Sons of the Forest Server RAM & System Requirements
Sons of the Forest is a Unity-based open-world survival game with a dynamically simulated island ecosystem — including real-time weather, animal behaviours, cannibal AI pathing, and persistent world objects. These systems make the dedicated server moderately resource-hungry, and requirements scale noticeably with player count and the number of base structures built on the map.
🧠 Architecture Note
SOTF's server process is a headless Unity application. It spawns the full game simulation without rendering — meaning CPU and RAM are the primary bottlenecks, not GPU.
📈 RAM Growth Over Time
As players build structures and the world saves accumulate, the save file and in-memory object graph grow. Expect RAM usage to increase by 500–800 MB on heavily built worlds after 30+ game days.
RAM Requirements by Player Count
| Players | Minimum RAM | Recommended RAM | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | 4 GB | 6 GB | Solo / duo — minimal AI load |
| 3–4 | 6 GB | 8 GB | Standard co-op sweet spot |
| 5–8 | 8 GB | 12 GB | Max vanilla player cap |
| 9–12 (MorePlayers mod) | 12 GB | 16 GB | Requires BepInEx + MorePlayers plugin |
| 13–20 (modded) | 16 GB | 24 GB | Heavy AI load, may need cannibal spawn reduction |
CPU Requirements
SOTF's dedicated server is primarily single-threaded for its core simulation tick. A fast clock-speed CPU matters more than raw core count for keeping simulation latency low:
| Scenario | Minimum CPU | Recommended CPU |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 4 players (vanilla) | 4 cores @ 3.0 GHz | 4 cores @ 3.5 GHz+ |
| Up to 8 players (vanilla) | 4 cores @ 3.5 GHz | 6 cores @ 4.0 GHz+ |
| 8–16 players (modded) | 6 cores @ 4.0 GHz | 8 cores @ 4.5 GHz+ (Ryzen 7 7700X class) |
Storage Requirements
| Component | Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Server base installation | ~12–15 GB | Varies with game updates |
| Save file (new world) | <50 MB | Grows with base construction |
| Save file (built-up world) | 200–500 MB | Large bases with many objects |
| BepInEx + plugins | ~50 MB | Minimal additional footprint |
| Total recommended disk | 30 GB SSD | NVMe strongly preferred |
Network / Bandwidth
SOTF's netcode sends frequent world-state delta updates. Bandwidth requirements are modest:
- Upload: ~1–2 Mbps per active player (peaks to 3 Mbps during combat or heavy construction)
- Download: <1 Mbps — servers receive relatively little from clients
- Latency: Aim for <80ms between server and players for smooth gameplay. Exceeding 150ms causes visible rubber-banding
What Increases RAM Usage
- Log cabins and complex structures each add persistent world objects that consume memory
- Number of placed storage containers — each tracked individually server-side
- Enemy camp respawning — cleared and respawned camps regenerate AI state objects
- Long server uptime — memory slowly accumulates between restarts (recommend daily restart)
- BepInEx plugins — each loaded plugin adds 20–100 MB depending on complexity
Monitoring RAM Usage
# Linux — watch server process RAM in real time:
watch -n 5 "ps aux | grep SonsOfTheForest | awk '{print \$6/1024 \" MB\"}'"
# Or using htop, filter by process name:
htop -F SonsOfTheForestSwap Space: Do NOT rely on swap space to compensate for insufficient RAM. SOTF's server accesses memory in bursts during save operations — swapping causes multi-second freezes that all connected players will experience as severe lag spikes.
Professional Hosting
Get the right hardware from day one. Host your Sons of the Forest server with Supercraft — our plans are sized specifically for SOTF's real-world memory footprint so you're never undersized.