The Forest Dedicated Server Not Showing or Can't Join: Fixes

When The Forest dedicated server does not show up, the usual cause is the query port: players and Steam find the server on serverQueryPort (27016 by default), not the game port 27015, and if that port is blocked or someone adds the wrong one to Steam favorites, the server looks dead. The other common causes are a missing Steam token in serverSteamAccount (which also produces "incorrect password" and lost inventories), Windows Firewall blocking TheForestDedicatedServer.exe, and players on a Steam beta branch. Work through the fixes below in order.

This guide is about The Forest (2018). Sons of the Forest uses a different server, covered in Sons of the Forest can't join dedicated server.

How players are supposed to find the server

There are two ways in, and it helps to know which one is failing.

From inside the game: Multiplayer, Join Game, switch the list to the dedicated servers (Dedicated (Internet)), find the name, click Join, enter the password.

From Steam: in the Steam client open View, Game Servers, the Favorites tab, click the + (Add a server) and enter the server address with the query port, for example 203.0.113.10:27016. Steam queries it, shows the name and player count, and Connect launches The Forest straight into it.

If the Steam favorite shows the server with its name and the in game list does not, the server is fine and the problem is the in game list or a filter. If the Steam favorite also shows nothing, the query port is not reachable.

Fix 1: Use the query port, not the game port

The Forest's config has three ports:

A favorite added as IP:27015 will never answer, because nothing is listening for Steam queries there. This is the single most common reason a working server looks invisible. Re-read the query port from your config (or your host's panel) and add the favorite again with that port.

If you run several game servers on one PC, give each a different set. Two servers fighting over 27015 or 27016 means one of them fails to register.

Fix 2: Open all three ports and the firewall

On a home PC, forward UDP 8766, 27015 and 27016 to the server PC's local address, and allow TheForestDedicatedServer.exe through Windows Defender Firewall for both private and public networks. Many older guides list a wider range (TCP and UDP 27015 to 27030, plus 8766), which also works if you would rather open more than you need. Our port forwarding guide and Windows Firewall rules guide cover both steps.

Set serverIP in Server.cfg to the server PC's local IPv4 address (the 192.168.x.x one from ipconfig), not your public address. A wrong serverIP makes the server bind to an address the PC does not have.

Also turn off any VPN on the server PC. A server with two active connections can advertise itself on the wrong one, and the Steam query check fails with a "server set up incorrectly" style message.

Fix 3: Add the Steam token

The server needs a Steam game server login token in serverSteamAccount. Without it the server still starts, but you get a cluster of strange problems:

• "Incorrect password" when the password is right.
• Players spawning back in the plane with an empty inventory.
• The server registering poorly or not at all with Steam.

Create the token at steamcommunity.com/dev/managegameservers with app ID 242760 (the game, not the server's 556450), paste it into serverSteamAccount, and restart. One token per server. Also check that steam_appid.txt next to the server executable contains 242760. The full setup is in how to host The Forest dedicated server.

Fix 4: Look in the right list

When the server is on the same network as you, it appears under Dedicated (LAN), not Dedicated (Internet). That is normal. Your friends outside the house will see it in the internet list. If you can see it on LAN and they cannot see it on the internet list, go back to Fix 1 and Fix 2.

If you need to join your own home server through its public address and it fails while friends get in fine, your router does not support NAT loopback (also called hairpinning). Join from the LAN list instead.

Fix 5: Everyone on the public branch

The dedicated server runs the public build. A player who opted into a beta in Steam (Properties, Betas) is on a different version and cannot join. Set them back to None and let Steam update. After an Endnight patch, also update the server itself (SteamCMD app 556450 with validate) so it matches.

Fix 6: Joins, then the world is wrong or empty

This one is a save problem, not a network one, but it often gets reported as "can't join":

• Fresh world after every restart: initType is still New. Set it to Continue once the world exists.
• Structures missing after joining: restart the server and rejoin. The Steam troubleshooting guides report this clears it.
• Lost inventories: missing token, see Fix 3.

Save before you restart with the admin /save command. Our The Forest admin commands guide lists it with the rest.

Quick symptom table

The version without the router work

Most of these fixes exist because a home PC is behind a router and a firewall. A The Forest server from GamezServers has its own address with the ports open, and the panel shows the Query Port, which is the one to give friends for Steam favorites. We create the Steam server token for you, so the token problems in Fix 3 do not happen. Name, password, admin password, difficulty, VAC and Init Type are panel fields, and Auto Update keeps the server on the current build. The world stays up when the host goes to bed, and up to 10 friends can split the bill.

FAQ

What port do I use to join The Forest dedicated server?

The query port, 27016 by default. Add the server to Steam favorites as IP:27016, not the game port 27015.

Why does my Forest server say incorrect password?

Usually the server has no Steam token in serverSteamAccount, or steam_appid.txt does not contain 242760. Add the token for app 242760 and restart.

Why do players respawn in the plane with nothing?

The server cannot save player progress without a Steam token. Add one and the inventories persist from then on.

Can I connect to The Forest server by IP?

Yes, through Steam: View, Game Servers, Favorites, add the IP with the query port, then Connect.

Why can I see my server under LAN but my friends cannot see it?

Your PC finds it on the local network, but the internet cannot reach the query port. Forward UDP 8766, 27015 and 27016 and allow the server through the firewall.