The SOTF dedicated server (Steam App ID 2465200) is a Windows executable. Linux hosting requires Wine — most managed providers handle this with a Docker container. Managed hosts deal with this for you, but worth knowing when comparing.
SOTF’s core simulation tick is primarily single-threaded. High single-core clock speed matters more than raw core count — the same reason a modern Ryzen 9 outperforms an older 16-core server for this workload.
Expect 500–800 MB additional RAM usage on heavily built worlds after 30+ game days. Start with 8GB and leave headroom. Save files and in-memory object graphs grow as players build and explore.
SOTF sends frequent world-state delta updates — latency affects AI sync, building persistence and combat hit detection. A London UK node keeps British players under 20ms. Frankfurt gives ~40–70ms. Prioritise UK nodes.
Best Sons of the Forest server hosting UK 2026
Ranked by UK/London node, RAM provision, single-core CPU performance, support quality and value. All three have confirmed London nodes. All prices in GBP.
LOW.MS
Gold Pick
🇬🇧 London UK
LOW.MS earns the top UK spot for Sons of the Forest thanks to the combination that matters most: Ryzen 9 9950X’s high single-core frequency (SOTF is primarily single-threaded), 10GB RAM standard (plenty of headroom for built-out worlds), and a confirmed London UK node for sub-20ms latency across Great Britain. Their 5-day refund gives you time to test, and their SOTF-specific guides make setup accessible even for first-time server owners. BepInEx mod support is available via SFTP file access.
- ✓ Ryzen 9 9950X — top single-core for SOTF’s simulation
- ✓ London UK node — under 20ms for UK players
- ✓ 10GB RAM standard — room for built worlds
- ✓ SOTF-specific KB guides (config, save upload, joining)
- ✓ BepInEx mods via SFTP
- ✓ 5-day refund · 4.8★ Trustpilot
- ✗ Smaller SOTF documentation than survival-specialist hosts
- ✗ Older KB articles may predate some v1.0 changes
Host Havoc
Silver Pick
🇬🇧 London
Host Havoc’s entry plan covers the full 8-player official maximum right from the start — no upselling to add more slots. Their own-hardware model ensures consistent CPU performance without cloud-sharing overhead, which matters for SOTF’s single-threaded simulation. The TCAdmin v2 panel provides full FTP access for BepInEx plugin installation, and their sub-10-minute support average is essential when a game update breaks your mod setup at 11pm. London UK, NVMe storage, unlimited storage included.
- ✓ Own physical hardware — consistent CPU performance
- ✓ London UK node
- ✓ Full 8 slots on entry plan (SOTF official max)
- ✓ 4.8★ from 1,515+ reviews · <10 min support
- ✓ Unlimited storage · NVMe SSD
- ✓ Full FTP for BepInEx mods
- ✗ £11.12/mo — higher than LOW.MS entry
- ✗ 72h refund (shorter than 5–7 day alternatives)
DatHost
Bronze Pick
🇬🇧 London
7-day refund
DatHost brings the same Ryzen 7900 + DDR5 ECC hardware that makes them a CS2 specialist to SOTF — the high-clock CPU handles Unity’s simulation workload well. Automated updates mean your server stays current without manual intervention (important for SOTF which updates frequently), and the 7-day money-back guarantee is the most generous refund window in this comparison. With 34 server locations and London UK included, they cover the UK market well.
- ✓ Ryzen 7900 + DDR5 ECC — premium hardware
- ✓ London UK node · 34 global locations
- ✓ Auto-updates — SOTF updates frequently
- ✓ 7-day refund — most generous in comparison
- ✓ Daily auto-backups included
- ✓ 4.6★ Trustpilot (381 reviews)
- ✗ Primarily known for CS2 — less SOTF-specific documentation
- ✗ Slightly pricier than LOW.MS entry
All Sons of the Forest hosting providers — compared
Every provider confirmed to offer SOTF hosting. All prices in GBP ($1=£0.741, €1=£0.865, April 2026). 🇬🇧 = confirmed UK/London node. Verify directly before purchasing.
