The Forest has two multiplayer models: ordinary host-based co-op and a separate dedicated-server tool. In a normal co-op game, one player’s computer hosts the world, and up to eight players can play in that session. That host must be running the session for the world to be available. A dedicated server runs as its own process, allowing the world to stay online while the original player is away.
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The two ways to play multiplayer
Multiplayer in The Forest is not one single server system. Your group can either join a friend’s hosted game or connect to a separately configured dedicated server. The choice determines who keeps the world available, how much setup is required, and which administrative controls you get.
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In the standard model, one player chooses multiplayer hosting and becomes both the session host and the active server. The host’s computer runs the game world while friends join through the game’s multiplayer flow. This is a peer-to-peer arrangement rather than a permanently running public server.
The model is deliberately simple: start a multiplayer session, invite the group, play, and save the world. It is usually the right choice when a small group plays at the same time and nobody needs access to the world between scheduled sessions.
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Dedicated server
A dedicated server is a separate server process made available through the game’s dedicated-server tool. It can remain running without the player who originally created the world being logged into an ordinary co-op session. That makes it suitable for groups that want an always-available world or different players to come and go on their own schedules.
The dedicated-server feature was introduced as experimental support in version 0.59. The version notes recommended peer-to-peer play while the feature was still being refined, so treat that history as important context rather than a promise that every current installation behaves identically. The server tool also requires more administration than a normal hosted game.
How a normal hosted co-op session works
- Choose a host. One player starts the multiplayer hosting flow. That player’s computer will run the active world for the session.
- Start or load the world. The host creates a new multiplayer game or loads a previously saved multiplayer world.
- Invite or accept players. Friends join through the game’s multiplayer options while the host is running the session.
- Play within the host’s session. The host’s machine handles the live game state. Connection quality and availability therefore depend on that computer and its network connection.
- Save before stopping. The host should save the multiplayer world before leaving. On a later play day, the host reloads that save and hosts it again.
The game’s published description says, “Crash land alone, or with friends in up to 8 player cooperative multiplayer.” That eight-player figure is the documented ceiling for the standard setup. It refers to one co-op session, not eight separate players each running their own copy of the world.
Does the host have to be online?
For ordinary host-based co-op, yes. The host’s running game is the session’s server, so when the host leaves, that live server closes. Other players cannot continue joining or playing in that same live world while it is offline.
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This does not mean the world is permanently lost. The host can later start the game, reload the saved multiplayer world, and host it again. The practical limitation is availability: friends cannot enter that world independently while the host is away.
A dedicated server changes this relationship. If the dedicated-server process remains running, players can connect without the original co-op host actively playing. The machine running the process still has to be powered on, connected, and correctly configured; “host does not need to be in the game” is not the same as “the world runs without any computer online.”
How many players can play?
The documented maximum is eight players in cooperative multiplayer. The dedicated-server configuration also lists serverPlayers 8 as its default maximum. Use eight as the documented ceiling for an unmodified, standard setup.
That number should not be extended to every platform, community modification, or unofficial configuration. Platform-specific limits and cross-play behavior were not established here, so do not assume that players on different platforms can join the same session or that a modified server will preserve the same limit.
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What a dedicated server adds
A dedicated server separates the world from an individual’s active co-op game. Instead of one player hosting from the normal game menu, an administrator runs the dedicated-server software and configures the world it should load.
Persistence independent of the original host
The primary benefit is continuity. A server process can stay online after the person who set it up disconnects. Players can therefore use the same world at different times, provided they know how to find and access the server.
Administrative settings
The documented configuration exposes controls that ordinary host-based play does not present in the same form:
- Steam communication port:
8766 - Game communication port:
27015 - Query port:
27016 - Maximum players, with
serverPlayers 8shown as the default - Server and administrator passwords
- Difficulty values including
Peaceful,Normal,Hard, andHardSurvival - World initialization through
initType, usingNeworContinue - Five save-slot choices
- Autosave interval settings; the configuration example shows a 15-minute minimum/default
These options make a dedicated server more flexible, but they also create more ways to make a configuration error. A password protects access; it does not replace correct port or save settings.
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Dedicated-server setup: a practical sequence
The exact installer and interface can vary with the tool version. The following sequence follows the documented configuration concepts without assuming an unverified platform-specific menu.
- Install the dedicated-server tool. Obtain the separate server tool associated with The Forest and install it on a computer that can remain online. The dedicated-server feature originated as experimental version-0.59 functionality, so confirm that the tool and game build are compatible.
- Choose the network ports. Record the Steam communication port
8766, game communication port27015, and query port27016shown in the documentation. Do not change them casually; if you choose different values, every firewall and router rule must use the new values. - Set the player limit. Leave
serverPlayers 8if you want the documented eight-player ceiling, or set a lower value for a smaller private group. - Protect administration. Configure the server password and administrator password separately where the tool provides both. Share the player password only with the people who should join.
