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When a Sons of the Forest dedicated server will not start, check dedicatedserver.cfg before changing anything else. A malformed JSON value, LanOnly set incorrectly for the test, or an address copied from an old guide can stop startup. If the process reaches a cutscene-loading message, it may already be running; verify its UDP listeners before restarting it.
Use the sequence below: validate the configuration in LAN mode, open the required UDP ports, reinstall the server files with SteamCMD if necessary, then investigate Docker/Wine ownership errors. Public listing is a separate networking step from successful startup.
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“Not starting” can describe four different states. Match the symptom before applying a fix.
| What you see | Most likely area | First action |
|---|---|---|
| The process exits immediately or never creates normal startup output | dedicatedserver.cfg cannot be parsed, or a startup value is invalid |
Validate the JSON and test with LanOnly set to true |
| SteamCMD updates repeatedly, especially in a container | Wine data ownership or permissions | Look for an ownership error involving /winedata/WINE64 |
| The console stops at a cutscene-loading line | Often normal initialization rather than a hang | Check whether the server is listening on its UDP ports |
| The server runs but is absent from the browser | Query port, firewall, forwarding, or intentional LAN-only mode | Confirm LanOnly, UDP rules, and the current IP key |
The checks below are ordered from the most specific and reversible change to the more disruptive reinstall.
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1. Repair and simplify dedicatedserver.cfg
Make sure the file is valid JSON
dedicatedserver.cfg is JSON, not an INI file. Every property name and string needs double quotes, values need the correct JSON type, and the final property must not have a trailing comma. One missing quote or extra comma can prevent the server from parsing the file and make it appear not to start.
Before editing, copy the file as a backup. Open it in a text editor that shows matching braces and quotes. Do not replace the entire configuration with a fragment; use a fragment only to illustrate the relevant types:
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{
"LanOnly": true,
"IpAddress": "0.0.0.0"
}Keep every other property from your existing file and check the comma before and after each edited line. If the server starts after you restore a backup, reapply changes one at a time so the offending value is identifiable.
Use LAN-only mode for the first test
A Steam setup guide reports that the server may not start when you test before port forwarding unless LanOnly is true. Set it to the JSON boolean true (without quotation marks), start the server, and test from the same local network. This isolates configuration and local process problems from router and Internet problems.
Once the server is confirmed working locally, change the value to false for an Internet-accessible server. A server left in LAN-only mode is not expected to appear as a normal public listing, even if the process is healthy.
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Use the current IP key, not a copied legacy key
Current configuration examples use IpAddress, whose documented default is "0.0.0.0". Older guides use a key called serverIP and may show different port arrangements. Do not paste an old serverIP entry over a current file or assume both keys are read by the same build. Preserve the key name used by the file shipped with your server version.
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Binding to 0.0.0.0 means the service listens on the machine’s available interfaces. An external address copied into the IP field is not a reliable fix. One community report claimed that adding a port to an address, such as 192.168.1.1:8766, helped that user, but the report is not independently attributed or established as a general solution. Treat it as unverified and return to the shipped key and default while diagnosing.
Retest without changing several variables
- Save a backup of the original
dedicatedserver.cfg. - Correct JSON punctuation and quotation marks.
- Set
LanOnlytotrue. - Use the current
IpAddresskey and, unless your installation documentation says otherwise, its0.0.0.0default. - Start the server and record whether the process remains running.
If this clean LAN test fails before any browser or router test is involved, continue to the reinstall section only after checking the exact console error.
2. Open all required UDP ports
Successful startup and public discoverability depend on different network paths. The current third-party setup and firewall guidance identifies these UDP roles:
| UDP port | Role | When it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 8766 | Game traffic | Required for players to communicate with the game server |
| 27016 | Steam query and server-browser traffic | Required for status queries and listing discovery |
| 9700 | BlobSync traffic during player connection | Can affect joining even when the first two ports are open |
Some older instructions list only 8766 and 27016. Include 9700 in the test because the more recent guidance identifies it as part of player connection. These are UDP rules; creating only TCP rules does not satisfy the stated requirements.
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Windows firewall and router order
- With
LanOnlystilltrue, create or verify Windows Firewall rules for inbound UDP 8766, 27016, and 9700 on the server machine. A firewall guide lists the same three ports. - Confirm that another security product is not blocking the dedicated-server executable or those UDP rules.
- For LAN testing, connect from another device on the same network. Do not add Internet port forwarding until the local test works.
- For public play, set
LanOnlytofalseand forward the three UDP ports from the router to the server machine’s local address. - Restart the server after changing the configuration and verify that the forwarding numbers match the numbers the server is configured to use.
Hosting providers may assign different external ports. If a provider gives you non-default numbers, use those assigned numbers in its panel and in the server configuration where supported; do not assume the defaults above apply unchanged.
3. Reinstall the server files with SteamCMD
If the JSON is valid, LAN mode still fails, or the installation appears incomplete, perform a clean file validation with SteamCMD. The documented application ID is 2465200.
Before reinstalling
- Stop every running dedicated-server process.
- Back up
dedicatedserver.cfgand any world or save data you need. - Use the installation directory that contains the server’s launcher.
Run the documented update and validation
steamcmd
login anonymous
app_update 2465200 validate
quitThe anonymous login is the one specified by the setup guidance for this server. The validate option checks and reacquires damaged or missing files; it does not replace the need to correct an invalid JSON configuration.
