Sons of the Forest dedicatedserver.cfg Settings

Where to edit, and what to copy first

The first boot creates the file, plus ownerswhitelist.txt, Saves and SonsGameSettings. Default path:

C:\Users\<user>\AppData\LocalLow\Endnight\SonsOfTheForestDS

If the start script contains -userdatapath, open that directory instead. Stop the process, copy the whole user-data folder off the machine, then edit. A word processor that replaces quotation marks will make the server refuse to start, and the console will say so.

No key is required. A missing key falls back to its default. Key order does not matter. Text is quoted; numbers and booleans are not. A comma after the last key is invalid. One bullet in the Steam Community guide mentions a semicolon. That is not valid JSON. Ignore it.

The installation guide covers SteamCMD and the first boot. This page assumes the file already exists.

Settings that actually change the session

Leave IpAddress at 0.0.0.0 unless you know which interface should listen. MaxPlayers is an integer from 1 to 8. Password can be up to 40 characters; an empty string leaves the server open. LanOnly: true removes it from Internet search.

SaveSlot is an integer of 1 or more. SaveMode accepts continue or new. The generated file writes Continue. In continue mode the slot loads if it exists and is created once if it does not. In new mode the slot is rewritten every time the server stops and starts again. Use new only for a disposable world, then switch back before players return.

GameMode accepts normal, hard, hardsurvival, peaceful, creative and custom. It is ignored when an existing slot is loaded. You cannot retune an inhabited island by rewriting this key. That needs a new slot, which means a new game.

SaveInterval is in seconds. IdleDayCycleSpeed is a multiplier from 0 to 1 when nobody is connected. IdleTargetFramerate is at least 1 and ActiveTargetFramerate at least 10. Logs go to the logs folder when LogFilesEnabled is true.

GameSettings applies in every mode. The source guide documents Gameplay.TreeRegrowth and Structure.Damage, both booleans. CustomGameModeSettings is read only when the mode is custom and the slot is created at that moment. On a save already running in continue mode, that block is skipped.

Custom mode: what the example file contains

Official example, only for a fresh slot:

"CustomGameModeSettings": {
  "GameSetting.Multiplayer.Cheats": false,
  "GameSetting.Multiplayer.PvpDamage": "Normal",
  "GameSetting.Vail.EnemySpawn": true,
  "GameSetting.Vail.EnemyHealth": "Normal",
  "GameSetting.Environment.StartingSeason": "Summer",
  "GameSetting.Environment.DayLength": "Default",
  "GameSetting.Survival.CreativeMode": false
}

GameSetting.Multiplayer.PvpDamage appears in the example JSON, not in the allowed-values table. Leave it at Normal until you have compared it with a custom world created in the game. The source guide also names container food, single-use containers, cuttings and one-hit trees. Copy those key names from the guide instead of guessing.

Command line, validation, failures

Any key can be overridden at launch:

SonsOfTheForestDS.exe -dedicatedserver.ServerName "Friends island" -dedicatedserver.MaxPlayers "4"

If a control panel passes the same -dedicatedserver.* arguments, the file is ignored for those keys. Read the real launch command before deciding the JSON "does not apply".

After an edit: the self-test should pass, the browser name should be the new one, a non-owner should be able to join, and a restart should load the same slot. If the console says the configuration is invalid, restore the copy and change one key at a time. If it names an out-of-range value, that field is the one to fix. If the world is empty while Saves still exists, SaveMode is still new, or -userdatapath is not the folder you edited.

UDP ports and the network test are in the server not showing guide. Moving Saves is covered in the migration guide.

Common questions