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ARK: Survival Ascended Server Hosting
Tame, breed and build across a rebuilt ARK with your tribe while the AI copilot manages the island.
What does it take to host an ARK: Survival Ascended server?
ARK: Survival Ascended servers are heavy: plan on 12–16 GB of RAM for one map, a CPU with fast single cores, UDP port 7777 reachable and two config files, GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini. The official Dedicated Server Tool (Steam app 2430930) runs on Windows only. Or rent ARK: Survival Ascended dedicated server hosting that is already set up: on GameTeam you pay per GB of RAM, from $0.49/GB a week, slots are never charged (ASA's own default cap is 70 players), and the AI copilot edits the INI files, adds CurseForge mods and reads the log when a boot fails.
Run your ARK: Survival Ascended server by just asking.
ASA spreads its rules across two INI files and a launch line, and one oversized mod list can stop the island from booting. Say what you want instead. The copilot edits the right file, restarts the server and reads the log when something will not come up.
Big Mod Lists, No Sweat
Add mods by ID and let the copilot handle the config; if the first boot fails after a large download, it tells you why.
Right-Size Your Map
ASA wants real memory — pay per GB, start where you are, and grow the plan when the tribe does.
Cluster or Switch Later
One map today, a second server tomorrow, or a different game entirely — none of it means starting over.
ARK: Survival Ascended with friends
The remaster of ARK: dinosaurs to tame, ride and breed on an island that wants you dead, rebuilt in Unreal Engine 5. Your tribe carves out a base, climbs the food chain and eventually challenges the bosses, and the world you leave behind is one that took months to make.
ARK: Survival Ascended server RAM requirements
12-16 GB is a realistic starting point, and clustered maps want more. ASA is the heaviest game on this list; a 6 GB plan will not hold a populated map.
| Your server | Starting RAM | From (Budget, weekly) |
|---|---|---|
| A few friends on The Island or Scorched Earth, light mods | 12 GB | $5.88 / week |
| A full tribe, The Center, or a real CurseForge mod list | 16 GB | $7.84 / week |
| 40+ players, big bases built over months, a long mod list | 20 GB | $9.80 / week |
The ARK wiki measures an empty map at 7.5–12 GB before anyone joins (The Center is the heaviest of the maps it lists), and memory climbs with players, tames, structures and mods. Treat these as starting points: change RAM in one click from the panel and the island stays as it is. Each map in a cluster is its own server and needs its own RAM. Player limit: 20-70 depending on map and mods, with tribe structure counts mattering more than raw player count.
How to set up a ARK: Survival Ascended server on GameTeam
Pick RAM and a location
12 GB covers a small tribe on one map; go 16 GB for mods or The Center. Pick the location closest to your players. We have 25+ across Europe, the Americas and Asia-Pacific.
Choose the map, rules and mods
Tell the copilot which map, which rates and which CurseForge mod IDs you want, or edit GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini in the file manager. Moving an existing world? Our support team can migrate it with you.
Bring the tribe in
In the ASA server browser, open the Unofficial list, tick Show Player Servers and search for your server name. Or open the console and type open followed by the address from the panel.
Good to know before you start
Mods are pulled by CurseForge ID at start, so the first boot after adding a large mod list takes considerably longer than a normal restart.
The most common problem
Running out of memory during the mod download on first start, which leaves a partial install that fails again on the next boot until the folder is cleared.