| # | Provider | GBP/mo | RAM / Slots | 🇬🇧 UK? | Trustpilot | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LOW.MS |
~£7.41/mo | 10GB RAM · up to 8p | ✅ London | 4.8★ (193) | Ryzen 9 9950X · 5-day refund · KB guides | Visit → |
| 2 | Host Havoc |
£11.12/mo | 8 slots · own hardware | ✅ London | 4.8★ (1,515) | Own HW · <10 min support · NVMe | Visit → |
| 3 | DatHost |
£11.16/mo | 8 slots · DDR5 ECC | ✅ London | 4.6★ (381) | Ryzen 7900 · auto-updates · 7-day refund | Visit → |
| 4 |  BisectHosting |
~£8.89–13.34/mo | RAM-based · 21 locations | ✅ London | 4.8★ (25,348) | Most reviews · 21 global locations | Visit → |
| 5 |  GTX Gaming |
~£4.45/mo | DDR5 5.7GHz · scalable | ✅ London + Stockholm | 4.7★ (1,386) | Best budget UK · high clock speed | Visit → |
| 6 |  GGServers |
~£4.45/mo | RAM-based · NVMe | ✅ London | 4.6★ (3,407) | Budget-friendly · London UK | Visit → |
| 7 |  Apex Hosting |
£16.67/mo | 6GB RAM entry | ✅ London + EU + global | 4.8★ (8,054) | Beginner-friendly · great support docs | Visit → |
| 8 |  Shockbyte |
~£7.41–10.38/mo | Slot-based · EU nodes | ✅ EU nodes | 3.8★ (10,176) | 100% uptime SLA · 72h refund | Visit → |
| 9 |  G-Portal |
~£3.71–5.19/3 days | Pay-as-go · up to 8p | ✅ Frankfurt DE | 4.0★ (2,836) | Pay-as-go · mod manager built-in | Visit → |
| 10 |  Survival Servers |
~£11.12–18.53/mo | Enterprise AMD/Intel | ✅ EU nodes | 4.7★ (862) | Survival specialist · instant setup | Visit → |
| 11 |  ScalaCube |
~£5.93–7.41/mo | Instant setup · UK nodes | ✅ UK + EU | 4.5★ (4,713) | UK nodes · easy setup · backups | Visit → |
| 12 |  SparkedHost |
~£9.63/mo | Enterprise hardware | ✅ EU nodes | 4.8★ (2,291) | 99.99% uptime · water-cooled DCs | Visit → |
| 13 |  Nitrado |
~£5.19–8.89/mo | Flexible · pay-as-go | ✅ EU nodes | 3.6★ (7,403) | Large infrastructure · global reach | Visit → |
| 14 |  Indifferent Broccoli |
~£8.89/mo | 128GB pool · uncapped RAM | ⚠ Germany EU | 4.4★ (792) | Uncapped RAM · 128GB server pool | Visit → |
| 15 |  Hostinger |
£7.03/mo | VPS · 8GB · AMD EPYC | ✅ UK available | 4.7★ (66k+) | VPS-based · game panel · SOTF guide | Visit → |
| 16 |  AleForge |
~£3.71/mo | Ryzen 9 7950X · £0.74/GB | ⚠ US only | 4.9★ (139) | Cheapest · US only · 7-day refund | Visit → |
| 17 |  Gaming Deluxe |
~£10/mo | DDR5 5.0GHz · GBP billing | ✅ UK based · GBP | 4.5★ (82) | UK-based · GBP billing · high-clock CPU | Visit → |
| 18 |  Godlike Host |
~£7.41/mo | Ryzen · NVMe · EU | ✅ EU | 3.8★ (416) | Free tier available · EU nodes | Visit → |
| 19 |  4NetPlayers |
~£4.50/mo | BepInEx mod guide published | ✅ EU | 4.4★ (7,900) | BepInEx KB guide · affordable EU | Visit → |
| 20 |  GameServers.com |
~£5.89/mo | Slot-based · older hardware | ✅ London | 2.8★ (179) | London node · lower rating | Visit → |
| 21 |  Wabbanode |
~£8.89/mo | High-clock · mod focus | ⚠ Verify | 4.7★ (42) | Modding focus · verify SOTF availability | Visit → |
| 22 |  LevelUp Hosting |
~£25/mo | Bristol UK · dedicated core | ✅ Bristol UK | 4.2★ (7) | Bristol UK · small provider | Visit → |
| 23 |  Epic Hosts |
Budget · contact | UK solo · Intel Xeon E3 | ✅ UK only | 4.9★ (151) | UK-only · contact for pricing | Visit → |
⚠ = no confirmed UK node — higher latency for UK players. All prices in GBP, converted April 2026. Some providers may not list SOTF explicitly — verify before purchasing. Prices and availability change; always check directly.
Best SOTF host for your situation
Ryzen 9 9950X + DDR5 + London UK + 10GB RAM + SOTF KB guides + 5-day refund. Best single-core performance for Unity’s simulation engine.
Sub-10 min response, own hardware, London UK, 4.8★ from 1,515+ reviews. For clans who want human support when BepInEx breaks after an update.
