The Forest has two multiplayer models: ordinary host-based co-op for up to eight players, and a separate dedicated-server tool. In a normal co-op game, one player’s computer hosts the world, so that player must be online for friends to join and continue playing. A dedicated server runs as an independent process and can keep the world available while the original player is away.
Playing with friends? Godlike.Host runs hosted The Forest servers from 10 data-center locations, with free DDoS protection.
For a group that always plays together, hosting is the simplest option. Choose a dedicated server when persistence, independent access, or administrative controls matter more than quick setup.
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How ordinary co-op works
Standard multiplayer in The Forest is host-based peer-to-peer play. One player starts a multiplayer session and becomes both the game host and the active server. The other players connect to that session through the game’s multiplayer menus.
The host is the session owner
The host’s computer coordinates the live world: its game process keeps the session running, distributes the world state, and holds the active multiplayer instance. Other players are clients connected to that instance rather than independent owners of the world.
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To start, the host selects the multiplayer hosting option from the main menu, chooses the desired game settings, loads or creates a world, and invites friends through the game’s multiplayer flow. Friends use the multiplayer join option and select the host’s available session.
What happens when the host leaves
When the host closes the game or leaves the ordinary co-op session, that live server closes with it. The other players cannot keep joining that same world while the host is offline, and they cannot turn their client copies into an independent server.
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How many players can join?
The published game description states that The Forest supports cooperative multiplayer for up to eight players. The dedicated-server configuration also uses serverPlayers 8 as its default maximum. Eight is therefore the documented ceiling for the standard setup described here.
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That number should not be read as proof that every platform, build, mod, or altered server behaves identically. Platform-specific differences and modified-server limits were not established in the available documentation, so check the rules for the exact edition and build you are using.
Saving and returning to a co-op world
A host-based world follows the host’s running game. Before ending a group session, the host should save through the normal in-game save system. On the next play session, the host loads that multiplayer save and opens a new hosted session.
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This arrangement has a practical consequence: the world is persistent as a save file, but not continuously playable. A friend cannot enter the world alone at 10 a.m. if the host does not start the session until the evening. The group’s schedule is tied to the host’s availability.
What a dedicated server changes
Version 0.59 introduced experimental support for player-created dedicated servers and a downloadable dedicated-server tool. The version notes recommended peer-to-peer play while the feature was being refined, so the tool’s experimental status is part of its history even though it provides a different operating model.
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A dedicated server is a separate process that remains online independently of a player’s normal co-op game. If the machine running that process stays connected and the server is configured correctly, friends can connect without the original co-op host launching the game. This is the main reason to use one: the world can be available on a shared schedule instead of one person’s play schedule.
What you need
- The Forest dedicated-server tool supplied for the Steam version.
- A machine that can keep the server process running and connected to the internet.
- Permission to configure the machine’s firewall and, when necessary, the household router.
- A chosen server name, passwords, difficulty, save behavior, and player limit.
- A plan for updates and save backups, because the server has its own running process and data.
The documentation does not establish a universal hardware specification or a current provider price. A self-hosted machine and a rented game-server machine are different deployment choices; the important requirement is that the selected machine remain reachable for the hours your group expects to play.
Dedicated-server settings that matter
The Steam-hosted configuration guide identifies the following controls. Names and defaults should be checked against the tool version you install.
| Setting | Documented value or choices | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Steam communication port | 8766 |
Used for the server’s Steam communication. |
| Game communication port | 27015 |
Carries game traffic for connected players. |
| Query port | 27016 |
Allows server discovery and status queries. |
| Maximum players | serverPlayers 8 by default |
Sets the connection ceiling; eight is the documented standard maximum. |
| Server password | Administrator-defined | Restricts who can enter the world. |
| Administrator password | Administrator-defined | Separates administrative access from ordinary player access. |
| Difficulty | Peaceful, Normal, Hard, or HardSurvival | Determines the survival challenge for the server. |
| World initialization | initType: New or Continue |
New initializes a world; Continue resumes an existing save. |
| Save slots | Five choices | Lets an administrator keep separate worlds or restore a selected slot. |
| Autosave | The guide’s example shows a 15-minute minimum/default interval | Controls how often the running server writes progress automatically; treat the interval as a configuration example, not a guarantee for every build. |
How to set up a dedicated server
- Install the dedicated-server tool. Use the Steam tool associated with The Forest, rather than launching a normal multiplayer game and assuming it will remain available after you quit.
- Choose the machine that will stay online. It can be a computer you administer or a hosted machine. The process must remain running whenever players need access.
- Open the configuration file or configuration interface supplied with the tool. Set a server name, a player limit, the server and administrator passwords, difficulty, save slot, initialization mode, and autosave interval.
