The Forest Server Settings Explained: The Best Config for Your Group

For a private group of four to eight people, start with serverPlayers 4–8, Normal difficulty, a 15-minute autosave interval, a non-empty player password, a separate administrator password, and initType New only for the first launch. After the world is created, change it to initType Continue, keep the same save slot, and shut the server down only after an in-game save. Open TCP and UDP ports 8766, 27015, and 27016, and use a Steam Game Server Login Token if you want the server listed in the dedicated-server browser. These choices give a small friend group predictable progression, protected access, and a recoverable save without forcing you to manage unnecessary public-server features.

What are the best The Forest server settings for a private group?

The following baseline is designed for a private four-to-eight-player Steam group. It uses values documented in the 2019 Steam Community dedicated-server guide, with difficulty and enemy options cross-checked against configuration documentation from Nodecraft. The eight-player figure is a documented default, not a performance guarantee; set the limit to the number of people who will actually join.

Setting	Recommended value	Reason and qualification
serverPlayers	4–8	The documented default is eight players. Match the cap to your real group so strangers cannot consume reserved slots.
difficulty	Normal	A balanced starting point for mixed-experience friends. Peaceful removes enemies; Hard increases pressure.
serverAutoSaveInterval	15	The 2019 Steam guide lists 15 minutes. Another wiki lists 30 as a default, so 30 is not universal.
initType	New once, then Continue	New creates a world; Continue loads the established world.
slot	1, or a slot you document	Dedicated servers support slots 1–5.
showLogs	on during setup	Startup and configuration errors are visible while you bring the server online.
serverPassword	A non-empty, private value	Keeps a password-protected group out of ordinary public access.
serverPasswordAdmin	A different strong value	Separates the credential used to join from the credential used to administer.
enableVAC	on for public play, if compatible	Valve Anti-Cheat is an available server option; test compatibility before relying on it.
veganMode	off	When enabled, enemies are removed.
vegetarianMode	off	When enabled, enemies are limited to night-time spawning.
treeRegrowMode	on for a long campaign	Allows trees to regrow when players sleep.
allowBuildingDestruction	off for a trust-sensitive group	Disables enemy and player destruction of buildings.
allowEnemiesCreativeMode	off	Prevents enemy spawning while creative mode is active.

The Steam guide’s “eight-player default” and “15-minute autosave” are configuration values attributed to its authors, Survivalist and three collaborators, in 2019. They are not laboratory benchmarks and do not promise a particular frame rate, CPU load, or network capacity.

How do I install and launch a The Forest dedicated server?

Install the dedicated-server package through Steam or SteamCMD, launch it once to create the configuration file, then edit the file or pass parameters at startup. Values supplied on the command line override matching values in Server.cfg, so keep one authoritative copy of your settings and check the launch command when a file edit appears to have no effect.

1. Install the server. In Steam, open Library → Tools and install The Forest Dedicated Server, or install the same app with SteamCMD.
2. Generate the configuration. Start the server once and stop it after the files are created. On Windows, the documented file path is C:UsersUSERAppDataLocalLowSKSTheForestDedicatedServerdsServer.cfg; replace USER with the Windows account that runs the server.
3. Choose one configuration method. Edit Server.cfg for persistent settings, or use command-line parameters for a managed launch. If both specify a value, the command line wins.
4. Set the first-world values. Use initType New, select a slot from 1 through 5, and keep the intended player cap and difficulty.
5. Open the network ports. Permit both TCP and UDP traffic for ports 8766, 27015, and 27016 through the host firewall and the router that provides internet access.
6. Add a Steam login token when browser listing is required. Create a Steam Game Server Login Token for client App ID 242760 and put it in serverSteamAccount. Treat the token like a password; never publish it in screenshots, logs, or chat.
7. Restart and verify. Keep showLogs on, watch the startup output for binding or configuration errors, and test a connection from a second Steam account or a friend outside the host machine.

A server can run locally without appearing in the public dedicated-server browser, but browser discovery depends on a valid login token and correct query-port forwarding. Direct-address or Steam-Favorites testing is useful when you are diagnosing listing rather than gameplay connectivity.

What should I set for initType and save slots so the world does not reset?

Use New exactly once for the selected slot, then change to Continue before the next launch. Leaving New in place tells the server to create a fresh world instead of loading the established campaign, which is the most common configuration cause of an apparently reset server.

First launch

Choose an unused slot, set initType New, start the server, and allow the world to finish generating. Join, confirm that the map and player progression are present, and make an in-game save before testing a shutdown.

