An ARK: Survival Ascended dedicated server is your ARK world running on its own, around the clock, with no player’s game holding it open. You build one with the free ARK: Survival Ascended Dedicated Server Tool (Steam app 2430930), which runs only on Windows, on a machine with 12–16 GB of RAM to spare. Then you open UDP port 7777 and set the rules in GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini. Below are the requirements, the full setup, and the fixes for the problems ASA servers actually run into.
Dedicated, non-dedicated or official: which ARK server do you need?
ASA gives you three ways to play with other people. Official servers belong to the developer’s network and run its rules. A non-dedicated session runs inside one player’s game and closes when they quit. An unofficial dedicated server is a separate program that you, or a host, keep running with your own rules, rates and mods. If your tribe plays at different times or wants its own settings, you want the dedicated one.
| Official servers | Non-dedicated session | Unofficial dedicated server | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | The official network | One player’s game | You or a host |
| Online when the host is offline? | Yes | No, the world closes with the host’s game | Yes, 24/7 |
| Your own rates and rules | No | Yes, from the host menu | Full control in the .ini files |
| Players move freely | Yes | No, everyone stays tethered within about 180 m of the host | Yes |
| Players | Anyone | A small group | Up to 70 by default |
Single player is the same game with only you on it. It is a good place to test settings before you put them on a server.
ARK: Survival Ascended server requirements
Plan on 12–16 GB of RAM for the server alone, a CPU with strong single-core speed, an SSD with room for the roughly 11 GB install plus saves and mods, and Windows. There is no native Linux build. Memory is the number that catches people out: an empty map already uses most of a small plan before anyone logs in.
- RAM: 12–16 GB for one map with players, more with a long mod list. Every map in a cluster is its own server and needs its own RAM.
- CPU: the ARK wiki suggests 4 logical cores per server, and single-thread speed matters more than core count.
- Storage: about 11 GB for the server files, plus saves, logs, updates and mods. Use an SSD.
- OS: Windows 10/11 or Windows Server. Windows Server editions need TLS 1.2 enabled and set up correctly before the server will work.
- Network: the wiki budgets up to 60 KiB/s per player and recommends a 100 Mb connection for home hosting.
What the wiki measured on an empty map with default settings:
| Map | Map name in the launch line | RAM, empty server |
|---|---|---|
| The Island | TheIsland_WP |
8–10 GB |
| Scorched Earth | ScorchedEarth_WP |
7.5–9 GB |
| The Center | TheCenter_WP |
10.5–12 GB |
| Aberration | Aberration_WP |
8–10 GB |
| Extinction | Extinction_WP |
7–8.5 GB |
Players, tames, structures and mods all push those numbers up. Hosting on the PC you also play on is harder than it sounds: the game itself lists 16 GB of RAM as its minimum, so the server and the client together want roughly double that. No spare machine? ARK: Survival Ascended server hosting gives you one without the setup.
How to make a dedicated server on ARK Ascended
The setup has six parts: download the server files with SteamCMD, write a start line, start the server once, edit the two config files, open the game port, and keep the server running. Every step happens on the Windows machine that will host the world.
1. Download the server files with SteamCMD
- Install SteamCMD, Valve’s command-line Steam client, in its own folder.
- Download the ARK: Survival Ascended Dedicated Server Tool (the same command updates it later):
steamcmd +force_install_dir C:\asa-server +login anonymous +app_update 2430930 validate +quit
Steam sometimes rejects anonymous logins when its servers are busy. If the download stalls, log in with a real Steam account instead of anonymous.
2. Write the start line
Create start-server.bat in C:\asa-server:
start ShooterGame\Binaries\Win64\ArkAscendedServer.exe TheIsland_WP?listen?SessionName=MyTribeServer -port=7777 -WinLiveMaxPlayers=20- The map name comes first. Swap
TheIsland_WPfor any map name from the table above. - Keep
?listen. Without it the server doesn’t open its port. - Options that start with
?chain onto the map name with no spaces. Options that start with-are separated by spaces. - ASA takes its port from
-port=only. Leave it out and you get 7777. - The player cap is
-WinLiveMaxPlayers(default 70). The oldMaxPlayerssetting doesn’t do it any more. - Keep passwords out of the start line and in
GameUserSettings.ini. Command-line admin passwords are fragile: anything after?ServerAdminPassword=gets read as part of the password.
Every launch option is listed on the ARK wiki’s ASA server configuration page.
3. Start it once, then stop it
Double-click the batch file and wait until the console says the server is up. Starting it once lets the server create its ShooterGame\Saved folder. Close the window when it’s done.