ARK: Survival Ascended server settings explained
ASA splits its settings between two files in ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer. GameUserSettings.ini holds rates, rules and passwords, mostly under [ServerSettings]. Game.ini holds breeding and deeper tuning, under [/script/shootergame.shootergamemode]. The player cap, mods, crossplay and clusters are launch options instead. Stop the server before editing a file, or let the copilot do it. Presets and every rate explained: ASA server settings for a private server.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
SessionName | The name shown in the unofficial server list (under [SessionSettings]). |
ServerPassword | Password to join. Set one and the server is private. |
ServerAdminPassword | Password for admin commands in game, used with enablecheats. |
ServerPVE | True turns PvP off. Default is False. |
XPMultiplier / TamingSpeedMultiplier / HarvestAmountMultiplier | The classic rates: experience, taming speed and resources per hit. All default to 1.0. |
OverrideOfficialDifficulty | Wild creature levels. 5.0 gives the familiar level-150 cap for most creatures. |
DayCycleSpeedScale / NightTimeSpeedScale | How fast a full day passes, and how long night lasts compared with day. |
MatingIntervalMultiplier / EggHatchSpeedMultiplier / BabyMatureSpeedMultiplier | Breeding speed, set in Game.ini. A lower interval means more frequent mating; higher hatch and mature values mean faster babies. |
MaxNumberOfPlayersInTribe | Tribe size cap, in Game.ini. 0 means no limit. |
AutoSavePeriodMinutes | How often the world saves to disk. Default 15 minutes. |
RCONEnabled / RCONPort | Remote admin over RCON. Off by default; the default port is 27020. |
-WinLiveMaxPlayers | Launch option for the player cap, default 70. It replaces the old MaxPlayers line. |
-mods | Launch option: CurseForge project IDs separated by commas. Mods update every time the server starts. |
-ServerPlatform | Which platforms may join: PC, XSX, PS5, WINGDK or ALL, joined with +. Left unset, the game allows all platforms. |
-clusterid | Puts servers in one cluster so survivors, tames and items can transfer between maps. |
ARK: Survival Ascended server commands
Set ServerAdminPassword, then open the console in game (the ~ key on PC; on Xbox and PS5, turn on console access in the game settings first) and type enablecheats yourpassword. After that, start each command with cheat or admincheat. The copilot can run them from the panel too.
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
enablecheats <password> | Unlocks admin commands for you on this server. |
ListPlayers | Lists everyone online, with the IDs the other commands need. |
KickPlayer <ID> | Disconnects a player. Use the ID from ListPlayers. |
BanPlayer <ID> | Bans a player. UnbanPlayer <ID> lifts the ban. |
Broadcast <message> | Puts a message on every player's screen. |
SaveWorld | Writes the world to disk right now. |
DoExit | Shuts the server down as soon as possible. Run SaveWorld first. |
SetTimeOfDay <hh:mm> | Sets the clock, for example cheat settimeofday 06:30. |
DestroyWildDinos | Removes every untamed creature so the map respawns fresh ones. Useful after changing difficulty. |
AllowPlayerToJoinNoCheck <ID> | Adds a player to the allow list when the server runs with -exclusivejoin. |
GetGameLog | Prints the server's game log. Needs the -servergamelog launch option. |
Can I add mods to a ARK: Survival Ascended server?
Yes, through CurseForge. ASA dropped Steam Workshop, so mods are added by ID to the server configuration and downloaded on start.
Players get mods through ASA's built-in CurseForge browser, and mods made for ASA run on PC, Xbox and PS5 alike. A mod map needs its own map name at the start of the launch line, and -passivemods loads a mod's content with its features switched off.
ARK: Survival Ascended server ports
ASA has no query port and ignores the old 27015 setting from ARK: Survival Evolved. On GameTeam there is nothing to forward: the panel shows your server's exact address and port, which may differ from these defaults.
Pay per GB of RAM. Never per slot.
You pay for memory, not seats, and billing can be weekly, so you are never locked into a month the group might not play. Change RAM in one click, or switch the same server to another game. The AI copilot is included on every plan.
