Host a The Forest Dedicated Server

As the lone survivor of a passenger jet crash, you find yourself in a mysterious forest battling to stay alive against a society of cannibalistic mutants. Build, explore, survive in this terrifying first-person survival horror simulator.

Skip the Setup — Deploy Now or read the full guide below

Requirements Setup Guide Installation

Hardware Requirements

Here's what you need to run a The Forest dedicated server.

Economy

Small server, 1-4 players

CPU1.5 cores

RAM3 GB

Storage5 GB

Standard

Medium server, 4-8 players

CPU2 cores

RAM4 GB

Storage5 GB

Pro

Full server, 8-8 players

CPU3 cores

RAM6 GB

Storage5 GB

Start hosting from your own computer

Run a The Forest server on your desktop, laptop, VPS, or dedicated machine — GameCP automates Docker setup, resource allocation, and The Forest configuration instantly. Automatic port forwarding means your friends can connect without touching your router. Start local, scale to a VPS when you're ready.

Get Started FreeNo credit card required

Setup in 4 Steps

Skip the manual SteamCMD installation, port forwarding, and systemd configuration. Install on your own computer and start hosting instantly.

Step 01

Create a GameCP Account

GameCP gives you a full control panel with Docker containerization, file management, automatic port forwarding, and automatic updates — all built in.

Step 02

Connect Your Hardware

Install GameCP on your own desktop, laptop, VPS, or dedicated machine. One-line install — no SSH expertise needed.

GameCP installs Docker, configures networking, and sets up automatic port forwarding so your friends can connect instantly. Start hosting from your own PC and scale to a VPS later. Supports Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Step 03

Deploy The Forest

Select "The Forest" from the template library and hit deploy. GameCP handles SteamCMD (App ID: 556450), ports, startup commands, and all configuration automatically.

Includes pre-configured config.cfg. Uses the yolks:wine_latest image. ~5 GB storage.

Step 04

Start Playing

Hit start and share your server address. Automatic port forwarding handles the rest — no router config needed.

GameCP monitors your server health and provides live logs from your browser. Your friends connect using the address GameCP gives you.

The Manual Way vs. GameCP

Manual Setup

✗ Install SteamCMD manually
✗ Configure 3+ firewall ports and router settings
✗ Write systemd service files
✗ SSH into server to edit configs
✗ Requires a VPS or dedicated server
✗ 30-60 minutes if experienced

With GameCP

One-click SteamCMD install
Automatic port forwarding — no router config
Host from your own PC, VPS, or dedicated server
Docker container with auto-restart
Visual config editor in browser
Under 5 minutes total

Under the Hood

The full manual process to host a The Forest dedicated server on a VPS. Or install GameCP on your own computer and skip all of this.

Step 1

Configure & Prepare

Set your server settings, then install Docker, SteamCMD, and pull the The Forest container image.

Server ConfigurationEdit values to update all commands

Server NameServer name displayed in the server browser

Game Server Login TokenCreate one with App ID `242760` at [Steam GSLT Man...

VAC ProtectionEnable Valve Anti-Cheat protection.

DifficultyGame difficulty mode.

Save SlotSave slot to use (1-5). Each slot is an independen...

Vegan Mode (No Enemies)No enemies will spawn at all (Vegan Mode).

Vegetarian Mode (No Day Enemies)No enemies during daytime, enemies only at night (...

Allow CheatsAllow all players to use the built-in developer co...

Allow Building DestructionAllow enemies and players to destroy player struct...

Tree Regrow ModeRegrow 10% of cut down trees when sleeping.

Reset Holes ModeReset all structure holes when loading a save.

Enemies in Creative ModeAllow enemy spawning in creative mode games.

Realistic Player Damage (PvP)Dramatically increases player-vs-player damage for...

Server PasswordPassword required for players to join the server. ...

Admin PasswordPassword for in-game admin console access. This gr...

Init TypeStart a new world or continue from the last save. ...

Auto Save Interval (minutes)Time in minutes between auto-saves. Minimum: 15.

Idle FPSTarget FPS when no players are connected. Lower va...

Active FPSTarget FPS when players are connected.

Show LogsShow server event log output.

Auto UpdateAutomatically check for and apply server updates o...

terminal

# Update system and install Docker
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y docker.io
sudo systemctl enable --now docker

# Create game server directory
sudo mkdir -p /opt/gameserver

# Install SteamCMD
sudo mkdir -p /opt/steamcmd
curl -sqL "https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz" | sudo tar zxvf - -C /opt/steamcmd

# Server configuration
export VAC_SECURE="on"
export DIFFICULTY="Normal"
export SAVE_SLOT="1"
export VEGAN_MODE="off"
export VEGETARIAN_MODE="off"
export ALLOW_CHEATS="off"
export ALLOW_BUILDING_DESTRUCTION="on"
export TREE_REGROW="off"
export RESET_HOLES="off"
export ENEMIES_CREATIVE="off"
export REALISTIC_DAMAGE="off"
export INIT_TYPE="New"
export AUTOSAVE_INTERVAL="15"
export TARGET_FPS_IDLE="5"
export TARGET_FPS_ACTIVE="60"
export SHOW_LOGS="on"
export AUTO_UPDATE="1"

# Pull the container image
docker pull ghcr.io/ptero-eggs/yolks:wine_latest

Step 2

Install Server Files via SteamCMD

Download the The Forest dedicated server using Steam App ID 556450.

terminal

# Download The Forest server files (App ID: 556450)
/opt/steamcmd/steamcmd.sh \
  +force_install_dir /opt/gameserver \
  +login anonymous \
  +app_update 556450 validate \
  +quit

Step 3

Open Firewall Ports

The Forest requires 3 ports to be open for game traffic and queries.

terminal

sudo ufw allow 27016/udp
sudo ufw allow 27015/udp
sudo ufw allow 8766/udp

27016/UDP(PORT)27015/UDP(GAME_PORT)8766/UDP(STEAM_PORT)

Step 4

Launch the Server

Start the The Forest server using the configuration from Step 1.

