How to Add a Steam Login Token So Your The Forest Server Shows Up in the Server Browser

If your The Forest server is online but nobody can find it, the most common reason is a missing Steam login token. The Forest has no connect by IP screen, so players find your server through the in-game multiplayer server browser. This guide shows you how to create a token, add it in the RiverHosting panel, and join your server.

Before you start

• You need access to your server in the RiverHosting panel at https://panel.riverhosting.com.
• You need a Steam account to create the token.
• Use one token per server. If two live servers share the same token, they knock each other offline.
• The token must be created for the game itself (app ID 242760), not for the dedicated server tool.

1. How to add your Steam login token

1. Open https://steamcommunity.com/dev/managegameservers and sign in with your Steam account.
2. Create a new game server token using the app ID 242760.
3. Copy the token Steam gives you. It is 32 letters and numbers.
4. Log in to the RiverHosting panel and open your The Forest server.
5. In the left-hand menu, click Server Config.
6. Find the Identity & Visibility card.
7. Paste your token into the Steam Game Server Login Token (required) field.
8. Click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.
9. When the panel shows "Settings saved. Restart the server to apply.", use the restart prompt, or go to Console and click Restart.

2. How to join your server from the in-game browser

1. Make sure your server status badge shows ONLINE.
2. Start The Forest and open multiplayer.
3. Look for your server in the server browser by the name you set. The server name and join password are shown on the Identity & Visibility card, but you change them on the Startup tab.
4. If you set a join password, enter it when asked. This is different from the admin password.

3. How to add your server by hand through Steam

If the browser does not show your server yet, you can add it manually through the Steam client.

1. In the RiverHosting panel, open Server Config and find the Identity & Visibility card.
2. Copy the Steam query address. It is shown as an IP and a port, and it appears once the address is known.
3. Open the Steam client and click View, then Game Servers.
4. Open the Favourites tab and add the server using the query address you copied.
5. Select the server from your favourites and join it.

Troubleshooting

• The server is still not in the browser: Check that the token is saved on the Server Config page and that you restarted the server afterwards.
• The token field looks right but it does not work: Make sure the token was created with app ID 242760 (the game itself) and that you copied all 32 characters with no extra spaces.
• Your server keeps going offline in the browser: Another live server may be using the same token. Create a separate token for each server.
• Adding it by hand does not work: Double check that you used the Steam query address from Server Config and not the connect address from the server overview.
• You cannot join even though you can see it: The join password is the one that lets players in, so enter the join password you set on the Startup tab. The admin password is a different password and is only for admin control in game.
• The warning banner is still showing: Reopen Server Config and confirm the token field is not empty, then click Save Changes again.

Need help?

If your The Forest server still does not show up after following these steps, our team is happy to take a look. Visit https://riverhosting.com/support and tell us what you see on the Server Config page and in the Steam browser.