How to Move The Forest Save to a Dedicated Server

To move a The Forest save to a dedicated server, copy the Slot1 to Slot5 folder from %UserProfile%\AppData\LocalLow\SKS\TheForest\<SteamID>\Multiplayer\ (or SinglePlayer\) into the dedicated server's own Multiplayer save folder, replacing the slot it uses. Then set slot and initType Continue in the server's config.cfg and start it. Left on initType New, the server starts a fresh game and your world is not loaded.

What you can and cannot move

What goes where

%UserProfile% is C:\Users\<you>. Note it is LocalLow, not Local. Inside TheForest is a folder named with your Steam ID, then Multiplayer and SinglePlayer, each with up to five slots. The slot number is the save slot you picked in game: top slot is Slot1.

A self hosted Windows server keeps its saves under AppData\LocalLow\SKS\TheForestDedicatedServer\ unless saveFolderPath (or the -savefolderpath launch option) points elsewhere. On GamezServers saves sit inside TheForestDedicatedServer_Data/.

Before you start

• Save and quit in game, at a shelter or bed, so the slot is up to date.
• Back up the whole TheForest folder in LocalLow.
• Leave beta branches. Everyone, server included, should be on the normal public version.
• Start the server once with initType New and save (/save as admin), so it creates its own slot folder and you can see exactly where it lives.

Step 1: Find the server's slot folder

After the first start and save, look in the server's save folder for Multiplayer/Slot1 (or whichever slot config.cfg names). That is the exact spot your save goes. Stop the server and back it up.

Step 2: Upload your slot

Delete the server's slot folder and upload yours in its place, renamed to match the slot the server uses. If the server is set to slot 1, your folder must be called Slot1, even if it was Slot3 on your PC. Upload the whole folder with everything inside it, not just some files.

Step 3: Set config.cfg to continue

Open config.cfg with the server stopped and check these lines:

// Slot to save the game. Must be set 1 2 3 4 or 5
slot 1
// New or continue a game. Must be set to "New" or "Continue"
initType Continue
// Time between server auto saves in minutes
serverAutoSaveInterval 15

Match difficulty to what you played on (Peaceful, Normal or Hard), since the server applies its own setting. Every key is explained by a comment line in the file itself, and this SteamCMD setup guide on Steam walks through the rest of a self hosted install.

Step 4: Start, join and save

Start the server, join, and check your base. Then log in as admin with /login <admin password> in chat and run /save once, so the server writes the world in its own slot right away.

The gotcha: initType New quietly ignores your upload

initType decides whether the server continues the save in its slot or starts a new game. A fresh server is on New, because it has nothing to continue. People upload their slot perfectly, restart, and land on the plane crash with a pristine peninsula. The upload was fine; the server was told to start over, and its next autosave can write the new game over your slot. Set Continue before the first start after the upload, and keep a copy of your slot until you have seen your base on the server.

The slot number is the second half of the same trap. The server only reads the one slot named in config.cfg. Upload Slot3 to a server on slot 1 and it never looks at it.

What happens to inventories

In The Forest's co-op, the host saves the world, and each player's own inventory and stats are saved on that player's own PC. On a dedicated server the server saves the world and every player, the old host included, keeps their inventory as a client. Because the host's inventory was saved as part of the hosted slot rather than as a client, the former host may spawn with a fresh inventory, while friends who joined as clients usually keep theirs. The world, walls, storage and everything placed in it carry over, so whatever is in your base is still there.

A dedicated server also needs a Steam server token to keep player progress between sessions.

Common problems

• Back at the plane crash: initType is still New, or the slot number in config.cfg does not match the folder name.
• Items missing after a restart: the server restarted before it saved. Run /save as admin before every restart, with everyone still online.
• Server does not save player progress: the Steam server token is missing.
• A player cannot join: they are on a Steam beta branch. Switch back to the public version.
• Holes in your walls were repaired on load: resetHolesMode is on in config.cfg, which resets structure holes when a save loads. Set it to off to keep the world as it was.

Moving it to GamezServers

On a The Forest server from GamezServers, the Steam server token is made for you, and Init Type and Difficulty are panel settings. Upload your slot folder in the file manager (which also handles zips, extracting and downloading a file from a link straight to the server) or over SFTP from Settings, set Init Type to Continue, and click Backup before replacing anything. The base then stays up for whoever logs in. For setup and admin commands, see how to host The Forest dedicated server.

FAQ

Where are The Forest saves stored?

In %UserProfile%\AppData\LocalLow\SKS\TheForest\<SteamID>\, in Multiplayer or SinglePlayer, as folders named Slot1 to Slot5.

Can I move a single player save to a dedicated server?

Usually yes. Upload the slot folder from SinglePlayer into the server's Multiplayer folder, named to match its slot, and set initType Continue.

Will my friends keep their inventories?

Players who joined as clients usually keep theirs, because each player's inventory is saved on their own PC. The former host may start with an empty inventory, while the base and its storage carry over.

Why does my server start a new game after I uploaded the save?

initType is set to New, or the slot number does not match. Set initType Continue and name the folder after the slot in config.cfg.