Here's how to connect to your The Forest server and adjust the most important settings.
Connecting
- Open the server page in the client area and click Start.
- Wait until the status shows “running”. You can follow the progress in the Console tab.
- Copy the address (IP:Port) at the top of the server page.
- Launch The Forest and connect via the server list or directly with the address. Alternatively add the IP with the query port (Ports tab) in Steam under View → Game servers → Favourites.
Important settings
In the Startup variables tab:
- Server Name (
SERVER_NAME) – Name of the server, appears in Steam browser. - Max Players (
MAX_PLAYERS) – Server player cap. - Difficulty (
SERVER_DIFFICULTY) – Server difficulty setting, Peaceful, Normal or Hard. - Steam Account Token (
STEAM_ACC) – The Steam Account Token is required for the server to save player progress. Use APP ID 242760 for the token generation. You can generate the token on steam at https://steamcommunity.com/dev/managegameservers. - Server Password (
SERVER_PASS) – Password protects the server if set, any player must enter the password to join. - Admin Password (
ADMIN_PASS) – A password that will be used to gain admin access to the server in-game. - Enable VAC (
VAC)
Changes in the Startup variables tab take effect on the next restart.
Good to know
- Passwords such as
ADMIN_PASSare generated automatically by the portal. They are shown once at the top of the server page – please note them down. - A public server needs your own Steam server token (App ID 242760): steamcommunity.com/dev/managegameservers – enter it when ordering or later in the startup variables.
- The first start takes longer because the server files are downloaded and set up.