Every later launch

Stop the process cleanly, edit the setting to initType Continue, retain the same slot number, and start again. If you intentionally operate more than one campaign, assign each campaign its own slot and record that mapping in the server notes; the available range is 1–5.

Safe shutdown routine

1. Warn players that the server is closing.
2. Have everyone save in-game.
3. Wait for the save to complete, then stop the server through its console, panel, or normal process control.
4. Preserve a copy of the save before replacing files, changing hosts, or performing maintenance.

Hosting documentation also recommends preserving the save before stopping the server. A backup made while the server is still writing can be incomplete, so use a clean stop as the boundary for your copy.

Which difficulty and enemy modes fit different groups?

Normal is the safest starting point for friends with mixed experience. Difficulty is treated as a world-start decision in the available documentation: assume an existing save keeps its original difficulty and create a new world when the group wants a different campaign pressure.

Normal

Normal provides the baseline survival pressure without making a new player immediately manage the harsher enemy behavior associated with Hard. It is the least disruptive choice when some members know the game and others are learning.

Hard

Choose Hard when every regular player wants stronger pressure and is willing to accept a more demanding campaign. Test the setting at world creation rather than expecting a mid-save switch to rewrite an established world.

Peaceful

Peaceful is appropriate for building and exploration sessions because enemies do not spawn. It changes the character of the game substantially, so use a separate slot if the group may later want a combat-focused campaign.

Vegan and vegetarian modes

Nodecraft’s configuration guidance describes vegan mode as disabling enemies and vegetarian mode as allowing enemies only at night. Do not enable both together: the same guidance warns that combining them can produce an unintended ruleset. Keep both off for the baseline survival configuration, then test one mode in a separate slot if the group wants a deliberately restricted challenge.

Which ports does The Forest dedicated server use?

Forward all three documented ports, using both TCP and UDP where the router or firewall asks for a protocol: 8766 for Steam, 27015 for game traffic, and 27016 for server queries. Forwarding only the game port can leave the server unreachable or invisible because discovery and gameplay use different services.

Port	Documented role	What to check
8766	Steam	Allow the selected protocol(s) through the host firewall and router.
27015	Game	Confirm no other application is already bound to the port.
27016	Query	Forward it when you want Steam browser or Favorites discovery to report the server.

Give the host computer a stable local address before creating router rules. If the router assigns a new address after a reboot, the forwarding rule can silently point at the wrong machine. Also check that your internet connection is not behind a carrier-grade NAT that prevents inbound forwarding; if it is, a managed host or a network arrangement with a reachable public address may be necessary.

How do friends find and join the server?

In The Forest, players can browse to Multiplayer → Join → Dedicated Servers. They can also add the server address and query port to Steam Favorites, which is useful when the listing is delayed or the server is intended for a known group.

If the server is missing from the browser

• Confirm that serverSteamAccount contains a valid token for App ID 242760.
• Check that UDP and TCP forwarding rules cover 8766, 27015, and 27016 as required by your router.
• Read the startup log with showLogs on for token, binding, or port errors.
• Try Steam Favorites with the address and query port to distinguish a listing problem from a reachability problem.

A missing login token can prevent browser listing even when the process is running. Do not paste the token into a public support post; regenerate it if it has been exposed.

How should I configure passwords, logs, VAC, and building protection?

Use separate credentials and conservative permissions for a private group. A non-empty serverPassword controls entry, while serverPasswordAdmin should be a different, stronger value reserved for administration.

Passwords

Share the player password only with people who should join. Never reuse it for the administrator account, router, Steam account, or operating-system login. Change both values if a former member still has access.

Logs

Keep showLogs on while installing, forwarding ports, and testing saves. Once the server is stable, retain logs if storage allows or rotate them through the host panel. Logs are particularly valuable when a command-line override is defeating a change made in Server.cfg.

VAC

enableVAC on is a reasonable choice for public play when it is compatible with the rest of the setup. For a password-protected private group, VAC is an optional layer rather than a substitute for a private password and separate administrator credential.

Destruction and creative-mode enemies

Set allowBuildingDestruction off when the group is trust-sensitive or has invested heavily in a shared base; disabling it prevents enemy and player destruction of buildings. Keep allowEnemiesCreativeMode off unless the group explicitly wants enemies while someone is using creative mode. These are social and campaign-design decisions, not performance switches.

Should tree regrowth be enabled?

Enable treeRegrowMode on for a long-running cooperative campaign in which renewable building materials matter. The setting enables tree regrowth when players sleep. Turn it off only when the group wants a more limited-resource world or is deliberately preserving a particular landscape; document that choice because it affects every player in the save.

