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When a Sons of the Forest dedicated server will not start, check the configuration file before reinstalling anything. Set LanOnly to true for a local test, keep the JSON valid, verify the three UDP ports (8766, 27016 and 9700), then repair the installation with SteamCMD if the process still fails. A console that stops while loading a cutscene may already be running, so confirm that the ports are listening before treating it as a crash.
Identify what “not starting” means
These symptoms point to different checks. A process that exits immediately usually indicates a configuration, installation or permission problem. A process that remains open but cannot be joined is more often a port, firewall or address problem. A server that accepts direct connections but is absent from the public browser is usually being tested in LAN-only mode or is not answering the Steam query port.
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| What you see | First check | Most likely area |
|---|---|---|
| The console closes or returns to the prompt | Open dedicatedserver.cfg and check JSON syntax and LanOnly |
Configuration parsing |
| The console stays open but nobody can connect | Confirm UDP 8766, 27016 and 9700 are allowed and mapped | Firewall, router or provider port assignment |
| The console stops at a cutscene-loading message | Check whether the three ports are listening | Possibly normal startup, not a hang |
| The server works on the same network but is not in the browser | Use LanOnly false only after local testing and verify query-port forwarding |
Public listing and query traffic |
| SteamCMD updates forever in Docker or Wine | Inspect ownership of /winedata/WINE64 |
Container filesystem permissions |
Fix the configuration before changing the installation
Use the actual configuration file
The main file is dedicatedserver.cfg. It is JSON, not an INI file. Every property name and value needs matching quotation marks, entries need commas between them, and the final entry must not have a trailing comma. One missing quote or an extra comma can prevent the server from parsing the file and make the launch appear to fail without a useful in-game error.
Make a backup copy before editing. If the server has a control panel, stop the service first and edit the file through the panel or its documented file manager. For a local installation, edit the copy that the launch script actually uses; having several installations or a second configuration in a hosting panel can otherwise make a correct edit appear to have no effect.
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Start with a LAN-only test
Set LanOnly to true while testing on the same local network and before forwarding ports. A commonly reported setup requirement is that the dedicated server will not start correctly when it is configured for public play before the networking path is ready. LAN-only mode removes router forwarding and public discovery from the first test.
After local players can connect, change LanOnly to false for internet play. Do not use the public setting as a way to diagnose a failed local launch; it adds external networking variables before you know that the process and configuration work.
Use current address-key naming
Older instructions refer to a serverIP key and may show a different set of port fields. The current configuration file uses IpAddress, whose documented default is 0.0.0.0. Do not paste an old key into a current file simply because a guide uses it; an unrecognized or duplicated key can be ignored or cause confusion about which value is active.
For a normal host with more than one network interface, leave IpAddress at 0.0.0.0 unless the version of the server or your hosting provider explicitly requires a particular local interface. That value means the service can bind to the available interfaces. An internet-facing address is not automatically the correct bind address: a router’s public address and the computer’s private address serve different purposes.
Anecdotal reports claim that putting an external address directly in the IP field prevented startup, while adding a port to an address appeared to help. That report is not verified and should not override the current file’s key names or defaults. Treat an address change as a controlled experiment only after restoring a valid JSON backup.
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Validate a minimal fragment without replacing the whole file
Use a small, valid fragment as a syntax reference, not as a complete replacement for the supplied configuration:
{"LanOnly": true, "IpAddress": "0.0.0.0"}Keep every other setting required by your server version. If you use a JSON-aware editor, its syntax highlighting should show errors before you save. If the server fails immediately after an edit, restore the backup and reapply one change at a time. This isolates a malformed value from a networking problem.
