Sons of the Forest multiplayer guide: How to host a server

Sons of the Forest is the sequel to the popular horror survival game The Forest, which was released in 2014. It can be enjoyed either in a solo or a multiplayer setting with friends.

The idea behind Sons of the Forest is that players have to somehow survive on an uninhabited, isolated island. No one knows what terrors are hiding in the dark and what they should expect. Many will agree that such experiences are best enjoyed with friends. Keeping that in mind, here is a quick guide to help you host a server of your own so you can engage in multiplayer gameplay.

---

How to host a private multiplayer server in Sons of the Forest

Since the game is still in its early access stage, there are fewer dedicated multiplayer servers available for you to explore. However, you can host your own server to play with your friends.

1. Launch Sons of the Forest and head into the Main Menu.
2. You will see the following tabs - Single Player, Multiplayer, Options, and Exit. Select the Multiplayer tab.
3. You will be prompted to either join a server or host a server. Select the Host option.
4. On the page that opens, set the parameters, including the name of the server and the number of players allowed on the server.
5. Finally, choose between a public server and a private server. In case you want the latter, turn on the Friends Only setting.

At any given point in time, your private server will not support more than eight players. It's unclear if the developers will increase this limit in the coming days.

That said, if you don't feel like hosting a server, you can always join a public one. Many players are flocking to the game right now, so it should not be very difficult to find a public server that you can enjoy. In case you can't get the multiplayer mode to work in Sons of the Forest, these fixes should help you solve the problem.

Early access titles are prone to such bugs and minor hiccups, so you have to be patient.

---

Does Sons of the Forest have dedicated servers?

Endnight Games, the developer of Sons of the Forest, hasn't mentioned anything about dedicated servers yet. However, since The Forest has its own set of servers, it's not likely that the sequel will be totally devoid of the feature.

Dedicated servers may be absent as of now, but the developers can add them through an update any time in the near future. To check on their status, here's what you need to do:

1. Launch Steam and navigate to your library.
2. Find the search bar on the left hand side of your screen, right above your game catalog.
3. Click on the arrow pointing downwards and select "Tools."
4. Type "Forest" in the search bar. If the dedicated servers appear on the resulting list, you will know that the feature has been launched.

---

If you don't like playing survival horror games in multiplayer, you can utilize the single-player mode. However, you will have some AI-controlled companions to assist you with the different objectives in Sons of the Forest.