Is self-hosting or managed hosting better for The Forest?

Self-hosting gives the group direct control over files, ports, backups, and updates, while managed hosting trades some control for an always-on machine, a web panel, and provider support. Choose based on who will perform maintenance, not on an advertised RAM tier alone.

Decision axis	Self-hosted on your machine	Managed host
Control	Direct access to Server.cfg, launch arguments, firewall, and save files.	Panel controls and provider-defined access; some settings may be exposed through an editor rather than the filesystem.
Availability	Depends on the home PC being powered on, connected, and not being used for another task.	Designed for persistent uptime under a hosting plan.
Maintenance	Your group handles router rules, Windows updates, backups, logs, and recovery.	The provider supplies infrastructure and usually a control panel; you still own configuration choices and save backups.
Network complexity	Requires inbound forwarding and a reachable public address.	Ports and public reachability are normally part of the service setup.
Cost information	Uses hardware and electricity you already have; no universal price can be stated.	Nodecraft, Pingperfect, and HyperDC publish The Forest hosting or configuration material, but current prices, resource tiers, and affiliate terms must be checked directly before purchase.

Self-host when

• You have a spare Windows machine that can remain online.
• You can change router and firewall rules.
• One person is willing to maintain backups and updates.
• The group wants unrestricted access to files and launch parameters.

Use managed hosting when

• The world should remain available while the usual host is offline.
• No one can safely configure inbound forwarding or recover a failed home server.
• The group values a web panel and support more than direct operating-system access.
• You need a provider’s documented workflow for Server.cfg, save slots, token setup, and mode changes.

Do not select a plan solely because it advertises more memory. The available material does not provide a current, independently measured player-capacity benchmark for each provider tier, and the eight-player setting is a configuration default rather than a stress test.

What should I check when the server keeps resetting, will not list, or rejects players?

The world is fresh after every restart

• Change initType New to Continue after the first successful world creation.
• Verify that the slot number has not changed.
• Check command-line arguments, because they override Server.cfg.
• Restore the last clean save backup if the original files were overwritten.

The server process runs but is not visible

• Enter a valid App ID 242760 token in serverSteamAccount if browser listing is required.
• Forward query port 27016 as well as the Steam and game ports.
• Review showLogs output for a failed port bind or authentication error.
• Use Steam Favorites to test the address and query port independently of the public list.

Players cannot connect from outside the house

• Confirm the router rule points to the host’s current local IP address.
• Allow the same ports through the operating-system firewall.
• Check whether another program is using 27015 or 27016.
• Ask the internet provider whether inbound connections are blocked by carrier-grade NAT.

Players can join but the experience is wrong

• Check difficulty, veganMode, and vegetarianMode; do not enable vegan and vegetarian modes together.
• Confirm treeRegrowMode and allowBuildingDestruction match the group’s expectations.
• Remember that changing difficulty should be treated as a new-world decision when preserving the existing campaign matters.

How current is the dedicated-server information?

The core installation and setting guidance comes from a 2019 Steam Community guide, with additional mode explanations from Nodecraft and operational details from hosting documentation. No official Endnight server-build bulletin dated after 2019 was identified in the available material. HyperDC describes version 1.12 as the final patch, but that is a third-party claim rather than an official Endnight confirmation, so verify the build shown by your Steam installation before troubleshooting version-specific behavior.

Because hosting plans, prices, control-panel labels, and affiliate terms change, verify those details on the provider’s current page immediately before renting. The configuration principles in this guide—separating New from Continue, forwarding all documented ports, protecting credentials, and keeping a clean save—remain the important operational safeguards.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a Steam Game Server Login Token if my friends join by address?

The token is specifically important for appearing in the dedicated-server browser. A server can still be tested through its address or Steam Favorites, so a missing token may explain poor discovery without proving that the game service itself is down.

Can I use the same save slot for two separate campaigns?

Do not do so if you need both campaigns preserved. Assign each campaign a different slot within the supported 1–5 range and keep a written slot-to-campaign map before changing hosts or restoring backups.

Why does changing Server.cfg seem to have no effect?

A launch parameter with the same setting takes precedence over the file. Inspect the service shortcut, batch file, SteamCMD command, or hosting-panel startup field and remove the conflicting argument before testing again.

What should I do if my login token appears in a log or screenshot?

Treat it as compromised: revoke or replace the token in Steam, update serverSteamAccount, and restart the server. Never post the replacement token in a support forum or share it with ordinary players.