The ForestVAC (Valve Anti-Cheat) is Steam's anti-cheat system that helps prevent players from using hacks or cheats on your server. When enabled, players with VAC bans may be prevented from joining.
VAC bans are game-specific but some older bans may affect multiple Source engine games. A player banned in one game won't necessarily be banned from The Forest.
Enabling or Disabling VAC
- Navigate to the Wabbanode Control Panel and Stop your server.
- Click the Settings tab and select The Forest Game Settings.
- Locate Enable VAC and set to On or Off.
- Click Save and Start your server.
What VAC Does
| VAC Enabled | VAC Disabled |
|---|---|
| Players with VAC bans may be blocked | All players can join regardless of VAC status |
| Helps prevent cheating | No anti-cheat protection |
| May block legitimate players with old bans | More accessible to all players |
Considerations
Enable VAC if:
- You want protection against known cheaters
- Fair gameplay is important to your community
- You're running a public server
Disable VAC if:
- You're running a private server with trusted players
- Players are being incorrectly blocked
- You have friends with old VAC bans from other games
VAC protection has been configured on your server.