4. Edit GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini
Both files live in ShooterGame\Saved\Config\WindowsServer. Game.ini isn’t created by default, so make an empty one if it’s missing. A minimal start:
; GameUserSettings.ini
[ServerSettings]
ServerPassword=friends-only
ServerAdminPassword=something-long-and-private
ServerPVE=True
[SessionSettings]
SessionName=MyTribeServer; Game.ini
[/script/shootergame.shootergamemode]
MaxNumberOfPlayersInTribe=6Edit these files only while the server is stopped; changes apply on the next start. Rates, breeding, difficulty and PvE rules all have their own lines, explained with ready-made presets in ARK: Survival Ascended server settings for a private server.
5. Open the ports
| Port | Protocol | What it’s for |
|---|---|---|
| 7777 | UDP | Game port. Players connect here. Required. |
| 27020 | TCP | RCON remote admin. Only if you set RCONEnabled=True. |
| 27015 | UDP | Not used. ASA has no query port; older ARK guides still list it. |
- Allow the game port through Windows Firewall (run as administrator):
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="ASA game port" dir=in action=allow protocol=UDP localport=7777 - On your router, forward UDP 7777 to the PC running the server. If the server still won’t list, the ARK wiki suggests forwarding the port for both UDP and TCP.
- Running two servers on one machine? Give each its own
-port=and forward each one.
6. Keep it running
To start the server at boot, add a Task Scheduler task that runs start-server.bat when the computer starts, with “Start in” set to the server folder. An ARK Ascended server manager saves a lot of clicking: the ARK wiki lists ASA Server Manager and PowerShellGSM as supporting ASA, while the older ARK Server Manager only supports ARK: Survival Evolved.
How to join your ARK: Survival Ascended server
Player-hosted servers are hidden in ASA’s server browser until you ask to see them. Open the Unofficial list, tick Show Player Servers, refresh, and search for your server’s name. If that fails, skip the list entirely: open the in-game console and connect straight to the address and port. Give a new server a few minutes first.
- In the server browser, choose the Unofficial list.
- Tick Show Player Servers and refresh. Allow password-protected servers too if you set a
ServerPassword. - Search for your
SessionNameand join. - Or open the console and type
open 203.0.113.25:7777with your public IP. Anyone on the server’s own network connects with its local IP instead.
A fresh server can take 2–5 minutes to become discoverable, and longer on a first boot with mods. Players must be on the same game version as the server.
Admin access and server commands
Admin rights on an ASA server come from the ServerAdminPassword in GameUserSettings.ini. Open the console in game, type enablecheats followed by that password, and you can run admin commands for the rest of the session. On a multiplayer server each command starts with cheat or admincheat.
- PC: press ~ to open the console.
- Xbox: turn on console access in the game settings, open the pause screen with Menu, then press View.
- PS5: turn on console access in the game settings, open the pause screen with the right Options button, then press the left one.
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
cheat ListPlayers |
Lists everyone online with their IDs |
cheat KickPlayer <ID> |
Disconnects a player (ID from ListPlayers) |
cheat BanPlayer <ID> |
Bans a player; UnbanPlayer reverses it |
cheat Broadcast <message> |
Puts a message on everyone’s screen |
cheat SaveWorld |
Saves the world to disk now |
cheat DoExit |
Shuts the server down as soon as possible |
cheat DestroyWildDinos |
Wipes untamed creatures so the map respawns them |
Official servers don’t give players admin access, so commands like these are only yours on an unofficial server.
How to add mods to an ARK: Survival Ascended server
ASA mods come from CurseForge, not Steam Workshop. Find each mod’s project ID on its CurseForge page and list the IDs, separated by commas, in the -mods= launch option. The server downloads the mods on start and updates them every time it restarts. Players get the same mods through the game’s built-in mod browser.
start ShooterGame\Binaries\Win64\ArkAscendedServer.exe TheIsland_WP?listen?SessionName=MyTribeServer -port=7777 -mods=111111,222222Replace 111111,222222 with your real project IDs. A few rules:
- The first boot is slow. A long mod list takes much longer to start than a normal restart while everything downloads.
- Memory runs out mid-download. This is the most common modded-server failure. If RAM runs out during that first download, the half-installed mod fails on every boot until you clear its folder. Add RAM before a big mod list, not after.