Open and forward all required UDP ports
The dedicated server uses three UDP paths in the current troubleshooting guidance. Forwarding only the familiar game port can leave the process running while players cannot find or join it.
| UDP port | Role | Where to allow it |
|---|---|---|
| 8766 | Game traffic | Host firewall and, for internet play, router or provider forwarding |
| 27016 | Steam query and server-browser traffic | Host firewall and public forwarding |
| 9700 | BlobSync traffic used while a player connects | Host firewall and public forwarding |
All three entries above are UDP. Create inbound rules for the same port numbers in the operating-system firewall, then create matching UDP forwarding rules on the router. A hosting provider may allocate different port numbers; in that case, use the assigned numbers in the provider panel, firewall and corresponding configuration fields rather than blindly retaining 8766, 27016 and 9700.
Test locally before forwarding
- Stop the server and set
LanOnlytotrue. - Start it with the normal launcher and wait for the console to remain open.
- From another computer on the same network, try the server’s private address and configured game port.
- If local joining works, add the three UDP firewall rules and switch
LanOnlytofalse. - Forward each assigned UDP port from the router to the host computer’s private address. Reserve that private address in the router so the rule does not follow a different device after a reboot.
- Test from a different internet connection. Testing from inside the same network can be affected by a router’s lack of hairpin or loopback support and is not proof that public forwarding works.
If the server works locally but not externally, do not reinstall first. Compare the actual port numbers in the configuration with the router rules, confirm that the host firewall profile permits the service, and check whether your provider uses carrier-grade NAT or assigns ports that differ from the defaults.
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Confirm that the process is listening
Before interpreting a quiet console as a failure, verify that the operating system has listeners for the configured ports. On Windows, open a command prompt and use:
netstat -ano -p udp | findstr "8766 27016 9700"The command is a diagnostic, not a guarantee that the router is forwarding correctly. A local listener with no public connection points to the router, provider or firewall path. No listener after the process claims to have started points back to configuration parsing, a failed bind, installation files or permissions.
Repair the installation with SteamCMD
If a valid configuration and local networking test do not produce listeners, refresh the dedicated-server files rather than layering more launch scripts on top of a damaged installation. The documented SteamCMD repair uses App ID 2465200, anonymous login and validation.
- Stop every running dedicated-server and SteamCMD process for this installation.
- Open a terminal in the SteamCMD directory or use the SteamCMD executable through your hosting provider’s documented console.
- Log in anonymously and run the update-and-validation command:
steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 2465200 validate +quit- Wait for SteamCMD to finish validation and report completion. Do not start the server while files are still being replaced.
- Launch the server with the
StartSOTFDedicated.batfile created in the installation directory when that file is present. A community setup guide specifically recommends the generated batch file instead of a custom script, because a custom working directory or missing argument can make a healthy installation look broken. - Reapply only your backed-up configuration values, preserving the current file’s key names and JSON syntax.
Validation repairs missing or altered files; it does not fix a malformed configuration, a blocked UDP port or an incorrect router destination. Perform those checks again if the refreshed installation still fails.
Break the Docker or Wine ownership loop
Containerized and Wine-based deployments have an additional failure mode that does not apply to a native Windows installation. A reported Docker issue showed SteamCMD repeatedly updating because the account running the service was not the owner of /winedata/WINE64. Correcting ownership of that directory stopped the endless update cycle in that report.
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Recognize the loop
- The container restarts or SteamCMD downloads the same content on every launch.
- Logs mention that the current user is not the owner of
/winedata/WINE64. - The server never reaches a stable listening state, even though the image itself starts.
Correct it safely
- Stop the container so no Wine or SteamCMD process is writing to the directory.
- Inspect the container or mounted-volume ownership and identify the user and group configured to run the server.
- Change ownership of
/winedata/WINE64to that runtime user using the container image’s documented administrative method. - Start the container again and watch for one update pass followed by a stable server process.
Do not apply a host-specific numeric user ID from an unrelated image. The correct owner depends on the image and its runtime configuration. If the directory is a bind mount, fix ownership on the host volume or recreate it with the image’s documented user mapping; otherwise the permission problem will return on the next container start.
