The Forest Server Hosting
The Forest server plans
Pick the plan that fits your community. Every plan deploys instantly and can be resized later from the control panel.
Starter
The peninsula for a small group, held on the server rather than one person's hard drive.
- RAM
- 2 GB
- NVMe
- 20 GB
- CPU
- 0.5 vCore
Standard
A full group on normal or hard, with cave progress and base work kept between sessions.
- RAM
- 4 GB
- NVMe
- 30 GB
- CPU
- 1 vCore
Ultimate
Long-running islands with heavy building, on a server that never has to hand a save around.
- RAM
- 8 GB
- NVMe
- 40 GB
- CPU
- 2 vCores
Included with every plan
Save up to 17% with longer billing periods
Built for The Forest: progress that saves, and a camp you can get back
The Forest's server is a 2018 build with two behaviours that cost people a camp: one field decides whether progress saves at all, and one admin command quietly wipes it.
Progress saves, because the token is a field you fill in
The Forest's server needs a Steam Game Server Login Token to save player progress, generated against app ID 242760 — and a missing one looks like nothing at all while the server is up. Here it is a Startup field, written into config.cfg at every boot.
A wiped save is something you roll back from
The admin command /restart restarts the server and resets the save game, with no confirmation, and The Forest will not autosave more often than every fifteen minutes. The panel's restart button leaves saves alone, with five restore points behind it. Save slots, autosave and admin commands
You decide whether the cheat console works, for everyone
The Forest has two command systems people constantly confuse: F1 opens a client-side cheat menu, while / commands in chat are administration gated by the admin password. allowCheats governs the first for everybody, and it is yours to switch off. The Forest console commands
No contracts • Cancel anytime • 72-hour money-back guarantee
Powerful Server Management
Every server comes with our feature-rich game panel — manage your server from anywhere with no technical expertise required.
Live Server Console
Monitor your server in real time with a built-in console, live CPU, memory, and network graphs, plus one-click start, restart, and stop controls.
Full File Manager
Browse, upload, edit, and manage all your server files directly from the panel — no FTP client needed. Drag and drop uploads, bulk actions, and more.
Startup Configuration
Fine-tune every aspect of your server with an intuitive variable editor. Selects, toggles, and validated inputs replace fragile command-line flags.
One-Click Backups
Create on-demand or scheduled backups with one click. Lock critical snapshots, download them for offsite storage, or restore any of them yourself.
Network & Allocations
Every server gets a dedicated port allocation behind always-on DDoS filtering. Ports are assigned when the server is built and matched to our firewall rules, so the ones your server needs are open before you log in.
Global Server Network
Pick a data center close to your players. The times below are measured live from your own connection, not quoted from ours. View all locations.
The Forest servers deploy from four locations. Dallas sits in the middle of North America and is the usual default for a community spread across the United States. Ashburn covers the East Coast and is the shorter hop for players in the eastern states and eastern Canada. London serves the UK, Ireland and the western edge of Europe, and Frankfurt sits central for Germany, the Nordics, the Benelux countries and most of Eastern Europe. Between them the four cover North America and Europe end to end.
The figures beside each city were measured by your own browser a moment ago, so read them as a fair guide to what players near you will see rather than a number we picked. If you choose the wrong one, moving is free: open a ticket and support migrates your server files to any available location at no charge.
What our customers say
“Extremly fast responds time. They always are willing to help and go beyond if a problem do appear. I highly recommend this hosting provider”
Galanor
CEO, Galanor LLC
“This is the first time in my life that someone actually tried to help around this world of VPS/dedicated servers. Rene isn't good, he is amazing! Gave total attention, made recommendations. I am looking forward to migrate my services to GameServerKings because of Rene. I appreciate the attention once again.”
Igor garcia
“I've been with GSK and Cosmic guard for nearly 2 years now, They are very professional, helpful and quick to fix any issues. They normally can get a tech in same day to fix and hardware issues. We've had 2 cpu's burn out and they replaced them (after diagnosing the issue) Fast and free Extra big should out to Alexander hes the goat <3”
Josh from flowstate
Outgrowing a shared The Forest server?
