Sons of the Forest Server Configuration Files Explained

Your Sons of the Forest server is controlled by a small set of configuration files, most of which live in the same folder. This guide breaks down what each file does and walks through every setting inside your main configuration file, dedicatedserver.cfg.

⚠️ Important Warning: Always make sure your server is completely stopped before editing any configuration file. Editing files while the server is running can cause your changes to be lost or ignored.

Step 1: Finding Your Configuration Files

Log into your MintServers panel and click Stop to shut down your server.
Navigate to the Files tab on the left-hand sidebar.
Open the serverconfig folder. This is where your configuration files are kept.

    📁 server (your main server directory)
            📁 serverconfig
                    📄 dedicatedserver.cfg (main server configuration)

                    📄 ownerswhitelist.txt (list of server admins)

                    📄 SonsGameSettings (internal game settings, generally not edited directly)

                    📁 Saves (your world save data)

💡 Pro Tip: These files won't exist until your server has started at least once. If you don't see them yet, start your server briefly to generate the default files, then stop it again before editing.

Start Your Sons of The Forest ServerUnlimited RAM · Unlimited slots · From $9.99/month

Start My Server

Step 2: Understanding dedicatedserver.cfg

dedicatedserver.cfg is a JSON file that controls almost everything about how your server runs, from its name and player limit to difficulty and world generation settings. Below is the default file:

📄 dedicatedserver.cfg

{
  "IpAddress": "0.0.0.0",
  "GamePort": 8766,
  "QueryPort": 27016,
  "BlobSyncPort": 9700,
  "ServerName": "Sons Of The Forest Server (dedicated)",
  "MaxPlayers": 8,
  "Password": "",
  "LanOnly": false,
  "SaveSlot": 1,
  "SaveMode": "Continue",
  "GameMode": "Normal",
  "SaveInterval": 600,
  "IdleDayCycleSpeed": 0.0,
  "IdleTargetFramerate": 5,
  "ActiveTargetFramerate": 60,
  "LogFilesEnabled": false,
  "TimestampLogFilenames": true,
  "TimestampLogEntries": true,
  "GameSettings": {},
  "CustomGameModeSettings": {}
}

📌 JSON Formatting Rules: Keys and text values must be wrapped in quotation marks, numbers and true/false values must not be, and every setting except the last one in a section needs a comma at the end. A single missing quote or comma can prevent your entire server from starting, so double-check your formatting before saving.

Core Server Settings

🌐 Network & Identity

IpAddress — Listening interface for the server. Leave as 0.0.0.0 to listen on all interfaces.
GamePort — UDP port used for gameplay traffic. Default 8766.
QueryPort — UDP port used by Steam to list your server. Default 27016.
BlobSyncPort — UDP port used to sync game data between clients and server. Default 9700.
ServerName — The name shown in the in-game server browser.
LanOnly — Set to true to hide your server from the public internet listing and restrict it to LAN.

👥 Players & Access

MaxPlayers — Maximum simultaneous players. Accepts 1 through 8, the game's supported co-op ceiling.
Password — Requires players to enter this password before connecting. Leave as "" for no password, or set up to 40 characters.

💾 Save & Game Mode

SaveSlot — The save ID used when creating or loading a world. Must be 1 or higher.
SaveMode — "continue" loads the save on SaveSlot if it exists, or creates a new one if it doesn't. "new" always creates a fresh save on that slot, overwriting anything already there on every restart.
GameMode — Difficulty used when creating a new save: normal, hard, hardsurvival, peaceful, or custom. Ignored when loading an existing save.
SaveInterval — How often, in seconds, the server automatically saves. Default 600 (10 minutes).

⚙️ Performance & Logging

IdleDayCycleSpeed — Multiplier for how fast in-game time passes while no players are connected. Between 0 and 1.
IdleTargetFramerate — Target server framerate while idle (no players connected).
ActiveTargetFramerate — Target server framerate while active (one or more players connected).
LogFilesEnabled — Writes server logs to a /logs folder when set to true.
TimestampLogFilenames — When true, each server run creates a new timestamped log file instead of overwriting the last one.
TimestampLogEntries — Adds timestamps to individual lines within the log file.

Game Settings

The GameSettings block applies regardless of which GameMode you've selected:

📄 dedicatedserver.cfg (excerpt)

"GameSettings": {
  "Gameplay.TreeRegrowth": true,
  "Structure.Damage": true
}

Gameplay.TreeRegrowth — Enables automatic tree regrowth, which is triggered by sleeping.
Structure.Damage — Allows player-built structures to take damage.

Custom Game Mode Settings

When GameMode is set to "custom", the CustomGameModeSettings block lets you fine-tune difficulty and world settings individually. These settings are only read when a new save is created, they have no effect on an existing save, and they're ignored entirely if GameMode isn't set to custom.

🧟 Enemies & Animals

GameSetting.Vail.EnemySpawn — true/false. Enables or disables enemy spawning entirely.
GameSetting.Vail.EnemyHealth — low, normal, high.
GameSetting.Vail.EnemyDamage — low, normal, high.
GameSetting.Vail.EnemyArmour — low, normal, high.
GameSetting.Vail.EnemyAggression — low, normal, high.
GameSetting.Vail.AnimalSpawnRate — low, normal, high.

🌦️ Environment

GameSetting.Environment.StartingSeason — spring, summer, autumn, winter.
GameSetting.Environment.SeasonLength — short, default, long, realistic.
GameSetting.Environment.DayLength — short, default, long, realistic.
GameSetting.Environment.PrecipitationFrequency — low, default, high.

🍖 Survival

GameSetting.Survival.ConsumableEffects — normal, hard. Controls whether low hydration or fullness causes damage.
GameSetting.Survival.PlayerStatsDamage — off, normal, hard. Controls damage from eating bad or rotten food.
GameSetting.Survival.ColdPenalties — off, normal, hard. Controls how much cold affects health and stamina regeneration.
GameSetting.Survival.ReducedFoodInContainers — true/false. Reduces the amount of food found in containers.
GameSetting.Survival.SingleUseContainers — true/false. Containers can only be opened once.