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In Sons of the Forest multiplayer, time only skips when every player on the server is asleep at the same time, each in their own shelter, tent or bed. If one player stays awake, time carries on normally. A dedicated server has no setting to change how many players must sleep. Sleeping restores your energy and moves time forward by 13 hours.

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How to sleep in Sons of the Forest

1

Find or build a place to sleep

Sleep in a tarp tent, a hunting shelter, a stick bed or double bed, a bed in a bunker, or a tent in a camp. Each player needs their own.
2

Use it

Walk up to it and use the sleep prompt. Aggressive enemies nearby cancel the action.
3

Wait for everyone

In multiplayer, the night skips only when all players are asleep. Agree a time with your group.

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What does sleeping do?

  • Energy: sleep is the main way to restore the energy (rest) meter. You get more back when your comfort is high, and much more when you sleep indoors, for example in a bunker, a cave or a fully closed building.
  • Time: a full sleep skips 13 hours.
  • Sickness: sleeping cures sickness.
  • Trees: with tree regrowth on, 10% of cut trees grow back overnight. See tree regrowth.
  • Saving: sleeping does not save the game. On a dedicated server the world saves itself every SaveInterval seconds (600, so every 10 minutes, by default).

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Sleep cooldown and safety

You can sleep once every couple of in-game hours, whatever your energy level. Not sleeping has no other penalty than low energy. Sleeping outside can be interrupted by a cannibal search party or mutants, up to twice a night. A spot only counts as safe when it is fully enclosed by defensive walls. Bunkers and caves are safe once nearby enemies are gone.

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Can I change sleep settings on my server?

No. dedicatedserver.cfg has no sleep setting, and the game has no “players sleeping percentage” option. Related settings you can change: See dedicatedserver.cfg explained for how to edit them.

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Frequently asked questions

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Why can’t I skip the night on our server?

At least one player is awake. Everyone online has to be asleep at the same moment, so check that nobody is AFK.

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Does sleeping save the game?

No. Sleeping and saving are separate. The server autosaves every 10 minutes by default (SaveInterval 600).

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How long can I sleep in Sons of the Forest?

A full sleep skips 13 hours. You can sleep again after a couple of in-game hours.

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Do I need to sleep at all?

No. The only effect of not sleeping is lower energy.

Sons of the Forest server guide

Every Sons of the Forest page in one place.

Tree regrowth

Let cut trees grow back while you sleep.

Season length

How long winter lasts and day length.

dedicatedserver.cfg explained

Every key of the server config file.
Checked by the FREAKHOSTING team against the Sons of the Forest Wiki and the official dedicated server guide on 30 October 2026. Game behaviour may change with updates.

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Need Extra Help?

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Last Updated: October 2026