Stop the server, edit its dedicatedserver.cfg, and set GameMode to normal, hard, or custom. Custom mode also requires values in CustomGameModeSettings. Create a new save slot after changing difficulty: these settings generally do not retrofit an existing world. Save the file, restart the server, and verify the new world loads with the intended rules.
The setting that controls server difficulty
A Sons of the Forest dedicated server uses the GameMode entry in dedicatedserver.cfg to select a preset difficulty. Guides currently report three values: normal, hard, and custom. The exact spelling and capitalization matter, so copy the value already shown by the configuration file or your host’s settings panel rather than improvising a variant.
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| Mode | What you change | When it takes effect | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
normal |
Set GameMode to normal. |
Use a new save slot; an existing world generally keeps its original difficulty. | A standard cooperative survival experience. |
hard |
Set GameMode to hard. |
Use a new save slot; do not assume an established world will be converted. | A tougher preset without individual rule tuning. |
custom |
Set GameMode to custom and edit CustomGameModeSettings. |
Custom values are intended for a new world. | Groups that want control over specific survival, enemy, or building rules. |
Configuration labels and accepted values are volatile. The file generated by your server is the practical authority for its current game build. An official developer configuration reference was not identified, and hosting guides do not all show identical sample files, so preserve the syntax and keys your installation supplies.
Before changing anything
Confirm that you have the right access
You need access to the dedicated server’s file manager, console, or control panel. On a self-managed installation this usually means access to the directory containing the server configuration. On a managed service, look for a startup, server settings, or configuration page that exposes the game mode. If the provider hides the file, use its documented configuration editor instead of creating a second file with a similar name.
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Schedule a short outage
Make the change while the server is completely stopped. One hosting guide warns that edits made while the process is running may be overwritten or fail to save correctly. Ask connected players to leave, stop the server from the panel or service manager, and wait until its status is fully offline before opening the file.
Back up the data directory
Copy the server’s data or save directory before changing a long-running world. This is a recommended recovery practice from hosting guidance, not an official requirement for changing GameMode. Keep the backup outside the live directory and give it a date-based name so you can identify the pre-change state.
Locate the generated configuration
The filename used by hosting guides is dedicatedserver.cfg. Its directory is not universal. Examples reported by guides include /serverconfig/, /saves/, and home/container/serverconfig/. Use your host’s file browser, the server startup documentation, or a filename search to locate the copy that the running service actually reads. Do not assume that a similarly named local file is active.
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Check the file’s format before editing
Sources describe samples in more than one format, including JSON-like files and key-value configuration files. Open the file in a plain-text editor and follow its existing punctuation, quote style, separators, and nesting. Change only the relevant value. Do not convert the whole file to another format, add comments that the parser may reject, or paste a sample from a different game version over your generated configuration.
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Change to normal or hard mode
The following procedure is the safest sequence for a preset difficulty. It deliberately includes the new-save step because changing a line in the file is not enough to transform an existing world.
- Stop the server completely. Confirm that the panel reports it as stopped rather than merely restarting or saving.
- Back up the data directory. Preserve the current saves and configuration before editing.
- Open
dedicatedserver.cfg. Use the file that belongs to the active server instance. - Find
GameMode. Keep the key’s existing spelling and surrounding syntax. - Set the value to
normalorhard. Do not add both values or leave the old value elsewhere in the file. If the file contains duplicate entries, resolve the duplicate according to the format shown by the generated file rather than guessing which one wins. - Save the file without changing its encoding or extension. A malformed file can prevent the server from starting.
- Create a new save slot. Select a fresh slot when starting the world. Guides consistently warn that difficulty changes generally apply to new saves, not an established world.
- Start or restart the server. Allow the service to finish loading before joining.
- Verify the result with a test connection. Check the startup log or panel for a configuration error, then join the newly created slot and confirm that the intended world loads.
If you simply restart an old save, the server may come online while that world continues using its original rules. That outcome does not necessarily mean the edit failed; it can mean the save was created before the new difficulty was selected.