- Select difficulty. Choose one of the supported values:
Peaceful,Normal,Hard, orHardSurvival. - Choose the world action. Set
initTypetoNewwhen initializing a fresh world. UseContinuewhen the server should resume an existing save. Selecting the wrong option can make the server start a new world when the group expected its established one. - Choose a save slot. The tool provides five save-slot choices. Pick one deliberately and document it for anyone else administering the server.
- Set autosave behavior. Configure the autosave interval. The supplied configuration example uses a 15-minute minimum/default; verify the value shown by your installed tool before relying on it.
- Configure the router and firewall. Players behind a router may need port forwarding for the configured ports. The server’s internal IP address is different from the public address that remote players use, so create forwarding rules for the correct internal machine and allow the server through the computer’s firewall.
- Start and test the process. Launch the server, then test from a client that is not running the server process. If the server does not appear in the in-game browser, use Steam server favorites to add and find it outside that browser.
Port forwarding is not a cosmetic step. A server can be running correctly on the local network yet remain unreachable from the internet if the router forwards to the wrong internal address, the firewall blocks the ports, or the public address has changed.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Saving and continuing a world
Hosted co-op saves
In a normal co-op game, the host owns the practical continuity of the session. Save before stopping, then have the same host reload the multiplayer world when the group meets again. If the host starts a different save or a new multiplayer game, friends will not be joining the previous world.
Dedicated-server saves
A dedicated server uses its own save configuration. The save slot and autosave settings determine which world the process writes and how often it records progress. To resume an existing world, use initType Continue and select the intended save slot. Use New only when you intentionally want a fresh world.
Administrators should keep a record of the selected slot and make backups before changing server settings or updating the tool. The configuration gives you persistence, but it also means a mistaken slot or initialization value can affect the world independently of any player’s local save.
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| Need | Host-based co-op | Dedicated server |
|---|---|---|
| Fastest setup | Start a multiplayer session and invite friends. | Install, configure, network, and maintain the server tool. |
| Friends playing while the original host is offline | Poor fit; the host session ends when the host leaves. | Strong fit while the server process remains online. |
| Administrative controls | Basic game-host options. | Passwords, ports, save slots, difficulty, autosave, and server commands. |
| Technical maintenance | Low; the host mainly needs to launch and save the game. | Higher; ports, firewall rules, updates, uptime, and backups matter. |
| Small group that always meets together | Usually sufficient. | Often unnecessary unless persistence is important. |
| Different schedules or an always-available world | Awkward because access follows the host. | Designed for independent access while the process is online. |
Choose host-based co-op when simplicity matters more than 24-hour availability. Choose a dedicated server when the world must outlive one player’s play session and someone is willing to handle network and save administration.
Troubleshooting common multiplayer problems
Friends cannot join a hosted game
- Confirm that the host has actually started the multiplayer session rather than loading a single-player world.
- Check that the host is still in the game; leaving closes the ordinary session.
- Have the host reload the correct multiplayer save if the group is returning to an established world.
- Do not assume a platform or cross-play mismatch can be fixed through an invitation; platform-specific behavior was not established in the available documentation.
The dedicated server is running but nobody can connect
- Verify that the server process is listening on the configured Steam, game, and query ports:
8766,27015, and27016in the documented example. - Check the computer firewall and router forwarding rules.
- Make sure forwarding points to the server’s current internal IP address, not the public address shown to remote players.
- Test discovery through Steam server favorites if the in-game browser does not list the server.
- Confirm that the password being entered is the player password, not the administrator password.
The old world does not load
- Check that
initTypeis set toContinue, notNew. - Verify the selected save slot; the dedicated server has five choices.
- Stop the process before changing save configuration, then restart it and test again.
- Keep a backup of the server’s save data before experimenting with initialization or updates.
The server starts a new world unexpectedly
The most likely configuration cause is an initialization setting that tells the process to create a new world. Stop the server, select the intended save slot, set initType Continue, and restart. If the save is not present in that slot, do not overwrite other files while troubleshooting; first identify which slot contains the group’s world.
Important limits and uncertainties
The eight-player limit, host behavior, dedicated-server settings, and version-0.59 history are documented. Current platform-by-platform differences, cross-play support, present-day server-provider pricing, and current affiliate availability were not established by the available material. Do not treat the standard eight-player figure as proof that every console, modified server, or cross-platform combination behaves identically.
No specific physical accessory is required by the multiplayer model itself. A computer capable of running the game, a reliable network connection, and— for a dedicated server—an online machine with suitable router and firewall access are the relevant practical requirements. Generic hardware purchases are not a substitute for correct server configuration.
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