For larger The Forest communities — or when you're running a fleet of high-performance instances — a dedicated machine gives you the whole box: every core, all the RAM, and no noisy neighbors. You decide how it's run.
Run it on our game panel
Hand us the machine and we deploy it onto the same GameServerKings panel you already know — one-click installs, mods, backups, and 24/7 support, managed on your behalf.
Or manage it yourself
Prefer full control? Take root access and run it your way. The box is yours end to end — we just keep the hardware and network humming underneath.
The Forest Knowledge Base
Guides for installing, configuring, and troubleshooting your The Forest server.
The Forest
Why godmode does nothing on someone else's server, and what an admin password really gets you there.
Joining a The Forest dedicated server happens in Steam, not in-game. How to add it, and P2P versus a dedicated server.
The Forest server saves: slots, autosave interval, and why Init Type left on New quietly resets your world every boot.
Setting up a The Forest dedicated server: the config file's real location, the settings the panel owns, and first boot.
The Forest has no crossplay: PC and PlayStation are separate builds with separate multiplayer and no cross-progression. What PC groups can do instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about The Forest server hosting with GameServerKings
How much does it cost to run a server for The Forest?
A server for The Forest here starts at $3.90 a month. The price tracks the resources you pick:
- Starting
- 0.5 vCore · 2 GB RAM · 20 GB storage
- $3.90/mo
- Fully loaded
- 2 vCores · 8 GB RAM · 40 GB storage
- $19.60/mo
- Dedicated IPv4
- Optional add-on
- +$5.00/mo
- Longer terms
- Paid annually or up front
- 5–17% off
How quickly will my server be ready?
Your The Forest server is provisioned automatically within about a minute of payment. You'll receive login credentials to your inbox so you can connect straight away.
Do game updates install automatically?
Yes. Your The Forest server is kept on the current game build automatically — you don't need to patch it by hand or open a ticket when the game updates.
Can I install mods and plugins?
Absolutely. You have full file access via our control panel and FTP/SFTP. Install any mods, plugins, or custom configurations — we don't restrict what you run on your server.
What if I need to upgrade my resources?
Upgrading is instant. You can change your memory, storage, or CPU priority from your client area at any time without any downtime or server migration.
Is DDoS protection included?
Yes. Every The Forest server includes enterprise-grade DDoS mitigation at no extra charge. We absorb attacks at the network edge — your players won't notice a thing.
Are backups included?
Yes, and in two ways. Your The Forest server is backed up automatically every 24 hours to off-site storage, so there is a recent copy to fall back on if the machine itself fails — you do not have to set anything up for that. On top of it, every plan includes five backup slots in the control panel that are yours to use: take one with a single click before a wipe, an update or a mod install, or set a schedule so they run on their own, and restore or download any of those five whenever you like. Neither costs extra.
Do I need a dedicated IP?
Only if you want one. A dedicated IPv4 address gives your The Forest server its own entry in the in-game server browser and puts it on the game's default port, so players can connect by typing just the IP address. Without one your server shares an IP with other servers and uses its own port instead — it runs exactly the same and your friends can still join, they just need the IP and the port together. It costs $5.00 a month if you decide you want it.
Do you offer a money-back guarantee?
We offer a 72-hour money-back guarantee. If you're not satisfied for any reason within the first 72 hours, contact us and we'll issue a full refund — no questions asked.
Can I switch server locations?
Yes. Contact our support team and we'll help you migrate your server data to any of our available locations at no charge.
Still have questions?
Our support team is available 24/7 and typically responds in under 5 minutes.
Open a support ticketDeploy Your The Forest Server.
Join thousands of gamers who trust GameServerKings for reliable, high-performance server hosting.
No contracts • Cancel anytime • 72-hour money-back guarantee
Need more power? Check out our bare metal dedicated servers.