Set a custom difficulty
Custom mode is a two-part change. GameMode must be custom, and CustomGameModeSettings must contain the individual rules you want. Setting only one of those entries is incomplete.
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Hosting guides show custom options such as enemy spawning, player immortality, and building resistance, but the exact key names and layout differ between guides. That difference is important: a key copied from another version may be ignored or may make the configuration invalid. Expand the CustomGameModeSettings section already present in your file and edit the entries it provides. If the section is missing, first regenerate or restore the host’s default configuration and inspect the newly generated file; do not invent a schema from memory.
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Apply custom settings in the correct order
- Stop the server and make a backup as described above.
- Open the active
dedicatedserver.cfg. - Set
GameModetocustom, preserving the file’s quoting and separator rules. - Inside
CustomGameModeSettings, change only the options your file documents. Review each value for the expected type, such as a number, Boolean, or text value, before saving. - Save and validate the file if your panel provides a configuration check. A syntax error should be corrected before starting the service.
- Create a new save slot. Custom settings are designed for world creation and generally do not alter an existing save.
- Restart the server, then inspect its log or panel for rejected keys and join the new slot for a practical check.
Keep a record of your rule set
Custom configurations can be difficult to reproduce if several players edit them over time. Keep a copy of the exact working file with the date, game version shown by your host, and a short description of the intended rules. This makes it easier to restore a known-good configuration after an update or a syntax mistake.
Why a new save slot is necessary
Difficulty and custom-world settings are generally read while a world is created. A save that already exists can retain the rules with which it was created even after GameMode changes in the server configuration. For that reason, treat a new save slot as part of the change, not as an optional test.
Starting fresh without deleting the old world
- Leave the backed-up original data untouched.
- Choose an unused save slot in the server’s save selection interface.
- Start the server with the edited mode.
- Have one administrator join first and confirm the world is the intended new slot.
- Keep the old slot available until the group agrees that the new settings work.
Do not overwrite the old slot merely to make the new difficulty appear. Overwriting removes your easiest rollback path and can make it harder to distinguish a configuration problem from a world-state problem.
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What happens to the old world
The existing world is normally still available in its original slot. It may continue to use its original difficulty when loaded. If your group must continue that exact world, make a backup and test the setting on a separate slot first; the available guidance does not establish a supported way to convert every existing world in place.
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Using a control panel instead of editing the file
Many providers expose GameMode in a startup or server-settings menu. The labels may be a dropdown, a text field, or an advanced configuration editor. Panel-specific paths vary, so use the controls your provider actually displays.
For a hosted Sons of the Forest server, Godlike.Host provides game-server hosting with a Pterodactyl-based game panel, free DDoS protection, and up to three free backups a day with restore. Its Sons of the Forest plans list 4, 12 and 20 slots; the server’s MaxPlayers setting allows 1 to 8 players (Steam Community server guide, 11 Oct 2026).
- Stop the server in the panel.
- Open the startup or settings page and select
normal,hard, orcustom. - If custom mode reveals additional controls, set the desired options there. If it exposes raw configuration, confirm that it writes
CustomGameModeSettingsas well asGameMode=custom. - Save the panel settings and wait for confirmation that they were written.
- Create a new save slot before starting the world.
- Restart the server and check the generated configuration or startup output when the panel permits it.
A panel is convenient, but it does not remove the save-scope limitation. Selecting a new mode in a menu does not retroactively convert an old world.
Verify that the new mode loaded
Verification should happen after the restart, not only in the editor. Use these checks in order:
- Configuration check: Reopen the active file or panel and confirm that
GameModehas the intended value. In custom mode, confirm thatCustomGameModeSettingsis present and populated with the values you selected. - Startup check: Review the server console or log for parse errors, unknown-key warnings, or a message indicating that defaults were used.
- Save-slot check: Confirm that the server created or opened the new slot rather than loading the old world.
