The Forest: Console Commands & Cheats
The Forest ships a developer console that's hidden by default. Once enabled, you can spawn items, toggle god mode, set the time of day, and run admin actions. The procedure is slightly different on single-player vs dedicated server.
Enabling the Console (Single Player)
- Open Options > Gameplay and set Allow Cheats to On.
- Return to the main menu.
- Type
developermodeon(no spaces, no Enter — the game watches the keyboard buffer). You'll see a confirmation that developer mode is active. - Start your game.
- Press F1 in-game to open the console.
Disable cheats: type meatmode on the main menu to turn off all active cheat codes.
Enabling the Console on a Dedicated Server
On a dedicated server, console access requires a server-side flag:
- Stop the dedicated server.
- Edit your server config and set In-Game Console to On. (All The Forest servers default to OFF.)
- Restart the server.
- On the client, follow the single-player steps above to enable developer mode.
- Connect to the server and press F1 in-game.
If the In-Game Console flag is OFF, the console will appear on the main menu but NOT in-game while connected. This is the most common reason "console commands aren't working on my server."
Main-Menu Cheat Codes
Type these on the main menu (not in-game) before starting a save:
| Code | Effect |
|---|---|
developermodeon | Enables developer console + F1 access. |
meatmode | Disables all active cheat codes. |
ironforest | Buildings cannot be destroyed. Toggle off by typing it again. |
rawmeatmode | Permanent death — your save is erased on death. Toggle off by typing again. |
regrowmode | 10% of cut trees grow back while you sleep, if the stump is uncut. |
Common In-Game Console Commands
Open with F1, type the command, hit Enter:
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
godmode on / godmode off | Toggles invincibility. |
buildhack on | Free-build mode — instant building, no resource cost. |
additem [item id] | Adds the specified item to your inventory. |
spawnanimal [animal name] | Spawns the named animal at your reticle. |
goto [location name/coordinates] | Teleports you to a named location or coordinate pair. |
faststart on | Skip the plane intro on a new game. |
Common Mistakes
- "developermodeon doesn't work" — make sure Allow Cheats is ON in the gameplay options first. The main-menu code only listens after that flag is set.
- "F1 opens the menu instead" — you typed
developermodeonbut didn't actually start a game. The console only binds in-game. - "Console works in single player but not on my dedicated server" — server's In-Game Console flag is OFF. Edit config, restart server.
- "Cheats are disabled in the save" — once a save is created with cheats off, you cannot retroactively enable cheats on it.
For full configuration options, see Dedicated Server Setup.
Build, cheat, and survive. Host a The Forest server with Supercraft.