ARK Server Hosting Guide
ARK: Survival Evolved is one of the most resource-intensive games to host. Between massive maps, hundreds of mods, and dino-heavy gameplay, getting the configuration right matters. This guide covers everything from choosing your map to setting up a multi-server cluster.
Choosing Your Map
ARK has multiple official maps plus community-created maps. Each offers a different experience.
Official Story Maps (Paid DLC)
| Map | Setting | Unique Features | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Island | Tropical island | The classic ARK experience, all standard dinos | Beginner |
| Scorched Earth | Desert | Phoenix, Wyverns, sandstorms, extreme heat | Intermediate |
| Aberration | Underground | Radiation zones, Rock Drakes, no flyers | Hard |
| Extinction | Corrupted Earth | Titans, orbital drops, Meks, city biome | Hard |
| Genesis: Part 1 | Simulation | 5 biomes, missions system, Magmasaur, Bloodstalker | Hard |
| Genesis: Part 2 | Colony ship | Largest map, Maewing, Shadowmane, Noglin, endgame content | Hard |
Free Community Maps
| Map | Setting | Why Play It |
|---|---|---|
| Ragnarok | Nordic/Fantasy | Most popular community map. Huge, varied biomes, Wyverns + Griffin |
| The Center | Islands/Caves | Beautiful, massive underground areas |
| Valguero | European/Diverse | Deinonychus, chalk hills, varied terrain |
| Crystal Isles | Crystal biome | Crystal Wyverns, tropical areas, gorgeous visuals |
| Lost Island | Island chain | Dinopithecus, Amargasaurus, Sinomacrops |
| Fjordur | Norse mythology | Realm system (Asgard, Jotunheim, Vanaheim), Fjordhawk, Andrewsarchus |
Recommendations
- First server? → The Island or Ragnarok — both beginner-friendly with tons of content
- Want challenge? → Aberration — no flyers changes everything
- PvP focused? → The Center or Ragnarok — good cave systems and strategic locations
- Want everything? → Set up a cluster with 2-3 maps (see below)
Server Hardware Requirements
ARK is one of the heaviest games to host. It's single-threaded for game logic, so clock speed matters more than cores.
| Setup | Players | RAM | CPU | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small tribe | 5-10 | 8 GB | 4 GHz+ | 25 GB |
| Medium community | 10-30 | 12-16 GB | 4.5 GHz+ | 50 GB |
| Large / Modded | 30-70 | 16-24 GB | 4.5 GHz+ | 75 GB |
| Cluster (per server) | 20-50 | 12-16 GB | 4.5 GHz+ | 50 GB |
ARK loads the entire map into memory. The Island alone uses 4-6 GB. Add mods, tamed dinos, and player structures and you're at 8-12 GB easily. Modded servers with 50+ mods can use 16 GB+.
Key Server Settings
GameUserSettings.ini
The main configuration file. Most important settings:
[ServerSettings]
# Connection
ServerName=My ARK Server
ServerPassword= # Leave empty for public
ServerAdminPassword=YourAdminPassword
MaxPlayers=70
RCONEnabled=True
RCONPort=27020
# Rates (multipliers — 1.0 = official rates)
TamingSpeedMultiplier=3.0 # 3x taming speed
HarvestAmountMultiplier=3.0 # 3x harvesting
XPMultiplier=2.0 # 2x experience
MatingIntervalMultiplier=0.5 # Faster breeding
EggHatchSpeedMultiplier=5.0 # 5x egg hatching
BabyMatureSpeedMultiplier=5.0 # 5x baby growth
BabyCuddleIntervalMultiplier=0.2 # Faster imprinting
# Day/Night
DayTimeSpeedScale=0.5 # Longer days
NightTimeSpeedScale=2.0 # Shorter nights
DayCycleSpeedScale=1.0 # Overall cycle speed
# Difficulty
DifficultyOffset=1.0 # Max difficulty = max level dinos
OverrideOfficialDifficulty=5.0 # Wild dinos up to level 150
# PvP / PvE
ServerPVE=False # True for PvE mode
AllowCaveBuildingPVE=True
DisableStructureDecayPvE=False
PvEStructureDecayPeriodMultiplier=1.0
# Quality of Life
ShowMapPlayerLocation=True
AllowThirdPersonPlayer=True
AllowFlyerCarryPvE=True
EnableExtraStructurePreventionVolumes=False
Taming Rate Recommendations
| Style | TamingSpeed | HarvestAmount | XP | Who It's For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Official-like | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | Hardcore players, long progression |
| Boosted casual | 3-5x | 2-3x | 2x | Most popular for community servers |
| Heavily boosted | 10-25x | 5-10x | 5x | PvP focused, fast action |
| Instant tame | 100x+ | 10x+ | 10x | Creative/build servers, events |
Most popular: 3-5x taming with 2-3x harvesting. This preserves the ARK feeling while respecting players' time.
Steam Workshop Mods
ARK has an enormous mod library on Steam Workshop. Install mods by adding their Workshop IDs to your server configuration.
Installing Mods
Add mod IDs to your startup command or GameUserSettings.ini:
# In GameUserSettings.ini
[ServerSettings]
ActiveMods=731604991,889745138,764755314
# Or in launch parameters
-automanagedmods -mods=731604991,889745138,764755314
The server downloads mods automatically on startup.