~£4.45/mo · DDR5 5.7GHz · London + Stockholm. Best value UK option with high single-core clock ideal for SOTF’s simulation engine.
BepInEx requires full SFTP/FTP access. Both providers offer this. 4NetPlayers also has a published BepInEx installation guide for SOTF.
Best setup documentation and guided onboarding. London EU nodes. 4.8★ from 8,054 reviews. Worth the higher price (£16.67/mo) if you’ve never run a server before.
UK-based provider, GBP billing, DDR5 5.0GHz. Best for UK groups who want to pay in pounds and deal with a British company.
RAM requirements + what to look for in hardware
| Setup | Min RAM | Recommended | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 players · early game | 3GB | 4–6GB | Minimum for stable operation per official specs |
| 3–4 players | 4GB | 6–8GB | Standard small group setup |
| 5–8 players (max) | 6GB | 8–12GB | Full lobby with headroom for built worlds |
| Heavily built world (30+ days) | +500MB | +1–2GB headroom | RAM grows 500–800MB as world object graph expands |
| BepInEx modded | +0–500MB | 8GB minimum | Mods add minimal overhead; stability headroom matters more |
What hardware specs matter for SOTF
SOTF’s dedicated server simulation is primarily single-threaded. Look for 4.5GHz+ base clock. A Ryzen 9 9950X or Ryzen 7900 outperforms an old 32-core server at 2.8GHz for this specific workload.
SOTF autosaves every 15–30 minutes. On SATA SSD, these block the simulation briefly. On NVMe, they’re imperceptible. World saves grow as players explore and build — fast storage matters long-term.
Don’t buy the minimum — buy the recommended. A world that runs fine on 4GB at day 5 may struggle at day 30 when players have built camps, explored caves and accumulated items. 8GB gives comfortable margin.
SOTF server binary is Windows-only. Linux hosts run it through Wine. This works well with modern managed hosting (jammsen’s Docker container is widely used), but mods on Linux Wine require extra care with BepInEx doorstop setup.
Required ports
BepInEx mods for Sons of the Forest servers
SOTF doesn’t have official mod support — all modding goes through BepInEx, a Unity mod injection framework. Mods are found on Thunderstore.io (Sons of the Forest section). SOTF uses Unity Mono (not IL2CPP), so always install BepInEx 5.4.x stable — not BepInEx 6.x.
Installing BepInEx on a managed server
.dll files to BepInEx/plugins/BepInEx/LogOutput.log for successful loadsDOORSTOP_ENABLE=TRUE before launchingPopular SOTF server mods (Thunderstore)
Increases the official 8-player cap. Highly requested for larger community servers. Server-side — players don’t need it installed. Note: performance degrades beyond ~8 players on SOTF’s engine.
Admin command extensions and RCON additions for server management. Lets admins kick, ban, teleport players and run server commands beyond what the base game offers.
Customisable stamina rebalancing. Popular on co-op servers where vanilla stamina limits feel punishing. Client-side — all players need it installed to work correctly.
Terrain interaction adjustments — modifies how soil, mud and terrain respond to player actions. Server-side mod that doesn’t require client installation.
Key dedicatedserver.cfg settings
The main config file is dedicatedserver.cfg in JSON format. Managed hosts expose the most common settings through a web panel. Here are the settings that matter most:
To add yourself as admin: add your SteamID64 (found at store.steampowered.com/account/) to the OwnerSteamId field or the owners.txt file (path varies by host). Managed hosts like LOW.MS walk you through this in their KB guides.
Sons of the Forest server hosting — FAQ
C:\Users\[username]\AppData\LocalLow\Endnight\SonsOfTheForest\Saves\[SteamID]\Singleplayer\. Upload the save files via FTP to your server’s userData/Saves/DedicatedServer/Multiplayer/0000000001/ folder (for Save Slot 1). LOW.MS has a step-by-step guide for this. Note: some items and progression may not transfer perfectly between singleplayer and multiplayer mode — do a test with a backup first.BepInEx/plugins/ on the server. Some mods require matching client-side installation; others are server-side only. Always verify compatibility after SOTF game updates.LOW.MS — Best Sons of the Forest Server Hosting UK 2026
Ryzen 9 9950X · DDR5 · London UK · 10GB RAM · BepInEx mod support via SFTP · SOTF config guides · 5-day refund · ~£7.41/mo
Affiliate disclosure: we earn a commission if you purchase via our links at no extra cost to you. All prices converted to GBP at $1=£0.741 and €1=£0.865 (April 2026). Verify directly with each provider before purchasing.
