How to Set Up a The Forest Dedicated Server

Setting Up a The Forest Dedicated Server

The Forest is a survival horror game where players build, explore, and fight to survive. A dedicated server on your Breeze allows persistent worlds and consistent multiplayer sessions without requiring a player to act as host.

Install via SteamCMD

steamcmd +login anonymous +force_install_dir /home/steam/theforest +app_update 556450 validate +quit

Server Configuration

Edit config.cfg in the server directory:

serverName My Breeze Forest Server
serverPlayers 8
serverPort 8766
serverIP 0.0.0.0
serverSteamPort 8766
serverQueryPort 27016
serverPassword your_password
serverAutoSaveInterval 15
enableVAC on

Firewall Setup

sudo ufw allow 8766/udp
sudo ufw allow 8766/tcp
sudo ufw allow 27016/udp

Start the Server

cd /home/steam/theforest
wine TheForestDedicatedServer.exe -nosteamclient -cfg config.cfg

The Forest dedicated server requires Wine on Linux since it is a Windows binary.

Running with Screen

Keep the server running after you disconnect from SSH:

screen -S theforest
cd /home/steam/theforest
wine TheForestDedicatedServer.exe -nosteamclient -cfg config.cfg

Press Ctrl+A then D to detach. Reconnect later with screen -r theforest.

World Persistence

Server saves are stored in the saves/ directory. Back up this folder regularly to prevent progress loss from corruption or accidental resets.