Why Does My Character Keep Falling Through the Map in The Forest?

The Forest, and its sequel Sons of the Forest, are immersive survival horror games that thrust players into eerie wilderness landscapes teeming with danger. From building shelters and crafting weapons to fighting mutants and uncovering lore, these games are praised for their environmental realism and tension-filled gameplay.

But for all their immersive qualities, some players report a frustrating and immersion-breaking issue: Their character suddenly falls through the map.No terrain, no collision — just endless free fall beneath the game world.

So what causes this bug? Why does it happen seemingly at random? And more importantly, how can you fix it or avoid it altogether?

Understanding the Glitch: What Does “Falling Through the Map” Mean?

When your character “falls through the map,” the game is failing to properly load or render the collision mesh — the invisible surface that tells your character “this is solid ground.” Instead of landing on terrain, your player model passes through the floor into the void, causing:

• Infinite falling
• Sudden death or forced reload
• Loss of gear or unsaved progress

This glitch can happen anywhere: near caves, buildings, cliffs, or even flat open ground.

Common Causes of the Bug

1. Corrupted Terrain or Collision Data

One of the most frequent causes is a failure to load terrain assets, especially if you’re playing on a machine with lower specs or experiencing lag spikes. When terrain chunks don’t load correctly, the ground may appear — but the collision data doesn’t register, letting your character fall through it.

This is more likely to happen:

• When loading into a saved game too quickly
• After fast traveling via developer tools or mods
• In areas with complex geometry, like caves or near cliffs

2. Mod Conflicts or Custom Maps

If you’re using mods (especially those that affect terrain, building mechanics, or add new biomes), they may conflict with the base game’s structure. This can lead to:

• Missing or misplaced collision meshes
• Load order issues
• Terrain “holes” where the mod didn’t align correctly with the world

Some map mods also unintentionally allow you to walk into areas where no terrain exists, causing a fall.

3. Saving or Reloading in Glitched Locations

Sometimes the game saves your position in a bugged spot, such as:

• A slope with thin or unstable geometry
• An area where the terrain fails to reload properly
• Inside a structure that clips into the world

Upon reloading, your character may spawn slightly below or outside the intended boundary, triggering the fall.

4. Multiplayer Sync Issues

In The Forest’s multiplayer mode, desynchronization between host and client terrain data can cause players to fall through the map. If the client’s version of the map fails to load terrain that exists on the host’s side, they’ll fall through what appears to be solid ground.

This is common when:

• The host moves too far ahead
• A client joins mid-game or after significant base building
• A network hiccup delays terrain syncing

5. GPU or Performance-Related Rendering Bugs

If your system struggles to render the game properly due to low RAM, overheating, or GPU throttling, terrain and collision data may load incorrectly. This can cause:

• Delayed terrain pop-ins
• Invisible holes in the map
• Falling through floors of structures or the world itself

Known Hotspots Where It Happens

Players have reported falling through the map most commonly in:

• Cave entrances (especially those with narrow geometry)
• The sinkhole rim or descent area
• Areas near custom-built bases with extensive foundation stacking
• The ocean floor, especially when swimming near edge boundaries

Solutions and Workarounds

While there’s no guaranteed fix for every instance, here are steps that can help resolve or prevent falling through the map:

1. Reload Your Save Immediately

If you fall and realize your autosave was recent, pause and reload before the fall completes. This is often enough to reset your position before permanent damage (like death or gear loss) occurs.

2. Build on Stable Ground

Avoid placing custom buildings directly on steep slopes, near cave entrances, or in shallow water. If you must, always:

• Use foundation supports
• Test the area with basic walls or floors before committing to a large build
• Save frequently during construction

3. Verify Game Files (Steam)

Corrupted game files can cause missing collision data. Use Steam to verify:

Steam > Right-click The Forest > Properties > Installed Files > Verify Integrity of Game Files

This will scan your game and replace any broken or missing assets.

4. Use Developer Console to Teleport

If you’re stuck in a fall loop, enable the dev console:

1. Enable it via the game’s launch settings or mods.
2. Use a teleport command such as:goto yacht or goto plane

This instantly teleports you to a known safe location.

Note: Using dev tools may disable achievements or affect game stability, so use with caution.

5. Update or Remove Conflicting Mods

If you’re using mods via ModAPI or other loaders, disable them one by one and reload your game. Mods known to conflict with terrain include:

• Custom terrain or biome mods
• Base expansion or teleportation mods
• Cheats that manipulate player height or speed

Make sure all mods are compatible with your game version.

6. Host Game for Better Control (Multiplayer)

If falling through the map happens frequently in multiplayer, consider:

• Hosting the game yourself (you’ll have stable terrain loading)
• Sticking close to the host player to avoid terrain desync
• Rejoining the session after a terrain-heavy area is cleared

Preventing Future Incidents

To minimize the chance of falling through the map in future sessions:

• Save often, especially before entering caves or climbing cliffs
• Avoid jumping or running into terrain edges where geometry looks jagged
• Don’t reload inside caves unless you know it’s a safe spot
• Watch for visual glitches or delayed terrain — pause if anything looks suspicious

If a certain area causes repeated falls, consider avoiding it temporarily and reporting it to developers or the community.

Final Thoughts

Falling through the map in The Forest can be one of the most jarring and frustrating bugs in an otherwise immersive survival experience. Whether caused by mod conflicts, terrain glitches, multiplayer desync, or unstable ground, this issue breaks immersion and can cost players valuable time and progress.

However, with the right precautions — regular saving, mod management, console commands, and stable building — you can reduce its impact or avoid it altogether.

If you’re frequently encountering this bug, you’re not alone. The community has faced it across both The Forest and Sons of the Forest, and developers have released several patches addressing terrain issues. That said, survival in the wilderness is hard enough without the ground vanishing beneath you — so stay prepared, save often, and tread carefully.