follows is the demo's scripted ending gag, not a missing collectible.
Next: Watch the transition, then follow the heavenly stairs.
- 15
Stairs into the light
Proceed up the stairs to the final tree encounter. Flamingo reaches the light at 9:14 and the final hit at 9:28.
Next: Complete the closing sequence; use Challenge Mode for the next run.
At the finish, use the ending explanation for what happens, or the Challenge Mode guide for the unlocked replay.
Checkpoints, retries, and getting unstuck
Checkpoints arrived with the February 22, 2026 expanded demo (v5). The June 19 Steam update added another near the end of level 1, between the hill checkpoint and the finish, just before the tree-for-fall. If your older itch/browser build lacks that flag, the previous checkpoint remains your retry point.
- Touch each checkpoint flag on your first clear. The expanded demo respawns you at the last checkpoint you touched, so practise the next obstacle from there.
- After a death, repeat the approach that exposed the hazard. Change your position before the trigger instead of replaying the same collision.
- If the next attack appears immediately, stay outside its lane and let it finish before crossing. In the normal demo, do not assume a new life guarantees an identical setup.
- Tab opens the menu. The tree-shaped menu button is a separate joke action; it is not the way to resume. A developer reply to a historical final-stage bug advises restarting the game and choosing Continue.
February checkpoint update · June checkpoint location · Historical final-stage recovery · Menu and input help
How to use this guide
Use the landmark walkthrough above to get unstuck, then apply the six survival habits below on your next attempt.
The demo is built around fast retries — the frustration is the game loop. Progress comes from memorizing trap placements, not from perfecting a single run.
If you're consistently dying to one specific trap, check the traps catalog page for its exact trigger conditions and survival tip.
Six survival habits to use along the route
2
Trust nothing that looks easy
The core game design principle is weaponizing your expectations. The safest-looking path is almost always the one that kills you. When you see a clear route with no visible hazards, assume it's a setup.
3
Use quick resets to memorize
The developer added checkpoints in the February 2026 expanded demo, v5. Touch a flag, test the next obstacle, and learn one repeatable approach from that respawn point. Later builds added another level 1 flag; checkpoints did not first arrive in v18.
4
Listen before you move
Many traps have distinct audio cues before they activate — rumbling for rolling logs, creaking for falling trees, shaking sounds for branch swarms. The audio is your earliest warning system.
5
Dodge twice, not once
Level 2 introduces a pattern where dodging the first obvious trap triggers a second hidden one. This is the game teaching you that pattern recognition is also a trap. After any successful dodge, immediately prepare to dodge again.
6
Watch the ground texture
Discolored patches, cracks, or differently-textured ground tiles often mark collapsing paths or trap triggers. The environment gives visual hints if you look down, not just ahead.
Key mindset
The demo is built around fast retries
The official devlog says the goal is to be "mean and funny rather than tedious."Every death teaches you a trap placement. Progress comes from memorization, not from perfecting a single run. If you find yourself getting frustrated, use the traps catalog to look up the specific trap that keeps killing you — knowing the trigger condition usually makes the difference between rage and progress.
Study the enemy
Traps catalog
10 traps with trigger conditions, locations, and survival tips.
After you survive
Challenge Mode
After a normal clear, learn Challenge Mode's extra traps and more predictable retry rules.
Technical issues?
Troubleshooting
Crashing, low FPS, controller problems — fix it and get back to surviving.