Sons of the Forest Server Hosting

What is a Sons of the Forest dedicated server?

A Sons of the Forest dedicated server is Endnight Games’ official server software that runs the game’s multiplayer world independently of any player’s PC. In a normal multiplayer session the world lives on the host’s computer; when the host quits, everyone is kicked and nobody can make progress. With a dedicated server the island stays online 24/7, and your friends can connect whenever they like to keep building, exploring and continuing their tasks with Kelvin and Virginia.

This is especially valuable for groups who play in different time zones or on different shifts. It also frees the host’s PC from both running and serving the game, so FPS drops and stutters caused by a home connection’s upload speed are reduced.

The first limit to know when choosing Sons of the Forest server hosting is player count: the dedicated server supports at most 8 players, and the config file cannot raise that. Resource planning for this game therefore revolves less around “how many hundreds of players” and more around world size, the number of structures built and the server’s target frame rate settings.

The eight-player cap also makes resource needs predictable: a correctly sized server does not need constant upgrades as your group grows. What does grow is the number of structures and the save file over time, so checking disk and memory usage monthly helps you spot slowdowns early.

How does in-game hosting differ from a dedicated server?

With in-game hosting the world runs on one player’s PC and the session ends when that person leaves; a dedicated server keeps the world running on an independent machine. Depending on how your group plays, this is either a minor detail or the deciding factor.

If your group always plays together on the same evenings, in-game hosting may be enough. If some players want to log in at other times to gather wood, extend the base or explore caves on their own, the always-on world of a dedicated server is a clear convenience. And because the save is not tied to one friend’s PC, the group does not lose its progress when that person quits the game or their disk fails.

Does the Sons of the Forest server run on Windows or Linux?

The Sons of the Forest dedicated server is officially released only for Windows; Endnight does not offer a native Linux build. Server files are downloaded via SteamCMD with an anonymous login and started by running SonsOfTheForestDS.exe.

steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 2465200 validate +quit

Community containers run it on Linux with Wine; they work for some users, but their behaviour can change after game updates and they are outside official support. If you want an uninterrupted world, a VDS running Windows Server 2022 is the path with the fewest surprises.

On first run the server creates its configuration folder; on Windows this is in the user profile under AppData/LocalLow/Endnight/SonsOfTheForestDS. dedicatedserver.cfg, the admin list ownerswhitelist.txt and the saves are stored there. Passing the -userdatapath launch parameter redirects this folder to another disk, which simplifies backup scripts.

How much RAM and CPU does a Sons of the Forest server need?

Although limited to eight players, a Sons of the Forest server simulates a large Unity-based island, AI tribes and player structures, so it needs 8–16 GB of RAM and strong cores. The table above shows estimates; real consumption grows with the age of the world and building density.

The main factors driving resource use:

• Number of structures: every piece built with logs or the free-build system is added to the save and to memory. Groups that build large forts see the save file and memory grow noticeably.
• AI: cannibals, mutants and animals are calculated server-side; as players spread across the island, the number of active areas increases.
• Target frame rate: the ActiveTargetFramerate and IdleTargetFramerate settings define how many updates per second the server performs; higher values mean more CPU.

Keeping IdleTargetFramerate low is a common way to reduce CPU use when the server is empty. Choose NVMe storage: the world is written to disk at every autosave interval (SaveInterval), and a slow disk can cause brief freezes at those moments. On a VDS with dedicated resources there is no neighbour load, so your measurements stay consistent; watch the process in Task Manager for the first week and adjust the plan accordingly.

Game server package or VDS for Sons of the Forest?

For Sons of the Forest the page shows VDS packages; you can install the server on a VDS yourself or request a ready-made installation through a support ticket. Because the game ships only a Windows server and has settings such as frame rate that depend directly on the CPU, a virtual server with dedicated cores is the natural choice.

Concrete benefits of a VDS for this game:

• Administrator rights on Windows Server: run the server as a service, schedule restarts with Task Scheduler and set up backup scripts.
• A second server on the same machine: for example a Creative-mode test world alongside the main world on different ports.
• Room to grow: move to a plan with more RAM as the group and its structures expand.

In return, you manage updates and security. Before deciding, compare both models on game server package or VDS?. We do not repeat package capacity figures here; see the current core, RAM and disk values in the package table on this page. A mid-range VDS is usually enough for a group of eight, but if you plan to host other games on the same server, choose total memory accordingly.

If you have never managed a server, you can request the installation via a support ticket and then handle only config edits and backups yourself. Whichever route you choose, share remote desktop details only with the group member responsible for the server.

Which ports does a Sons of the Forest server use?

The Sons of the Forest dedicated server uses three UDP ports by default: 8766 for game traffic, 27016 for the Steam server list and 9700 for world state synchronisation. All three must be open in the firewall; if one is missing, players either cannot see the server in the list or the world does not load after they connect.

On first start the server tests whether these ports are reachable from outside; if the test fails, it may stop running. The check can be skipped with the SkipNetworkAccessibilityTest setting, but only do so if you are sure the ports really are open, otherwise you are just hiding the problem.

Create inbound rules for the three UDP ports in Windows Defender Firewall. If you run a second server on the same machine, all three ports must be moved to different values.