- ✓ AI copilot included on every plan
- ✓ Unlimited player slots — we never charge per slot
- ✓ Ryzen 9 7950X · NVMe storage
- ✓ DDoS protection included
- ✓ Switch to another game anytime
- ✓ 25 GB NVMe storage · 160 Gbps DDoS protection
- ✓ AI copilot included on every plan
- ✓ Unlimited player slots — we never charge per slot
- ✓ Ryzen 9 7950X · Unlimited NVMe storage
- ✓ 480 Gbps DDoS protection
- ✓ Switch to another game anytime
- ✓ Dedicated threads
- ✓ Automatic backups
- ✓ Priority support
Hardware & network
Locations
What server owners say
"Honestly didn't expect much from an 'AI manager', but it's how I run my server now. I'll type something like 'why did the server crash last night' and it actually reads the logs and tells me."
Verified review
"I'd been on two other hosts before this. What sold me was the AI manager catching a memory leak in one of my mods and naming the exact one — something I'd been chasing for weeks."
Verified review
"I'm not very technical and setting up servers always stressed me out. Now I just ask the assistant to fix a config, and it either walks me through it or does it for me."
Verified review
ARK: Survival Ascended server hosting FAQ
How much does an ARK Ascended server cost?
You pay per GB of RAM: $0.49/GB a week on Budget, or $1.99/GB billed monthly. A 12 GB server is $5.88 a week; 16 GB is $7.84 a week, or $31.84 billed monthly. Slots are unlimited and the AI copilot is included.
Is there cheap ARK: Survival Ascended server hosting?
Cheap, yes. Tiny, no. ASA uses 7.5–12 GB on an empty map, so a 6 GB plan will not hold a populated island whatever it costs. Weekly billing is what keeps an ARK: Survival Ascended server rental cheap: rent only for the weeks your tribe actually plays, start at 12 GB and add RAM when you need it.
How many players can join an ARK: Survival Ascended server?
ASA's default cap is 70, set with the -WinLiveMaxPlayers launch option. That limit comes from the game, not from us: GameTeam never charges per slot. In practice, big bases and tame counts slow a server down well before the player count does.
Can Xbox and PS5 players join an ARK: Survival Ascended dedicated server?
Crossplay in ASA is a server setting. The -ServerPlatform launch option takes PC, XSX, PS5 and WINGDK, and with no value set the game allows every platform. Consoles cannot run the Dedicated Server Tool, which is Windows-only, so a PS5 or Xbox group that wants its own server rents one or runs it on a PC. Check which platforms your server allows before you invite console friends.
Can I make my ARK: Survival Ascended server private?
Yes. Set ServerPassword and only people with the password get in. For an invite-only list, start the server with -exclusivejoin and add each player with AllowPlayerToJoinNoCheck. ARK: Survival Ascended private server hosting costs the same per GB as a public server, because you pay for RAM, not seats.
Can I run an ARK: Survival Ascended cluster?
Each map in an ARK cluster is its own server with its own RAM, so budget 12–16 GB per map. Servers join a cluster by sharing the same -clusterid and cluster storage, and players then carry survivors, tames and items between maps at an obelisk or Tek Transmitter. Start with one map and add the next server when the tribe is ready.
Why do I get a connection timeout when joining my ASA server?
Often the server is still starting. ASA takes a few minutes to boot, longer while it downloads a new mod list, and anyone who joins early times out. The other usual causes are a version mismatch after a game patch (on GameTeam, a stop and start updates the server) and, on a home server, UDP 7777 not forwarded. To test, open the console and type open followed by the server address and port.
Why can't I find my server in the ASA server list?
Player-hosted servers are hidden by default. In the Unofficial list, tick Show Player Servers, refresh and search for the server name, and allow password-protected servers if you set a password. If it still does not appear, join through the console with open and the address from the panel.
Can I move my existing ARK: Survival Ascended world to GameTeam?
Yes. The world lives in the server's ShooterGame/Saved folder. Copy the whole folder (that is also what the ARK wiki recommends for backups) and upload it, or ask our support team to migrate it with you.
Run it yourself — or let the copilot.
Same server, any game.
Your ARK, online while the tribe sleeps.
Deploy a server, tell the copilot your rates and mods, and send the tribe the name.
Deploy your ARK: Survival Ascended server