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For the defaults listed by the Official The Forest Wiki, use 27016 as the query port for Steam Favorites, 27015 as the game port for direct connection, and 8766 for Steam communication. A server configured with different values will require those values instead.
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What you need before joining
Ask the server owner for the complete connection details rather than relying on a port from a random tutorial. At minimum, obtain:
- The server’s public IP address or hostname.
- The query port if you are adding the server to Steam Favorites.
- The game port if you are entering the address inside The Forest.
- The game build the host is running, especially if the server was recently installed or updated.
- Any password or access restriction the host has configured.
Do not assume that the game port and query port are interchangeable. They serve different traffic. A server can be running correctly while a connection attempt fails because the right address was paired with the wrong port.
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If you operate the server yourself, read its current configuration file before giving anyone an address. The values in that file take precedence over defaults quoted by older setup guides.
Choose the connection method
| Method | What you enter | When it is useful | Host-side requirement highlighted by the available guides |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam server browser Favorites | IP address and query port, written as IP:QueryPort |
When the server can be queried and you want it saved in Steam’s list | A valid Steam game server account token may be needed for public browser visibility |
| In-game direct connect | IP address and game port | When the server is not listed publicly or you already know its address | Requires the game port to be reachable from the internet; it does not depend on finding the server in the public list |
The first route depends on a successful server query. The second route bypasses the listing step, but it still depends on the game port, routing and firewall configuration being correct. Menu names can differ between builds; use the closest equivalent label shown by your installation.
Method 1: Add the server to Steam Favorites
This is the browser-based procedure described by a host knowledge-base guide. It uses the query port, not the game port.
- Open the Steam client.
- Select View in the top menu, then choose Game Servers.
- Open the Favorites tab.
- Choose Add a Server.
- Enter the server address in the form
IP:QueryPort. For a server using the wiki-listed default query port, the second part is27016; replace it if the host’s configuration uses another value. - Add the address and wait for Steam to query it.
- When the server appears in Favorites, select it and use the available join command.
If Steam accepts the address but shows no server, that does not prove the machine is offline. The query service may be on another port, blocked by a firewall, absent from the public listing, or still starting. Confirm the query-port value with the host before changing anything on your computer.
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A public listing is a separate issue from a server being reachable by a known address. One host guide states that serverSteamAccount, a Steam game server login token (GSLT), must be set in config.cfg for public Steam-browser visibility. Without that token, the server is mainly reachable through direct connection. Treat this as a host configuration requirement, not as a setting a joining player can fix from Steam.
Method 2: Connect from inside The Forest
Use this route when the host gives you an IP and game port, or when the server does not appear in Steam’s public list.
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- Choose Multiplayer.
- Select Join Game.
- Look for a Direct Connect or Enter IP control. The wording can vary by game build.
- Enter the server IP and the game port supplied by the host. On an installation using the wiki-listed default, the game port is
27015. - Submit the address and wait for the connection attempt to complete.
One Steam community guide places the manual-address option under the Friends or LAN tab when the server is not auto-listed. If your build does not show a button named Direct Connect, check those tabs for an equivalent IP-entry control rather than concluding that the feature is absent.
Use the game port here even if the query port works in Steam. A query response only demonstrates that Steam can ask the server for information; it is not the same as establishing the game session.
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Default ports and how to interpret them
The Official The Forest Wiki, identified in the available material as the official wiki, lists these defaults:
| Configuration name | Default value listed | Traffic described | How a player uses it |
|---|---|---|---|
serverSteamPort |
8766 | Steam communication | Normally handled by the server and its network rules rather than typed into the join field |
serverGamePort |
27015 | Game communication | Use with the IP for in-game direct connection |
serverQueryPort |
27016 | Query communication | Use with the IP in Steam Favorites |
These values have medium confidence because they were read from a search-result snippet rather than a full configuration reference. Older setup articles quote different ports, so the server’s own config.cfg is authoritative for that installation.
