Sons of the Forest Mods: Installing RedLoader, and What Works on a Dedicated Server

Sons of the Forest mods all run through one mod loader: RedLoader, made by ToniMacaroni. Endnight doesn't ship official mod support, so you install RedLoader into your own game folder, and then get mods from sotf-mods.com, the mod site built around it. This guide covers installing both, how to tell whether a mod will work in multiplayer, and what that means when your group plays on a dedicated server.

The short version for server owners: mods run on each player's PC, not on the server. A GSK Sons of the Forest server runs the unmodified game, and that's usually fine. Most mods are client-side, and the ones marked multiplayer-compatible work on an unmodded server. The section on dedicated servers below explains the exceptions and why the server doesn't run RedLoader.

What you need

RedLoader hasn't needed an update since 0.8.6 because the game hasn't had a content patch since January 2025. The October 2025 update only replaced the Unity engine file, and mods are still being released for the current build.

Install RedLoader with RedManager

This is the easiest route, and RedManager can update or remove RedLoader later.

1. Install the .NET 6.0 Desktop Runtime (x64) and the Visual C++ 2015-2019 Redistributable (x64) if you don't have them.
2. Download RedModManager.exe from the RedManager releases page on GitHub and run it. It doesn't need installing.
3. Check that it found your game folder. If it didn't, point it at the folder that contains SonsOfTheForest.exe (in Steam: right-click the game > Manage > Browse local files).
4. Click Install RedLoader.
5. Start the game. A Mods entry in the main menu means RedLoader loaded.

To check the install by hand, these three should now sit next to SonsOfTheForest.exe:

_RedLoader/
dobby.dll
version.dll
SonsOfTheForest.exe

Manual install: download Redloader.zip from the RedLoader releases page and extract it directly into the game folder, so that _RedLoader ends up beside SonsOfTheForest.exe and not inside another folder. RedLoader creates Mods and UserData the first time it runs.

Install a mod

On sotf-mods.com, each mod page has an Install with Red Manager button, which downloads the mod and puts it in the right place. To install one by hand:

1. Download the mod's .zip.
2. Extract it into the game folder, the same folder as SonsOfTheForest.exe.
3. Check the result. Every mod is a .dll plus a folder with the same name inside Mods:

Mods/
  StackMod.dll
  StackMod/
    manifest.json

4. Start the game. Mod settings are in the in-game Mods menu, and they're saved as files under UserData.

RedLoader refuses to load a .dll that doesn't have a manifest.json in its folder. It also refuses a mod whose manifest asks for a newer RedLoader than you have. If a mod doesn't show up, check the loader's console window for a line naming it.

Mods and dedicated servers

Every mod on sotf-mods.com lists three properties, and together they decide whether it works when your group plays on a server:

For example, when we checked in September 2026:

So on a GSK server, look for Client Side and Multiplayer Compatible: Yes. If a mod also says Requires All Players: Yes, everyone in the group installs the same version on their own PC. Nothing gets installed on the server.

Why the server itself runs without RedLoader

RedLoader does have a dedicated-server mode, but it isn't available on GSK servers today, and we don't recommend trying it:

• Server-side mods are rare. RedLoader's author said in February 2025 that the server install "is only for mods that are server sided as well, which there aren't many of them right now." A server install also doesn't give players the Mods menu; they still need RedLoader on their own PCs.
• The server runs under Wine. GSK's Sons of the Forest servers run the Windows server build (SonsOfTheForestDS.exe) under Wine on Linux. RedLoader's instructions for Wine require the environment setting WINEDLLOVERRIDES="version=n,b". Without it, Wine uses its own version.dll and RedLoader never starts. The GSK server doesn't set this, and you can't add it from the panel.
• Current RedLoader hangs on Linux servers. An open RedLoader bug report (#44, October 2025) says versions 0.8.0 and later freeze during startup on Wine-based dedicated servers. The only version reported to work is 0.7.3, from August 2024.

If a server-side mod is essential for your group, open a support ticket with the mod's name, so we know there's demand. Many "server tweaks" don't need a mod at all. Difficulty, enemy spawns, seasons, tree regrowth and whether cheats are allowed are all settings in serverconfig/dedicatedserver.cfg. See Getting started with your Sons of the Forest server.

Troubleshooting

"Unlockers" and "trainers" aren't mods

GitHub and YouTube are full of Sons of the Forest "unlocker", "item spawner" and "trainer" downloads that aren't RedLoader mods. Get mods only from sotf-mods.com or from a mod author's own GitHub releases. You don't need a mod to spawn items anyway: the game's own cheat console does it, as the next section explains.

Mods you may not need

Two of the most-searched mod types duplicate things the game already does:

• Item spawners and god mode. The built-in cheat console has additem, godmode and much more. See Sons of the Forest Cheats and Console Commands, and Sons of the Forest item IDs for the full ID list.
• Difficulty tweaks. On a server, custom difficulty is a set of CustomGameModeSettings entries in dedicatedserver.cfg, so there's no mod to keep up to date.

What to Read Next

• Getting started with your Sons of the Forest server: first boot, ports and the config file
• Sons of the Forest Cheats and Console Commands: the built-in alternative to most mod menus
• Is Sons of the Forest crossplay?: the game is PC-only, so everyone in your group can run the same mods

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