Windows host required
Run a Sons of the Forest dedicated server on the Windows PC you already have. NodeMesh installs it, writes the configuration files the server needs and keeps it running. Sons of the Forest is in Beta on NodeMesh, and we haven't run it on our own hardware yet.
Free on your own PC — one host, no time limit.
Sign up, then paste one command from your dashboard on the PC that will run the server — PowerShell on Windows, a terminal on Linux. The agent installs as a service and pairs with your account.
Choose the game in the panel. NodeMesh downloads the dedicated server, sets it up and starts it, and you watch every step in the live console.
Switch on the traffic relay for the server and the panel gives you a public address. Send it to your friends: their traffic goes through the relay to your PC, so you never open a port on your router.
The memory figures are for the game server alone. If you also play on the same PC, the game itself needs its own memory on top.
Sons of the Forest has no connect-by-address screen. Players open Multiplayer in the main menu and find your server by name in the dedicated server browser, so pick a distinctive name and share the password if you set one. The server tells Steam its own address and its three UDP ports, so make sure all three can be reached from the internet, or use LAN Only for play on your local network.
The server uses three UDP ports: game, query and blob sync. NodeMesh gives every server its own set, but only the game port goes through the relay. On a home network, forward all three on your router, or switch on LAN Only on the Config tab. The server runs a network self-check when it boots and refuses to start if it fails, so NodeMesh turns that check off by default; turn it back on if you prefer. There is no remote console and the world autosaves every ten minutes by default, so a plain Stop can lose what happened since the last autosave; the Config tab lets you shorten the interval. Server owners are listed by SteamID in ownerswhitelist.txt. There is no mod support for this game.
One host — your own PC — is free with no time limit, for up to 5 game servers: the web panel and console, the config editor, the mod manager, auto-restart on crash and the traffic relay. Extra hosts cost credits.
See pricing →Beta: you can create this server today, but we have not run it on our own hardware yet. Expect rough edges, and tell us what you find.
No. The dedicated server is a free Steam tool that NodeMesh downloads anonymously, so no Steam login is stored on your PC. Your players do need the game.
No. The dedicated server is Windows-only, so the host has to be a Windows PC.
The requirements above come from our catalog: 8 GB is the minimum and 16 GB the recommendation, for up to 8 players. The developer does not publish official figures for the server, so treat them as an estimate.
Possibly. The server has no remote console, so NodeMesh cannot make it save before a Stop. It autosaves every 10 minutes by default; lower the Autosave Interval on the Config tab to shrink that window.
Yes, for one host. Running game servers on your own PC is free with no time limit — up to 5 servers, traffic relay included. You only pay, in credits, if you add more hosts.
Create an account, install the agent and pick the game. One host is free with no time limit.
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