What settings are in dedicatedserver.cfg?

dedicatedserver.cfg is the JSON file that holds the Sons of the Forest server’s name, password, ports, game mode and save settings. Because it is JSON, a single missing comma or quote stops the server from starting, so validating it with a JSON checker after editing is a good habit.

The most commonly changed keys:

• ServerName and Password: the name shown in the list and the join password.
• MaxPlayers: player limit from 1 to 8.
• LanOnly: restricts the server to the local network; must be false for internet access.
• SaveSlot and SaveMode: which save slot to use and whether to start a new world or continue.
• GameMode: Normal, Hard, Hard Survival, Peaceful, Creative or Custom; with Custom, details are defined under CustomGameModeSettings.
• SaveInterval: autosave interval in seconds.
• IdleDayCycleSpeed: how fast the day advances when nobody is on the server.

Admin rights are granted by writing Steam64 IDs line by line into ownerswhitelist.txt. Restart the server to apply changes.

Can you use mods on a Sons of the Forest server?

Sons of the Forest has no official mod or Steam Workshop support; community-made mod loaders exist, but Endnight does not support them and their compatibility with the dedicated server changes from version to version. The main way to customise the server is therefore the Custom game mode, not mods.

With Custom mode you can change enemy difficulty and frequency, survival needs (hunger, thirst, sleep), season length, damage balance and resource abundance. Friend groups often tone down enemy aggression for a building-focused world, or go the other way towards something close to Hard Survival.

If you want to try a community mod loader:

1. Test on a separate copy first; do not risk the main world’s saves.
2. Mods may stop working after a game update; back up before updating.
3. All players need the same mod versions, otherwise connection errors occur.
4. Only install files from known sources.

Staying pure vanilla is the most trouble-free way to get the server back up immediately on update days.

How do you improve Sons of the Forest server performance?

The smoothness of a Sons of the Forest server is determined mostly by its target frame rate settings, save interval and building density; with the right settings you get a noticeably more stable game from the same hardware.

1. Frame rate targets: ActiveTargetFramerate applies when players are online and IdleTargetFramerate when the server is empty. A low idle value avoids wasting CPU; pushing the active value too high burns CPU without visible benefit.
2. Save interval: a very short SaveInterval means frequent disk writes and small stutters, while a very long one means more lost progress in a crash. A few minutes is a balanced choice for most groups.
3. Scheduled restarts: memory use can climb on long-running Unity servers. A daily restart at night is a good precaution.
4. Building discipline: a few central bases instead of many small ones scattered across the map reduce the number of areas the server keeps loaded.

When players say the server is lagging, first separate client FPS problems from server latency before changing anything.

How is a Sons of the Forest server protected against DDoS attacks?

Protecting a Sons of the Forest server rests on a join password, a short admin list and network-level attack filtering. Even small friends-only servers can be targeted by random scans or malicious players, because their IP addresses are visible in the Steam list.

On LIONFIN infrastructure, traffic is filtered at the network level by the RouteFence firewall and DDoS monitoring is carried out 24/7 by NOC and SOC teams (more on our data center). On the server side, apply the following:

• Do not leave the Password field empty, so only people you invite can join.
• Keep only Steam64 IDs that really need admin rights in ownerswhitelist.txt.
• Open only the three game ports and restricted remote desktop access in the firewall.
• Use a strong password for the Windows administrator account and rename the default Administrator account if possible.

A server running in a data center in Türkiye is a good fit for groups with players in Türkiye and the surrounding region.

If you notice suspicious traffic or unknown players trying to connect, change the password first, then check the connecting Steam IDs in the logs. If a network-level problem persists, open a support ticket from the customer panel with the time it happened.

How do you back up Sons of the Forest saves and move them to a server?

A Sons of the Forest server’s world is stored in a folder named after its save slot number under Saves in the user data folder; backing up means copying that folder regularly. Save corruption is rare, but after a crash or a wrong setting it can cost the whole group a base they spent weeks building.

Recommended routine:

1. Take backups while the server is stopped or during the daily restart window.
2. Put the Saves folder together with dedicatedserver.cfg and ownerswhitelist.txt into a date-stamped archive.
3. Keep at least one archive off the server.
4. Always take a manual backup before a game update.

You can also move a multiplayer world previously hosted on a friend’s PC to the server: copy that save folder into the server’s save directory, set SaveSlot to the folder’s number and set SaveMode to continue. The folder structure can change between versions, so try it on a copy first.

What are the most common Sons of the Forest server errors?

The most frequent Sons of the Forest server problems are a failed port reachability test, JSON syntax errors and version mismatches after a game update. The server console and log files usually name the problem directly.

• Server starts and closes immediately: dedicatedserver.cfg is not valid JSON or the port test failed. Validate the file and check that all three ports are open.
• Server not in the list: QueryPort is closed or LanOnly is still true.
• World does not load after connecting: BlobSyncPort is blocked.
• “Version mismatch” error: the game was updated but the server is on an old version. Run app_update 2465200 validate in SteamCMD.
• A new world opened and the old save disappeared: SaveMode was left on new world; if your old slot was not deleted, select it again with SaveSlot.

If you cannot solve it, open a ticket from the Support section of the LIONFIN customer panel and attach the log file.