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A separate host guide lists 27015–27030, 8766 and 80 as ports to forward using both TCP and UDP. That list is low-to-medium confidence, and the inclusion of port 80 is unusual and was not verified against the wiki values. Do not forward an entire range or port 80 simply because an old guide mentions it. Have the host compare the guide with the ports actually configured by the current server build and then open only the required protocol and port.
What the host must configure for public visibility
If a server owner wants players to find the machine in Steam’s public browser, the host guide says to set a Steam game server account token in the server configuration:
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- Open the server’s
config.cfg. - Locate the
serverSteamAccountsetting. - Enter the server’s valid GSLT value in that setting, following the syntax already used by the configuration file.
- Save the file and restart the dedicated server so it reads the change.
- Verify the configured query and game ports before sending connection details to players.
The available material does not establish a current token-creation workflow or a current game-build-specific configuration editor, so do not copy a token procedure from an unrelated game. The important distinction is that the GSLT affects public Steam-browser registration; it is not a substitute for forwarding the game and query ports.
If the host does not use a token, give players the direct-connect address and game port instead of promising that the server will appear in the public list.
Troubleshoot a server that is missing or unreachable
The server is absent from Steam Favorites
- Confirm that the address was entered as
IP:QueryPort, not with the game port. For the wiki-listed defaults, that meansIP:27016. - Ask the host to read
serverQueryPortfrom the active configuration. A value from an older tutorial may no longer match. - Check whether the host configured
serverSteamAccount. The host guide associates that setting with public Steam-browser visibility. - Have the host verify that the query port is forwarded to the dedicated-server machine and allowed through its firewall.
- Try direct connection with the game port. A missing browser entry and an unreachable game session are different failures.
Direct Connect fails immediately
- Verify that you entered the game port, not the query port. The wiki-listed default game port is
27015. - Confirm the public IP or hostname. A private address that works inside the host’s home network will not necessarily work for an internet player.
- Ask the host whether the server is fully started and listening on the configured game port.
- Check the host’s router forwarding and local firewall rules against the values in
config.cfg, including the required protocol. - If the host recently changed ports, remove any saved old Favorite entry and use the new address exactly as supplied.
The server works on LAN but not over the internet
A February 2018 Steam forum thread describes a server that could be joined over LAN but not through the internet list even after ports were forwarded. That report is old and may predate later builds, but it identifies an important diagnostic split: test from a genuinely external network, not only from another device on the same router. If LAN works while an outside connection fails, recheck public addressing, forwarding, firewall rules, the query/game-port distinction and the current build before assuming the player-side game is at fault.
The game has no visible Direct Connect button
Menu labels are not established consistently across the available guides. Start at Multiplayer → Join Game, then inspect the Friends or LAN tab for an Enter IP-style option. Do not apply instructions for Sons of the Forest: that is a different game, and a forum discussion about its lack of an IP mode does not establish anything about The Forest.
A port number from a guide does not work
Older guides use values that differ from the wiki-listed defaults. The number 2026 is not listed as a default in any of the available sources. If a host deliberately chose 2026, it would have to be assigned explicitly in the server configuration, forwarded to the server machine, and entered in the connection string in the role the host assigned it. A player should not substitute 2026 for 27015 or 27016 without confirmation from the host.
A practical handoff checklist
Before attempting a join, the player and host should agree on the same four facts:
- The public IP address or hostname.
- Which number is the game port.
- Which number is the query port.
- Whether the server is intended to be found in Steam’s public browser or joined only by address.
Use Steam Favorites with IP:QueryPort when the query service and browser registration are working. Use in-game direct connect with IP:GamePort when the host supplies a reachable address but the server is not listed. If either route fails, compare the supplied values with the live config.cfg and test from outside the host’s local network.
Which method should you use?
For a server that is publicly registered and has a working query service, Favorites is convenient because Steam stores the address. For a private, unlisted or troubleshooting-stage server, direct connect is the more direct test because it does not require a public browser entry. Neither method can correct a wrong port, an unreachable public address or a host-side forwarding problem; those must be fixed where the server is configured.
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