How to Set Up an ARK: Survival Evolved Dedicated Server

Running your own ARK: Survival Evolved dedicated server means your tribe’s world stays online whether you’re playing or not. You control the taming rates, the XP multipliers, the mod list, and who gets to join. No admin abuse from random server owners, no wipes you didn’t agree to, no lag from a host overselling hardware.

The main decisions are RAM, map choice, mods, and whether you want a cluster.

Why run a dedicated ARK server

ARK’s official servers are crowded, laggy, and full of established tribes that make life difficult for newcomers. Unofficial servers solve some of that, but you’re still at the mercy of whoever runs them. A dedicated server puts YOU in control.

Here’s what you get:

• Persistent world - the server stays online 24/7, so your group can play on their own schedule
• Custom settings - adjust XP rates, taming speeds, harvest multipliers, day/night cycles, and hundreds of other options to match how your group wants to play
• Mod support - install mods from the Steam Workshop to add new creatures, maps, structures, quality of life features, or total conversion mods like Primitive+
• Community control - set passwords, whitelist players, assign admins, and moderate your own server
• Cluster support - link multiple servers running different maps so players can transfer their characters and dinos between them

If your group is tired of official server politics or unreliable unofficial hosts, running your own is the way to go.

Hardware requirements

ARK is one of the most resource-hungry dedicated servers you can run. It loads the entire map into memory at startup, and usage climbs as players build structures, tame dinos, and explore. Undersized hardware means rubber-banding, save lag, and crashes.

RAM

RAM is the primary bottleneck. How much you need depends on the map, player count, and mods.

ARK’s memory usage grows over time as the world fills with player structures and tamed creatures. A server that starts at 6GB of usage can climb to 10GB+ after a few weeks of active play.

CPU

ARK’s server is primarily single-threaded. Clock speed matters more than core count. A modern CPU running at 3.5 GHz or higher handles the game loop well. Multi-core CPUs help with background tasks like saving and mod loading, but the main simulation runs on one thread.

Storage

A base ARK installation with one map runs around 20GB, but total storage needs grow fast:

• Each additional map adds 8-20GB depending on the map
• Mods range from a few MB to several GB each
• World save files grow over time as players build
• Backups need space too

Plan for at least 60GB of available storage, more if you’re running multiple maps or large mod packs. NVMe SSDs make a noticeable difference for world saves and server startup. ARK writes large save files to disk periodically, and slow storage turns those saves into lag spikes.

Setting up on WinterNode

If you’d rather skip the hardware management and get straight to configuration:

1. Pick your RAM tier on the ARK hosting page - 8GB minimum, 10-12GB recommended for most setups
2. Select the data center closest to your player base
3. Your server is live in under 60 seconds

From the Game Control Panel, you can manage maps, mods, settings, backups, and console access without touching a command line. All ARK servers on WinterNode are $1.99/GB with no CPU limits, unmetered NVMe storage, and automated backups every 12 hours.

Choosing a map

ARK has a long list of official maps, each with different environments, creatures, and challenges. You set the map using the Server Map option in the control panel (on WinterNode, navigate to Server Options). Here are the map IDs you’ll need:

For custom or modded maps, use the Workshop mod ID as the Server Map value after installing the mod. See the server options reference for details on map configuration.

Configuration files

ARK uses two main config files for server behavior:

• GameUserSettings.ini - handles most server settings: XP rates, taming speed, harvest multipliers, day/night cycle, player limits, and general server behavior
• Game.ini - handles advanced gameplay overrides: per-creature spawn rates, engram restrictions, spoil time multipliers, and settings that can’t go on the command line

Both files are located at:

/ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/

On WinterNode, you’ll find them through File Manager in the control panel. The ARK configuration guide covers the file structure and common sections in detail.

Essential settings

These are the settings most server owners change first. All of these go in GameUserSettings.ini under the [ServerSettings] section unless noted otherwise.

XP and progression

XPMultiplier=2.0

The default 1.0 matches official server rates, which most private server communities consider too slow. Values of 2.0-5.0 are common for casual groups. Higher values (10.0+) are typical for PvP servers where players need to reach endgame quickly.

Taming speed

TamingSpeedMultiplier=3.0

Taming on official rates can take hours for high-level dinos. A multiplier of 3.0-5.0 keeps taming meaningful without requiring you to sit at your screen for an entire afternoon.

Harvest amount

HarvestAmountMultiplier=2.0

Controls how many resources you get per harvest action. Bump this up if you don’t want your group spending most of their time farming stone and wood.

Day and night cycle

DayTimeSpeedScale=0.5
DayTimeSpeedScale=0.5
NightTimeSpeedScale=2.0

The default day/night cycle is 40 real-world minutes (28 day, 12 night). Most servers slow down daytime and speed up night, since nighttime in ARK is dark enough to be unplayable without gamma adjustments.

Admin password

ServerAdminPassword=your_secure_password

Set this to something strong. It’s used for in-game admin commands (EnableCheats <password>) and RCON access. On WinterNode, you can also set this through the Server Options panel.

Server password

If you want a private server, set a join password:

ServerPassword=your_join_password

Every player will need to enter this when connecting. Leave it blank for a public server.

Installing mods

ARK has one of the largest modding communities in survival gaming. Mods are installed using their Steam Workshop ID - a numeric identifier you can find in the mod’s Workshop URL.

For example, the popular mod “Structures Plus” has the URL:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=731604991

The mod ID is 731604991.

