How to Join The Forest Server - Server Hosting Guide

The Forest is a survival horror game developed by Endnight Games. Players find themselves stranded in a dense forest after a plane crash and must survive by gathering resources, building shelter, and fighting off hostile creatures. The Forest features highly intelligent AI that will react to your actions, with enemies using advanced tactics to undermine your base.

Connecting to a dedicated server for The Forest requires a quick setup step using Steam and configuring your connection ports to make your server visible on the public list. Let us get your server authenticated and your survival journey started!

Step 1: Generate a Steam Account Token

For your server to show up in the in-game browser, it needs a dedicated server token from Steam.

1. Navigate to the MintServers Dashboard at https://mintservers.com/dashboard and log into your account.
2. Click on your The Forest server and select Open Game Panel.
3. Navigate to the Game Settings (or Startup) tab on the left-hand menu.
4. In a new browser window, go to the official Steam Game Server Account Management page at https://steamcommunity.com/dev/managegameservers and log in.
5. In the App ID section at the bottom, input 242760 (this is the specific game ID for The Forest).
6. Within the Memo field, optionally input a name to help identify your server token.
7. Press the Create button to generate your Steam account token.
8. Copy the long Login Token that was just generated.
9. Head back to your MintServers panel and paste that Login Token into the Steam Account Token field.

Step 2: Configure Your Server Name and Ports

Now that your server is authenticated, you need to set up your display name and two very important network ports so players can actually connect.

1. While still in your settings tab, locate the Server Name field and change the name to something unique and memorable.
2. Next, locate the Steam Port and [Connection Port] Query Port fields.
3. You must assign a valid port to both of these fields (you can generate extra ports in the Network tab of your panel if needed). The Query Port is especially critical, as this is the primary port used for finding and connecting to the server!
4. Return to the Console tab and Start your server to apply the new configuration.

Step 3: Launch The Forest and Connect

With the server running, ports configured, and token authenticated, it is time to join!

1. Open The Forest on your computer.
2. From the main menu, choose the Multiplayer option.
3. Choose Join Game to browse available servers.
4. Select Dedicated (Internet) to search for player-hosted dedicated servers.
5. In the search filter, type the exact name of the server you set in Step 2.
6. Once your server appears on the list, click the Join button to connect and begin your survival horror experience!

If you have followed all these steps and your server is still hiding from the public list, no worries! Just open a support ticket and our team will gladly jump in and help you get your token and ports configured properly.