- Mod maps go first. A mod map replaces
TheIsland_WPwith its own map name, and its ID still goes in-mods. - Passive mods (
-passivemods=) load a mod’s data with its features switched off. A passive mod doesn’t also need to be in-mods. - One mod list for everyone: mods made for ASA run on PC, Xbox and PS5, so a modded server can still be a crossplay server.
Official servers only allow a whitelist of cosmetic mods. Anything that changes gameplay needs an unofficial server.
ARK: Survival Ascended crossplay servers: PC, Xbox and PS5
ASA dedicated servers are crossplay unless you restrict them. The -ServerPlatform launch option decides who may join: PC, XSX (Xbox), PS5, WINGDK or ALL, joined with +. With no value set, the game assumes crossplay and allows every platform. The old -crossplay flag from ARK: Survival Evolved is obsolete.
- PC players only:
-ServerPlatform=PC - PC and PS5:
-ServerPlatform=PC+PS5 - Everyone: leave it out, or
-ServerPlatform=ALL
Console players can’t run a dedicated server. The server tool is Windows-only, so there is no way to make a dedicated server on a PS5 or an Xbox. Console groups join one hosted on a PC or rented from a host. Whether a non-dedicated session is cross-platform isn’t documented by Studio Wildcard, and player reports are mixed, so if your group mixes PC and console players, a dedicated server is the reliable choice.
Clusters and server transfers
A cluster is two or more ASA servers, usually different maps, that let players carry survivors, tames and items between them. Every map runs as its own server process with its own RAM and port. They become a cluster by sharing the same -clusterid and the same cluster storage folder, which -ClusterDirOverride points to.
... TheIsland_WP?listen -port=7777 -clusterid=our-secret-cluster -ClusterDirOverride=C:\asa-cluster
... ScorchedEarth_WP?listen -port=7779 -clusterid=our-secret-cluster -ClusterDirOverride=C:\asa-cluster- Use a cluster ID nobody would guess. Leave
-clusteridoff entirely if players shouldn’t travel between your servers. - To transfer, upload at an obelisk or a Tek Transmitter on one map and download on another. Uploading a tame drops its inventory, so empty it first.
- Transfers only work inside the same cluster. You can’t move characters between official and unofficial servers.
- To lock transfers down, use
PreventDownloadSurvivors,PreventDownloadDinos,PreventDownloadItemsornoTributeDownloadsinGameUserSettings.ini. Add-NoTransferFromFilteringto block ARK data from single player and from servers without a cluster ID.
Linux, Docker and self-hosting
There is no Linux version of the ASA dedicated server. Steam lists the tool for Windows only, and the ARK wiki says it needs Windows or a Windows-like environment. Linux admins run the Windows build through Proton, usually in a community Docker image, and it works. Expect the same memory use, the same ports and the same config folders as on Windows.
The best-known Docker image, ark-survival-ascended-linux-container-image, plans for about 13 GB of RAM and 11 GB of disk per server instance. It exposes UDP 7777 and TCP 27020 and keeps the config in ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer, even on Linux. Self-hosting a personal server at home works too. The cost is a PC that stays on, an open port and your evenings when it breaks.
Running the original game instead? ASE is a different server with different rules: see the ARK: Survival Evolved dedicated server guide.
Updating, saving and wiping your server
When ASA patches, players on the new version can’t join a server on the old one. Stop the server, run the same SteamCMD app_update 2430930 validate command, and start it again. Mods update on that start. Back up first: copying the whole ShooterGame\Saved folder is the backup the ARK wiki recommends.
- Saving: the server auto-saves every 15 minutes (
AutoSavePeriodMinutes). Runcheat SaveWorldbefore any shutdown. A crash between saves loses everything since the last one. - Server version: the official status line under the server list shows the current version (v94.35 when we checked). A server on an older build needs the update before patched players can join.
- Wiping: for a full server wipe, stop the server, back up
ShooterGame\Saved, then delete your map’s save folder (named after the map, for exampleTheIsland_WP). The next start generates a fresh world. For a dino wipe only, runcheat DestroyWildDinosinstead.
Official server rates vs your server’s rates
On an unofficial server every rate starts at 1.0: normal taming, harvesting and experience. The official network reads its multipliers from a dynamic config file that Studio Wildcard uses for evolution events, so official server rates go up during an event and back to 1.0 after it. When we read that file in late October 2026, no event was running and every multiplier in it was 1.0.
| Setting | Your server’s default | What raising it does |
|---|---|---|
TamingSpeedMultiplier |
1.0 | Faster taming |
HarvestAmountMultiplier |
1.0 | More resources per hit |
XPMultiplier |
1.0 | More experience |
BabyMatureSpeedMultiplier |
1.0 | Babies grow up sooner |
EggHatchSpeedMultiplier |
1.0 | Eggs hatch sooner |
MatingIntervalMultiplier |
1.0 | Lower it instead: shorter wait between matings |
To match an official event, or go well past it with a boosted server, set the same lines yourself. The server settings guide has presets.
