Sons of the Forest Server Not Showing: Ports and Network Test
Use the dedicated server's own self-test line before changing the router. Startup, UDP and the public list fail for different reasons.
The dedicated server refuses to finish booting when its self-test fails, and the console names the failure. Treat that sentence as the ticket. Opening the default game port while the log says the config file is invalid does not put the server in the browser.
Installation stays in the SteamCMD guide. Key-by-key JSON is in the dedicatedserver.cfg guide.
Match the console line
The server stops startup on the first failed check. These are the documented messages:
| Console line | Fix that, then restart |
|---|---|
| Server configuration doesn't exist | A default dedicatedserver.cfg was just created. Edit it and start again. |
| Server owners whitelist doesn't exist | ownerswhitelist.txt was created empty. One SteamID64 per line. |
| Game settings couldn't be deserialized | SonsGameSettings is not valid JSON. Revert that file. Leave Saves alone. |
| Dedicated Server configuration file is invalid | dedicatedserver.cfg failed to parse, or a value is out of range. The log names the field. |
| Failed to get public ip from Steam | Steam could not read a public IPv4 address. Only IPv4 is officially supported. |
| UDP is closed | The tested UDP port is not reachable. Firewall, forward, or the LAN address is wrong. |
If the window scrolls past the line, set LogFilesEnabled to true and read logs in the user-data folder. -verboseLogging is a temporary switch. Editing StartSOTFDedicated.bat itself can be overwritten the next time Steam validates the install.
Which UDP port is actually closed
Documented defaults: 8766 gameplay, 27016 Steam query and discovery, 9700 BlobSync. All three are UDP. A server can show up and still fail while a player loads if BlobSync never gets through. After you change the three keys, forward the new numbers, not the defaults you remember.
Allow the program or those ports on the host firewall, then forward them to a stable LAN address. A website that probes TCP can report a healthy UDP service as closed. Use the self-test, then a client that is not on the server's own network.
LanOnly: true hides the server from Internet search. It does not repair a closed port.
Same building versus a real outside client
Without NAT loopback, the source guide says the dedicated browser may stay empty when the game runs on the same LAN as the server, and joins have to use the LAN browser. A phone on mobile data answers that faster than another forward rule.
If the machine has several network adapters, Steam can advertise the wrong one. The guide's confirmation step is to disable the extra adapters briefly, retry, then turn them back on.
SkipNetworkAccessibilityTest is the only check the guide lets you skip, and it says not to. The process can stay up without proving the ports. If an outside client still cannot join, set the flag back to false.
No public IPv4, which includes many carrier-grade NAT connections, is the Steam IP error. Forwarding on the home router does not create a public address. Whether a host gives you one is something you read on that host, not something this page promises.
Don't wreck the save while testing
Copy the user-data folder before editing JSON. Leave SaveMode on Continue. Switching it to new to "see if the network works" overwrites the slot. The world and the server list are separate failures.
A useful order: the process stays up with no config error; a LAN client joins; an outside client joins; the name appears in the dedicated browser. Direct connect works and the list stays empty: look at QueryPort, LanOnly and the Steam announcement, not at the island.
Moving Saves is the migration guide. Host offers are on the Sons of the Forest comparison. They do not replace the console line.
Skip the home router test
Compare hosts that show the ports they open and let you read the server logs.
Questions
The server is listed, but the password is rejected.
Should the forward be TCP?
I host and play on the same PC and cannot see the server.
Source: Steam Community dedicated-server configuration guide by Dishmink and a collaborator, sections covering ports, self-test and LAN.
Ready to launch your Sons of the Forest server?
Here are the best Sons of the Forest hosting deals right now, promo codes included. Still unsure? Our quiz finds the ideal host for you in under 2 minutes.
Sons of the Forest
OptiNAS
Specifications
Compatible games
Features
- ✓Environ 6 joueurs
- ✓Minimum : 3 vCPU et 8 Go de RAM
- ✓Conseillé : 3 vCPU et 8 Go de RAM
- ✓Plugins et mods possibles selon le jeu
- +2 more features