When the console stops at a cutscene-loading line
A console message about loading a cutscene is not conclusive evidence of a hang. In one reported case, a reply indicated that the server should already be running once that line appeared. Verify the network state before killing the process:
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- Try a LAN connection when
LanOnlyistrue. - Watch whether the process continues to consume CPU, memory or disk briefly after the message.
- Review the latest log lines for an explicit error, repeated crash or permission message rather than relying on the last normal-sounding line.
If listeners exist and a local client can join, leave the process running. If no listener exists after a reasonable wait and the process is idle, return to the configuration and installation checks instead of assuming the cutscene subsystem is the cause.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why a running server is missing from the browser
LAN-only mode intentionally hides public discovery
A server configured with LanOnly true is for local testing and should not be expected to appear as a public internet listing. Use a direct local connection to prove the game service works, then change the value to false when you are ready for internet players.
The query port is separate from game traffic
Port 8766 carries game traffic, but the browser also needs the Steam query path on UDP 27016. A server can therefore be reachable by a direct address while absent from the browser if 27016 is blocked, forwarded to the wrong machine or replaced by a provider-assigned port that was not entered consistently.
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BlobSync can affect joining after discovery
UDP 9700 is used for BlobSync during player connection. An open query port may make the server visible while a blocked 9700 prevents the connection from completing. Treat visibility and successful joining as separate tests.
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| Deployment | Primary repair path | Extra risk |
|---|---|---|
| Native Windows installation | Validate App ID 2465200 with SteamCMD, then use StartSOTFDedicated.bat |
Firewall rules, JSON errors and incorrect launcher paths |
| Docker or Wine | Check container logs, runtime user and the mounted Wine directory | Ownership of /winedata/WINE64 can trigger endless SteamCMD updates |
The network requirements remain the same, but the ownership loop is specific to the Docker/Wine path. Do not transplant a container permission fix into a native Windows install, and do not assume that validating files on the host repairs a Wine prefix owned by another container user.
A complete troubleshooting order
Follow this order so each test removes a class of causes instead of adding new variables:
- Stop the server and back up
dedicatedserver.cfg. - Correct JSON syntax, remove trailing commas, and use the current
IpAddresskey with0.0.0.0unless your environment requires another local interface. - Set
LanOnlytotrueand launch with the normal server launcher. - Check local UDP listeners for 8766, 27016 and 9700.
- If there are no listeners, validate App ID 2465200 through SteamCMD and relaunch with
StartSOTFDedicated.batwhere available. - If you use Docker or Wine and see ownership errors, correct
/winedata/WINE64for the configured runtime user. - If local play works, allow and forward all required UDP ports. Match any provider-assigned numbers in every layer.
- Set
LanOnlytofalse, restart, and test from an external connection. - Only after the service is listening should you diagnose browser visibility, query-port forwarding or provider restrictions.
What not to change blindly
- Do not paste an old
serverIPexample over a current file that usesIpAddress. - Do not put a router’s public address into the bind field merely because a guide calls it “the server IP.”
- Do not forward only UDP 8766 when the browser or connection path also requires 27016 and 9700.
- Do not conclude that a cutscene-loading message is a crash without checking listeners.
- Do not repeatedly reinstall while an invalid JSON file remains in place.
- Do not force ownership changes from a different Docker image onto your own container without matching its runtime user.
When to involve the hosting provider
Ask the provider for the assigned external port numbers, the internal destination address, the required protocol and the user ID used by the container. Provider-assigned ports may differ from the commonly documented defaults, and a panel may rewrite configuration values at startup. Give support the exact symptom, the last log line, whether UDP listeners exist, the value of LanOnly, and whether the installation is native Windows or Docker/Wine. That information separates a server-process failure from an unavailable network path.
Because current official Endnight documentation for these specific startup failures was not identified, treat version-specific key names and defaults as items to verify against the release supplied with your installation. The practical sequence remains stable: valid JSON, LAN-only startup, confirmed listeners, complete UDP rules, validated files, then public discovery.
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