The Forest Dedicated Server Troubleshooting

The Forest Dedicated Server Troubleshooting

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Server Not Appearing in the Steam Browser

Symptoms: Server is running but players cannot find it by name.

Causes and fixes:

1. No GSLT token set — Without a token, the server appears as "unnamed" and has reduced browser visibility. Generate a token at steamcommunity.com/dev/managegameservers using App ID 242760 and set it in server.cfg:

   serverSteamAccount YOUR_TOKEN
   

2. Port 8766 not open — Steam communication runs on TCP/UDP 8766. Verify it is forwarded on your router and allowed through your firewall. This port is required for the server to register with Steam's backend.

3. Port 27015 not open — Game port. Without it the server cannot accept connections even if it appears in the browser.

4. Allow up to 2–3 minutes after launch for the server to register in the browser.

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Players Cannot Connect

Symptoms: Players find the server but time out or get "connection failed".

Fixes:

• Confirm TCP/UDP 27015 (game) and 27016 (query) are forwarded and allowed through the host firewall
• Verify serverGamePort and serverQueryPort in server.cfg match the ports you opened
• Check that no other process is using port 27015 (netstat -ano | findstr 27015 on Windows)

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"initType Continue" Error on Startup

Symptom: Server fails to load or crashes at startup after setting initType Continue.

Cause: No save exists in the specified slot. The server cannot continue a save that was never created.

Fix: Set initType New for the first launch of any slot. After the world generates and you have played or saved at least once, switch back to Continue:

initType New   ← first launch
initType Continue  ← all subsequent launches

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Admin Commands Not Working

Symptom: Typing /save, /kick, etc. in chat does nothing, or returns "unknown command".

Fix:

1. Ensure serverPasswordAdmin is set to a non-empty value in server.cfg
2. Open multiplayer chat (press Enter in-game) and type the admin password — this must be done before any / commands will work
3. Authentication confirmation appears in chat. Only then will /help and other commands respond

Admin status is session-only — you must re-authenticate every time you reconnect.

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Server Crashes on Start

Symptom: The server process exits immediately or within seconds of launch.

Most common cause: Corrupt or incomplete server.cfg.

Fix: Delete server.cfg and let the server regenerate it:

Windows: C:\Users\%username%\AppData\LocalLow\SKS\TheForest\ds\server.cfg
Linux:   ~/.config/unity3d/SKS/TheForestDedicatedServer/ds/server.cfg

Launch with -batchmode -nographics -nosteamclient and a fresh config will be written. Reconfigure from scratch.

Also check the server log for error details — set showLogs on in server.cfg to get verbose output.

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High CPU Usage / Low Performance

Symptom: Server consumes excessive CPU even with few or no players.

Fixes:

1. Lower targetFpsActive — the default is 60, which is higher than necessary for a survival game. Try 30:

   targetFpsActive 30
   

2. Reduce serverPlayers — fewer max player slots reduces NPC simulation load

3. Verify targetFpsIdle is set low (default 5 is correct) — if players are absent, the server should idle at near-zero CPU

4. Ensure the server machine meets recommended specs and no other heavy processes are competing for CPU

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VAC Issues

Symptom: Players report VAC errors, or you want to change VAC behaviour.

Default: VAC is off by default in The Forest dedicated servers.

To enable:

enableVAC on

To explicitly disable:

enableVAC off

Note that enabling VAC after a server has been running may briefly cause connection issues for players who were previously connected without it. Restart the server after changing this setting.

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Quick Reference Checklist

Problem	First thing to check
Not in browser	GSLT token + port 8766 open
Cannot connect	Ports 27015 + 27016 forwarded
Save error on start	initType New for new slots
Admin commands silent	Authenticate with serverPasswordAdmin first
Server crashes at start	Delete and regenerate server.cfg
High CPU at idle	targetFpsIdle set to 5