Getting Started
Your first steps towards setting up your ARK: Survival Evolved service.
Choose your map
In the "Startup" section, set Server Map to the map you'd like to run (TheIsland, TheCenter, Ragnarok, ScorchedEarth_P, Aberration_P, Extinction, Valguero_P, Genesis, CrystalIsles, Gen2, Fjordur), then reinstall your server to apply it.
Set your server details
Also in the "Startup" section, set:
- Server Name: shown in the server browser
- Server Password: optional, leave blank for a public server
- Admin Password: required, used with the in-game
enablecheats <password>command to gain admin access
Set your player count
Set Max Players to however many slots you'd like available.
Make your server externally reachable (optional)
Your server can be joined directly by IP once it's running, but if you want it to show up when players browse for servers, or want to connect to RCON from outside your service, you'll need your own allocation for each.
Create new allocations
Navigate to the "Network" tab and create a new allocation for each port you need, see our guide on managing allocations if you need more detail.
Set the ports
Back in the "Startup" section, set Query Port and/or RCON Port to match the allocations you created.
Query Port
Without an allocated Query Port, your server can still be joined directly by IP, it just won't appear when players browse for sessions in-game or on Steam.
Review your anti-cheat and launch settings
Battle Eye is on by default, we recommend keeping it enabled unless a specific mod requires it to be off. Use Additional Arguments for extra launch flags, for example -crossplay -exclusivejoin to allow Epic Games players to join.
Install mods (optional)
There's no dedicated Mods field, see our guide on installing mods for how to add Steam Workshop mods via GameUserSettings.ini.
🎉 Done
Start your server.
This is normal
ARK needs a working local RCON connection to fully start, which can take 10-20 minutes on a fresh boot. You'll see "RCON connection refused" messages in the console during this time, this isn't a crash, just let it finish.