On WinterNode, navigate to Server Options and enter the mod IDs in the Mods field, separated by commas. The server downloads and installs them automatically on the next restart. Our mod installation guide walks through the full process.

Load order matters

Mods load in the order you list them. If a mod depends on another mod, the dependency needs to come first. Total conversion mods and core library mods should always be at the top of your mod list.

For example, if you’re running Structures Plus and a mod that extends it:

731604991,123456789

Getting the order wrong usually results in missing items, broken crafting recipes, or the server failing to start.

Players get mods automatically

When a player connects to your modded server, ARK downloads and installs the required mods on their client automatically. They don’t need to subscribe to anything on the Workshop manually. This does mean their first connection takes longer, especially with large mod packs.

Crossplay setup

ARK supports crossplay between Steam and Epic Games Store clients. Console versions (PlayStation, Xbox, Windows Store) are not compatible with the PC dedicated server.

To enable crossplay, add the -crossplay flag to your server’s Additional Arguments. On WinterNode, navigate to Server Options and add it to the Additional Arguments field. Then restart the server.

Epic Games Store players connect using the same IP and port as Steam players. They may not always see the server in the browser, so share the direct connect details (IP:port) with them.

Running a cluster

A cluster links multiple ARK servers so players can transfer their characters, tamed dinos, and items between maps. This is how you run a multi-map community - one server per map, all sharing the same cluster ID.

How it works

Each map runs as its own server instance with its own RAM allocation, settings, and configuration. What ties them together is a shared cluster ID that tells ARK these servers trust each other for transfers.

Players transfer through obelisks or supply drops in-game. They upload their character and inventory on one server, then download it on another server in the same cluster.

Setting it up

Every server in your cluster needs the same -clusterid value in its startup parameters. Add these to the Additional Arguments field:

-clusterid=YourUniqueClusterName -NoTransferFromFiltering

Pick a unique cluster name - it can be anything, but it must match exactly across all servers. The -NoTransferFromFiltering flag ensures players can transfer freely between your servers.

Transfer settings

You can control what players are allowed to transfer using GameUserSettings.ini:

[ServerSettings]
PreventUploadSurvivors=False
PreventUploadItems=False
PreventUploadDinos=False

Set any of these to True to restrict transfers. Some server communities block dino transfers to keep each map’s progression separate, or block item transfers to prevent economy imbalances.

Common issues

Long first startup

ARK servers take a while to start, especially the first time. The server needs to load the entire map, generate spawn tables, and initialize all creatures. First boots can take 5-15 minutes depending on the map and your hardware. Modded servers take even longer.

On WinterNode, check your server console for progress. You’ll see the RCON connection process messages as the server initializes. Don’t restart during this time - let it finish.

Memory spikes during saves

ARK saves the entire world state to disk periodically. During a save, memory usage spikes as the server serializes everything in memory. If your server is already running close to its RAM limit, these spikes can cause crashes.

The fix: allocate more RAM than your baseline usage. If your server sits at 8GB normally, having 10-12GB available gives it headroom for save operations.

Mod conflicts

Symptoms include missing items, broken engrams, server crashes on startup, or infinite loading screens. The usual causes:

• Wrong load order - dependencies need to load before the mods that require them
• Incompatible mods - some mods modify the same game systems and conflict with each other
• Outdated mods - mods that haven’t been updated for the current ARK version can cause crashes

Troubleshoot by removing mods one at a time (starting from the bottom of your load order) and restarting until you find the conflict. Always back up your server before changing your mod list.

Players can’t find the server

ARK’s server browser is notoriously unreliable. If players can’t see your server in the list:

1. Use direct connect - share your IP:port and have players connect directly instead of searching
2. Check the password - make sure players are entering the correct server password
3. Verify the version - the server version must match the client version. Enable auto-update in Server Options to stay current
4. Check BattleEye - if BattleEye is enabled on the server, players need it running on their client too. If it’s causing problems, you can disable it

Performance tips

ARK servers degrade over time as the world fills up. These practices keep things running smoothly.

Set tame limits

Tamed dinos are the biggest performance drain on most ARK servers. Tribes that hoard hundreds of tames cause server-wide lag. Use MaxPersonalTamedDinos in GameUserSettings.ini to cap per-player tame counts:

MaxPersonalTamedDinos=200

A limit of 200-300 per player is reasonable for most servers.

Enable structure decay

Without structure decay, abandoned bases persist forever and accumulate. Enable PvEStructureDecayPeriodMultiplier so structures from inactive players automatically demolish after a set period:

PvEAllowStructuresAtSupplyDrops=False
PvEStructureDecayPeriodMultiplier=1.0

This keeps the map clean and reduces the number of structures the server needs to track.

Schedule regular restarts

Memory usage climbs over time regardless of your settings. Scheduled restarts every 6-12 hours clear accumulated memory and keep performance consistent. On WinterNode, set this up through the Schedule Manager in the control panel.

Manage wild dino spawns

If performance is suffering on a populated server, reducing wild dino density helps:

DinoCountMultiplier=0.8

Dropping this to 0.7-0.8 reduces the number of wild dinos the server needs to simulate without making the world feel empty.

Get your server running

ARK is a game that rewards having your own space. Custom rates, curated mods, and a persistent world for your community make the experience dramatically better than rolling the dice on official or random unofficial servers.

WinterNode ARK servers start at $1.99/GB with no CPU limits, NVMe storage, automated backups, and a control panel built for managing ARK’s configuration. Your server is live in under 60 seconds.

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Need help with setup? Our support team knows ARK - reach out via ticket or Discord.