Are ARK Ascended servers down?
First check whether the problem is the official network or your own server. The game shows an “ARK Official Server Network Status” line under the server list, with its state and the current version. If the official servers are down today, there’s nothing to fix on your side. Your own unofficial server only goes down if its machine, its port or its version is the problem.
- Official servers down: wait it out, or play on an unofficial server in the meantime.
- Only your server is down: check the server’s console window or log, wait a few minutes after a restart, and make sure the server was updated after the latest patch.
Common ARK: Survival Ascended server issues and fixes
| Problem | Check first | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| ARK Ascended server not showing up in the list (PC, Xbox or PS5) | Show Player Servers not ticked, password filter on, or the server is still booting | Tick it, refresh, search by name; wait 2–5 minutes; or join with open IP:port |
| Connection timeout on your unofficial server | UDP 7777 not forwarded, firewall rule missing, or server still starting | Fix the port and firewall; test from the console with open IP:port |
| Black screen, or crashing when joining | Whether mods are still downloading or updating on the player’s side, and whether the game patched | Let downloads finish; update the game; restart the server, which pulls current mod versions on every start |
| Server crashing on start after adding mods | RAM ran out during the mod download, leaving a half-installed mod | Clear that mod’s folder, add RAM, start again |
| Red “Server Hitch Detected” banner | A short stall while the server catches up under load | Ignore it if it’s rare; if it’s constant, cut mods or tames or add RAM |
| Progress lost after a crash | The crash came before the next auto-save | Lower AutoSavePeriodMinutes; run SaveWorld before restarts |
| Nobody can join after a game update | The server is on the old version | Update the server with SteamCMD |
| Settings ignored after a restart | Wrong file or section, or the file was edited while running | Stop the server, fix the file, start it again |
About that hitch banner: Studio Wildcard hasn’t documented exactly what triggers it. Players see it in single player too, as well as on official and dedicated servers, which tells you it is about the machine running the world, not your connection.
Skip the setup: rent an ASA server instead
Self-hosting ASA means a Windows PC with 16 GB or more to spare, an open port, and a mod list that can stop the server from booting. If you’d rather play, ARK: Survival Ascended server hosting on GameTeam is ready in minutes. You pay per GB of RAM, from $0.49/GB a week, with unlimited slots, and there is no port forwarding. The built-in AI copilot takes the tedious ASA jobs off your hands. Tell it “add these three CurseForge mods and make taming 3x” and it updates the server and GameUserSettings.ini, then restarts. Ask “why won’t the server start?” and it reads the log and tells you. The Live Discord Bridge posts start, stop and restart events to your tribe’s Discord server.
FAQ
Can you make a dedicated server on ARK Ascended?
Yes, on a Windows PC or Windows server, with the free Dedicated Server Tool from SteamCMD. Consoles can’t run it.
Are ARK Ascended dedicated servers free?
The server software is a free download. What costs money is running it: a PC that stays on and its electricity, or a hosting plan.
How much RAM do you need to host an ARK server?
For ASA, 12–16 GB for one map with players, and more for a long mod list or a cluster, since each map needs its own. An empty map alone uses 7.5–12 GB.
How much does it cost to host an ARK: Survival Ascended server?
Self-hosting costs only your hardware and power. On GameTeam a 12 GB server is $5.88 a week, or $1.99/GB billed monthly, with unlimited slots and the AI copilot included.
Can I host an ARK: Survival Ascended server on PS5 or Xbox?
Not a dedicated one. The server only runs on Windows, so console players join a server hosted on a PC or by a host. Its -ServerPlatform setting has to allow their platform.
Does ARK: Survival Ascended have custom servers?
Yes: unofficial servers. Anyone can run one with custom rates, rules and CurseForge mods, and find them in the Unofficial list with Show Player Servers ticked.
How do I make a multiplayer server in ARK: Survival Ascended?
For a quick session with friends nearby, host a non-dedicated session from the game. For a world that stays up and lets everyone roam the map, set up a dedicated server as above, or rent one.
What is the ARK: Survival Ascended dedicated server’s Steam ID?
The Dedicated Server Tool is Steam app 2430930. The game itself is 2399830.