Popular Mods (2025)
| Mod | Workshop ID | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Structures Plus (S+) | 731604991 | Better building system — the most popular ARK mod |
| Awesome SpyGlass | 1404697612 | See dino stats, level, and colors at range |
| Dino Storage v2 | 1609138312 | Cryopod-like storage for tamed dinos |
| Super Structures | 1999447172 | S+ successor with more features |
| Castles, Keeps, & Forts | 764755314 | Medieval building pieces |
| Kraken's Better Dinos | 1565015734 | Improved dino AI and abilities |
| Eco's RP Decor | 741203089 | Decorative items for roleplay servers |
| Classic Flyers | 895711211 | Restore pre-nerf flyer speed leveling |
Mods load in the order listed. Place total conversion mods first, then map mods, then gameplay mods, then cosmetic mods. Changing mod order on an existing server can corrupt save data.
Cluster Setup (Multi-Server)
A cluster links multiple ARK servers so players can transfer characters, dinos, and items between maps via Obelisks or TEK Transmitters.
How Clusters Work
┌─────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐
│ The Island │ │ Ragnarok │ │ Aberration │
│ (Server 1) │────│ (Server 2) │────│ (Server 3) │
│ ClusterID: abc │ │ ClusterID: abc │ │ ClusterID: abc │
└─────────────────┘ └─────────────────┘ └─────────────────┘
│ │ │
└────────── Shared Cluster Storage ───────────────┘
(Characters, Dinos, Items transfer here)
Setting Up a Cluster
All servers in a cluster need:
-
Same Cluster ID — Set via launch parameter:
-clusterid=MyClusterName
-ClusterDirOverride=/path/to/shared/cluster -
Shared storage — All servers must access the same cluster directory. On the same host, this is a shared folder. Across hosts, you need shared file storage.
-
Same mods — All servers should run the same mod list to prevent transfer issues.
-
Same admin password — For consistent admin access.
Transfer Rules
| What | Can Transfer? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Characters | Yes | Upload at any Obelisk or TEK Transmitter |
| Tamed dinos | Yes | Upload via Obelisk. Some dinos are map-locked |
| Items | Yes | Upload via Obelisk inventory |
| Blueprints | Yes | Transfer in inventory |
| Structures | No | Buildings don't transfer |
| Engrams | Depends | Map-specific engrams may not unlock elsewhere |
Upload timer: Items, dinos, and characters uploaded to the cluster have a 24-hour decay timer. Download them on another server before then or they're lost.
On Reactor, cluster storage is handled automatically when you provision multiple ARK servers. Just ensure they share the same Cluster ID in your server settings. Contact us for help setting up a cluster.
Admin Commands
Enable the admin console in-game by pressing Tab, then use enablecheats YourAdminPassword.
Essential Admin Commands
# Player management
KickPlayer <SteamID64>
BanPlayer <SteamID64>
UnbanPlayer <SteamID64>
ListPlayers
# World management
SaveWorld
DestroyWildDinos # Clear all wild dinos (forces respawn)
SetTimeOfDay 12:00:00 # Set time
Slomo 5 # Speed up time (1 = normal)
# Broadcasting
Broadcast Server maintenance in 10 minutes!
ServerChat Hello everyone!
# Admin tools
Fly # Toggle fly mode
Ghost # Toggle noclip
God # Toggle invincibility
InfiniteStats # Infinite health/stamina/food/water
GiveResources # Fill inventory with resources
GiveEngrams # Unlock all engrams
# Dino management
DoTame # Instant tame the dino you're looking at
ForceTame # Tame without saddle requirement
GMSummon "Rex_Character_BP_C" 150 # Spawn a level 150 Rex
DestroyMyTarget # Kill what you're looking at
RCON Commands
ARK supports Source RCON on port 27020 (default). See our RCON guide for setup details.
# Via RCON client (mcrcon, rcon-cli, etc.)
Broadcast Server restarting in 5 minutes!
SaveWorld
ListPlayers
KickPlayer <SteamID64>
DoExit # Graceful shutdown
Performance Tuning
Reducing Lag
| Setting | What It Does | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
TheMaxStructuresInRange | Limit structures per area | 6000 (default 6500) |
MaxPersonalTamedDinos | Dino limit per player | 300-500 |
MaxTamedDinos | Total server dino cap | 5000-6000 |
AutoDestroyDecayedDinos | Clean up expired dinos | True |
ClampResourceHarvestDamage | Prevent exploit damage | True |
Wild Dino Wipe
If your server is lagging from too many stuck/glitched wild dinos:
# In-game (admin)
admincheat DestroyWildDinos
# Via RCON
DestroyWildDinos
This clears all wild dinos and forces a fresh spawn cycle. Takes about 5 minutes for the world to repopulate.
Save File Size
ARK save files grow over time (structures, dinos, player data). A mature server with 50+ active players can have 500 MB+ save files. Regular admin cleanup helps:
- Remove abandoned bases (Structure Decay handles this if enabled)
- Tribe dino limits prevent hoarding
DestroyWildDinosperiodically refreshes spawns- Prune inactive players with auto-decay settings
Backup Strategy
ARK save files are in your server's ShooterGame/Saved/ directory:
SavedArks/— World saves (.arkfiles)clusters/— Cluster transfer dataConfig/— Server settingsLogs/— Server logs
When to back up:
- Before every wipe
- Before changing mods
- Before major updates
- Daily (automatic on Reactor)
ARK auto-saves every 15 minutes by default. If the server crashes between saves, you lose up to 15 minutes of progress. Lower AutoSavePeriodMinutes to 5-10 for more frequent saves (slight performance cost).
Related Guides
- Steam Query Protocol — How Steam discovers your ARK server
- RCON Protocol — Remote admin for ARK
- ARK Server Plans — View pricing and tiers
Ready to host? Get your ARK server →