Launch the supplied batch file
After validation, start the server with StartSOTFDedicated.bat from the installation directory. A Steam guide specifically recommends this generated launcher rather than a custom script. Custom scripts can pass stale arguments, point at an old directory, or omit required environment settings. If the supplied batch file works, compare any custom launcher against it instead of continuing to modify the server files blindly.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsAfter a reinstall, restore your backed-up configuration carefully. Start in LAN-only mode again; only switch to public mode after the local process and port checks succeed.
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4. Break a Docker/Wine ownership loop
Containerized installations have a failure mode that does not apply to a native Windows installation. A GitHub issue for the jammsen Docker image records a log error stating that the user is not the owner of /winedata/WINE64. In that case, SteamCMD repeatedly attempted updates instead of reaching a stable server state.
Recognize the loop
- The container restarts or runs SteamCMD updates over and over.
- The log explicitly says the current user is not the owner of
/winedata/WINE64. - File downloads repeat even though the image appears to have completed an update previously.
Correct ownership, then restart once
Apply the ownership correction appropriate to your container image and the UID/GID configured for its service account. The reported issue was resolved after ownership of /winedata/WINE64 was corrected. Because container images use different users and mount layouts, do not copy a numeric ownership command from an unrelated image; inspect the image’s documented runtime user and mounted volume first.
After correcting the volume, restart the container and watch for one normal update followed by server startup. If the ownership message returns, the host mount or entrypoint may be resetting permissions, so fix that mount configuration before changing game settings.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.5. A cutscene-loading line may mean the server is ready
A community forum reply reported that the console stopped at a cutscene-loading message and explained that the server should be running once that line appears. The message alone is therefore not proof of a hang.
- Leave the process running when the cutscene line appears.
- Check whether the machine is listening on the configured game and query UDP ports, especially 8766 and 27016. Include 9700 when checking the connection path.
- From the same LAN, try the normal server discovery or connection flow while
LanOnlyistrue. - If no listener exists and no client can connect, return to JSON validation and the firewall rules instead of waiting indefinitely at the cutscene message.
This check separates a quiet but healthy console from a process that exited or never bound its ports.
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6. Fix a server that runs but does not appear in the browser
Browser visibility is primarily a mode and query-port problem, not proof that the executable failed to start.
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|---|---|---|
LanOnly: true |
Local testing only; not a normal public listing | Use a same-network client and verify the process locally |
LanOnly: false, ports not forwarded |
May run but remain undiscoverable from the Internet | Forward UDP 8766, 27016, and 9700 and allow them through the firewall |
LanOnly: false, only 8766 and 27016 open |
Query may work while player connection fails | Add UDP 9700 for BlobSync traffic |
| Legacy IP key copied into a current file | Binding or listing behavior can be wrong | Use the current file’s IpAddress key and shipped default |
Check the browser only after the process is stable and the query port is reachable. If a provider assigned alternate ports, the provider’s mapping takes precedence over the default numbers in general guides.
7. A complete diagnostic sequence
Use this one-pass workflow to avoid changing several causes at once:
- Stop the server and back up the configuration and saves.
- Open
dedicatedserver.cfg; correct JSON syntax and remove any trailing comma. - Use
IpAddressas supplied by the current file, normally"0.0.0.0", rather than importing an oldserverIPexample. - Set
LanOnlytotrueand start withStartSOTFDedicated.bat. - If the process remains alive, check local UDP listeners and test from the same LAN.
- Allow UDP 8766, 27016, and 9700 through the machine firewall.
- For Internet play only, set
LanOnlytofalseand forward the matching UDP ports. - If the clean LAN start still fails, run SteamCMD validation with application ID
2465200, then repeat the LAN test. - If you are using Docker/Wine, resolve any
/winedata/WINE64ownership error before repeating updates. - Treat a cutscene-loading line as inconclusive until port listening or a client connection proves whether the server is alive.
LAN testing, public hosting, and installation type
| Decision | LAN-only test | Public Internet server |
|---|---|---|
| Configuration | LanOnly: true |
LanOnly: false |
| Address | Use the current IpAddress key and default unless your version documents another value |
Do not substitute an external address from an old guide; ensure the host binding and forwarding agree |
| Network | Same-network client and local firewall | Router forwarding plus firewall rules for UDP 8766, 27016, and 9700 |
| Best diagnostic value | Separates server/config errors from Internet routing | Confirms browser query and player connectivity after local startup works |
A native Windows install mainly requires the JSON, launcher, firewall, and router checks described above. Docker/Wine adds the ownership and volume-permission layer; an ownership loop should be fixed before interpreting SteamCMD output as a game-file problem.
What is established, and what is still version-sensitive
The configuration and port advice available for this problem comes from third-party setup guides, a Windows firewall guide, a GitHub issue, and community replies. Most of those guides date from 2023 to 2025; one setup guide is labeled 2026. No official Endnight Games patch note or support answer confirming the current 2026 configuration keys was identified. If an update ships a new file layout or renames a key, follow the file included with that release rather than an older tutorial.
The safest practical rule is to prove a minimal LAN startup first, then add public networking, and to treat Docker permissions and browser visibility as separate layers. That approach avoids mistaking a malformed configuration, a blocked query port, or a normal cutscene log for the same failure.
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