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World Parameters: Difficulty & Environment


Sons of the Forest utilizes a specialized JSON structure for world management. Unlike its predecessor, this system allows for granular control over enemy health, animal spawn rates, and most critically, the Season Length. Whether you want a permanent summer vacation or a grueling realistic-time winter, these settings are found in your dedicated server’s user data.
Reading TimeDifficultyLast Updated
5 minutesIntermediateJanuary 2026

Configuration Paths

All gameplay-related world settings are generating in the following folder after the first successful server boot:
  • Gameplay Settings: /userdata/dedicatedservergameplay.json
  • Network Settings: /userdata/dedicatedserverlaunch.json

Modifying World Traits

1. Game Difficulty

Locate "GameSetting.V.Difficulty":
  • Normal: The balanced survival experience.
  • Hard: Increased enemy aggression and resource scarcity.
  • Peaceful: No cannibal or mutant threats (useful for creative building).
  • Custom: Enables specific boolean flags found in the CustomGameModeSettings block.

2. Seasonal Duration

Locate "GameSetting.V.SeasonLength":
  • Short: Rapidly cycles through seasons.
  • Default: Standard pacing.
  • Long: Historically accurate day-counts for each season.
  • Realistic: Winter and Summer will last for months of real-world time.

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Last Updated: January 2026 | Sons of the Forest: World variables verified.