- Gameplay check: Join with an administrator and test one or two rules that are safe to observe. Do not use a destructive test that could damage the new world.
- Persistence check: Stop and start once more only after the first test is successful, then confirm that the same slot and mode remain selected.
If the server starts but the world behaves as before, first check the save slot. A successful process restart does not prove that an existing save adopted the new difficulty.
Troubleshooting common failures
| Symptom | Likely cause | Action |
|---|---|---|
| The server ignores the edit. | The file was changed while the process was running, or the edited file is not the active copy. | Stop fully, locate the configuration generated for the running instance, make the edit, save, and restart. |
| The server will not start after saving. | Syntax, quoting, punctuation, encoding, or an unsupported key was introduced. | Restore the backup, compare the file with the generated version, and change one value at a time while preserving its original format. |
| The panel shows custom mode but no custom behavior appears. | GameMode was changed without valid CustomGameModeSettings, or the old save was loaded. |
Confirm both sections, create a fresh slot, and restart. |
| The new mode appears in the file but the old world is unchanged. | Difficulty settings generally apply at world creation. | Start a new save slot; retain the old slot for the previous rules. |
| A guide’s key does not exist in your file. | Sample configurations differ by game build or host. | Use the keys present in your generated file and avoid pasting an entire foreign sample. |
You cannot find dedicatedserver.cfg. |
The host uses a different directory or exposes only a panel editor. | Search the server files for the exact filename, check the host’s file browser, or use its startup/settings interface. |
| A custom value is rejected. | The value type or spelling does not match what the current file expects. | Revert that entry, inspect neighboring entries for the required format, and test one documented option at a time. |
Choosing between preset and custom difficulty
Choose normal when consistency matters most
Normal requires changing one setting and gives the group a preset baseline. It is the simplest choice when players have different technical comfort levels or when you want fewer configuration variables to troubleshoot.
Choose hard when you want a tougher preset
Hard also uses one GameMode value. It avoids the extra key-management work of custom mode, but it still belongs on a newly created save according to the available hosting guidance.
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Custom is appropriate when your group wants to tune individual behaviors rather than accept a preset. The trade-off is maintenance: every custom key must match the configuration format generated by your server, and the result should be tested on a disposable or new slot before the group commits to it.
| Decision question | Use a preset | Use custom |
|---|---|---|
| Do you need only an overall difficulty change? | Yes. Set normal or hard. |
Unnecessary complexity. |
| Do you need to tune individual enemy, player, or building rules? | Preset values may not provide that control. | Set custom and configure the generated settings section. |
| Is your host’s custom schema unclear? | Lower configuration risk. | Wait until the panel or generated file clearly identifies valid keys and value types. |
| Are you preserving an established world? | Neither option should be assumed to convert it. | Create and test a new slot first. |
Safe rollback procedure
If the server fails to start or the new world is not usable, stop it before making another edit. Restore the backed-up configuration and data only if you are certain the backup matches that server instance. Then start the old configuration and confirm that the original save loads. If you want to keep experimenting, copy the known-good file, change one setting, and use a separate save slot for each test.
Do not delete the original slot while troubleshooting. Keeping the old world and a dated configuration backup gives you two independent recovery points: one for save data and one for server settings.
One-page change checklist
- Identify the active server instance and its
dedicatedserver.cfg. - Confirm the generated file’s syntax and the exact accepted mode values.
- Stop the server completely.
- Back up the data directory and current configuration.
- Set
GameModetonormal,hard, orcustom. - For custom mode, edit the existing
CustomGameModeSettingsentries using their documented names and value types. - Save without changing the file format or extension.
- Create a new save slot rather than relying on an existing world.
- Restart the server.
- Check the startup output, selected slot, and a safe in-game behavior.
- Keep the old slot and backup until the group accepts the result.
The reliable sequence is therefore: stop, back up, edit the active configuration, create a new slot, restart, and verify. It works for preset modes and for custom mode, provided the custom settings match the file your server actually generates.
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