- Select the correct world mode. Use
Newonly when you intend to initialize a new world. UseContinuewhen the purpose is to resume an existing dedicated-server save. - Allow the documented ports. Configure the Steam communication port
8766, game communication port27015, and query port27016in the machine’s firewall and any network equipment that filters incoming traffic. - Handle router forwarding when required. Players behind a home router may need port-forwarding rules for the configured ports. Forward them to the internal IP address of the machine running the server, not to a random device on the network.
- Start the server process and watch its console or status output. Confirm that it starts with the intended save slot and mode, then leave the process running while the group connects.
- Test discovery with one friend. If the server does not appear in the in-game browser, use Steam server favorites as documented by the guide. Test from outside the host’s local network when possible, because a local test can hide router or public-address problems.
Internal address versus public address
The server machine normally has an internal address on its local network, while friends outside that network connect through the household’s public address. Port forwarding connects the public-facing ports to the correct internal machine. Giving friends the internal address will not work for players who are not on the same local network.
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Because the available documentation does not specify a single router interface, the exact forwarding screens vary by manufacturer. The concepts remain the same: reserve or identify the server machine’s internal address, forward the three configured ports, and permit the server through the machine’s firewall.
Host-based co-op or dedicated server?
| Need | Host-based co-op | Dedicated server |
|---|---|---|
| Fastest setup | Strong choice: start multiplayer and invite friends. | Requires tool installation and configuration. |
| Friends playing while the original host is offline | Poor fit: the hosted session ends with the host. | Strong fit while the server process remains online. |
| Administrative controls | Basic game-host options. | Passwords, ports, save slots, difficulty, autosave, and server commands. |
| Technical maintenance | Low. | Higher: ports, updates, process uptime, and backups require attention. |
| Small group that plays together | Usually sufficient. | Useful when persistence or independent access matters. |
Choose hosting when
- The same person is usually available to start the session.
- You want to begin playing without configuring ports or a separate process.
- The group is small and does not need an always-on world.
- Basic host options are enough and no independent administration is required.
Choose a dedicated server when
- Players have different schedules and need to enter without the usual host.
- You want a persistent world with defined passwords, difficulty, save slots, and autosave behavior.
- You are comfortable maintaining a server process, network rules, and backups.
- The group benefits from Steam server favorites or a fixed server address instead of repeatedly waiting for an invitation.
Dedicated-server continuity and administration
Before starting an established world, verify both the save slot and initType. Selecting New when you meant Continue can initialize a different world, while selecting the wrong slot can make a familiar save appear to be missing. Keep a record of which slot the group uses.
Autosave reduces the amount of progress lost if the process stops, but the documented guide’s 15-minute figure is an example of its configuration rather than a universal promise. Administrators should still stop the process cleanly when possible and maintain backups of the server’s save data before updates or major configuration changes.
Passwords should be shared only with the intended players. Keep the administrator password separate from the ordinary server password, and do not publish either one alongside a public server address. A dedicated server is easier to leave unattended than a host session, but it still needs software updates, save management, and occasional connectivity checks.
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Troubleshooting common problems
Friends cannot join the host’s ordinary session
- Confirm that the host actually loaded the multiplayer world rather than a single-player save.
- Have friends refresh the multiplayer list or restart the join flow after the host is fully in the world.
- Check that the host has not closed the game; an ordinary session cannot remain available after the host leaves.
The dedicated server does not appear in the browser
- Confirm that the server process is running and did not stop during startup.
- Check the firewall rules for ports
8766,27015, and27016. - Verify that router forwarding points to the server machine’s internal IP address.
- Try Steam server favorites if the in-game browser does not list the server.
- Test using the public address from outside the local network; a local-only test may not reveal an external routing problem.
The server opens the wrong world
- Inspect
initType: useContinuefor an existing save. - Check the selected save slot among the five available choices.
- Stop the process before changing save settings, then start it again and confirm the startup status.
The server rejects additional players
Check the configured player limit. The documented default is serverPlayers 8; a lower custom value will prevent further connections even when fewer than eight players would otherwise be allowed by the game’s documented ceiling.
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The dedicated-server feature described here dates to version 0.59 and was explicitly labeled experimental in its release notes. The available material does not verify current platform-by-platform behavior, cross-play support, or whether every present-day build exposes identical server menus. Treat the instructions as the documented Steam dedicated-server model and confirm compatibility for the exact edition your group owns.
The eight-player figure comes from the game description and the dedicated-server default, not from a platform-independent stress test. Mods, altered configuration files, or later updates may change behavior, so do not assume that a modified server has the same limits as the standard setup.
Bottom line
Use normal host-based co-op for the quickest way to play together: one player hosts, up to eight players join, and the host must be online for that session. Use the dedicated-server tool when the world must stay available independently, accepting the extra work of configuring ports, passwords, saves, autosave, updates, and backups.
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