Create the startup script

terminal

# Create the startup script
cat > /opt/gameserver/start.sh << 'EOF'
#!/bin/bash

# 1. Disable Wine sound to prevent ALSA errors
winetricks sound=disabled

# 2. Build Argument Array
PARAMS=(
"-batchmode"
"-nographics"
"-nosteamclient"
"-serverPasswordAdmin" ""
"-inittype" "New"
"-savefolderpath" "/home/container/TheForestDedicatedServer_Data"
"-configfilepath" "/home/container/TheForestDedicatedServer_Data/forest/config/config.cfg"
)

# 3. Start Server
echo "Starting The Forest Dedicated Server..."
xvfb-run --auto-servernum --server-args='-screen 0 640x480x24:32' wine ./TheForestDedicatedServer.exe "[@]}" 2>&1 | grep -v 'RenderTexture.Create failed'
EOF
chmod +x /opt/gameserver/start.sh

Run the container

terminal

docker run -d \
  --name the-forest-server \
  -p 27016:27016/udp \
  -p 27015:27015/udp \
  -p 8766:8766/udp \
  -e VAC_SECURE="on" \
  -e DIFFICULTY="Normal" \
  -e SAVE_SLOT="1" \
  -e VEGAN_MODE="off" \
  -e VEGETARIAN_MODE="off" \
  -e ALLOW_CHEATS="off" \
  -e ALLOW_BUILDING_DESTRUCTION="on" \
  -e TREE_REGROW="off" \
  -e RESET_HOLES="off" \
  -e ENEMIES_CREATIVE="off" \
  -e REALISTIC_DAMAGE="off" \
  -e INIT_TYPE="New" \
  -e AUTOSAVE_INTERVAL="15" \
  -e TARGET_FPS_IDLE="5" \
  -e TARGET_FPS_ACTIVE="60" \
  -e SHOW_LOGS="on" \
  -e AUTO_UPDATE="1" \
  -v /opt/gameserver:/opt/gameserver \
  -w /opt/gameserver \
  ghcr.io/ptero-eggs/yolks:wine_latest \
  ./start.sh

Or skip all of this

GameCP automates every step above: Docker, SteamCMD, port forwarding, startup, and config. Install on your own PC and deploy a The Forest server in under 5 minutes.

Deploy with GameCP

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Host The Forest from your own computer. Automatic port forwarding. Zero config.

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# Update system and install Docker sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y docker.io sudo systemctl enable --now docker # Create game server directory sudo mkdir -p /opt/gameserver # Install SteamCMD sudo mkdir -p /opt/steamcmd curl -sqL "https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz" | sudo tar zxvf - -C /opt/steamcmd # Server configuration export VAC_SECURE="on" export DIFFICULTY="Normal" export SAVE_SLOT="1" export VEGAN_MODE="off" export VEGETARIAN_MODE="off" export ALLOW_CHEATS="off" export ALLOW_BUILDING_DESTRUCTION="on" export TREE_REGROW="off" export RESET_HOLES="off" export ENEMIES_CREATIVE="off" export REALISTIC_DAMAGE="off" export INIT_TYPE="New" export AUTOSAVE_INTERVAL="15" export TARGET_FPS_IDLE="5" export TARGET_FPS_ACTIVE="60" export SHOW_LOGS="on" export AUTO_UPDATE="1" # Pull the container image docker pull ghcr.io/ptero-eggs/yolks:wine_latest

# Create the startup script cat > /opt/gameserver/start.sh << 'EOF' #!/bin/bash # 1. Disable Wine sound to prevent ALSA errors winetricks sound=disabled # 2. Build Argument Array PARAMS=( "-batchmode" "-nographics" "-nosteamclient" "-serverPasswordAdmin" "" "-inittype" "New" "-savefolderpath" "/home/container/TheForestDedicatedServer_Data" "-configfilepath" "/home/container/TheForestDedicatedServer_Data/forest/config/config.cfg" ) # 3. Start Server echo "Starting The Forest Dedicated Server..." xvfb-run --auto-servernum --server-args='-screen 0 640x480x24:32' wine ./TheForestDedicatedServer.exe "[@]}" 2>&1 | grep -v 'RenderTexture.Create failed' EOF chmod +x /opt/gameserver/start.sh

docker run -d \ --name the-forest-server \ -p 27016:27016/udp \ -p 27015:27015/udp \ -p 8766:8766/udp \ -e VAC_SECURE="on" \ -e DIFFICULTY="Normal" \ -e SAVE_SLOT="1" \ -e VEGAN_MODE="off" \ -e VEGETARIAN_MODE="off" \ -e ALLOW_CHEATS="off" \ -e ALLOW_BUILDING_DESTRUCTION="on" \ -e TREE_REGROW="off" \ -e RESET_HOLES="off" \ -e ENEMIES_CREATIVE="off" \ -e REALISTIC_DAMAGE="off" \ -e INIT_TYPE="New" \ -e AUTOSAVE_INTERVAL="15" \ -e TARGET_FPS_IDLE="5" \ -e TARGET_FPS_ACTIVE="60" \ -e SHOW_LOGS="on" \ -e AUTO_UPDATE="1" \ -v /opt/gameserver:/opt/gameserver \ -w /opt/gameserver \ ghcr.io/ptero-eggs/yolks:wine_latest \ ./start.sh