How To Host An ARK: Survival Evolved Dedicated Server

1Buying Server Hosting Vs Hosting Yourself

Setting up your own ARK: Survival Evolved dedicated server can be cheaper than buying game server hosting, but it is usually more difficult and far more hands-on. If you already have suitable hardware, your main costs may only be electricity and internet usage. Another option is renting a Virtual Private Server (VPS) or a dedicated server, which can sometimes cost less than specialised ARK server hosting while still giving you full control.

That said, self-hosting comes with trade-offs. When you run the server yourself, everything is your responsibility: installing, configuring and maintaining it, fixing problems, creating backups, monitoring performance and dealing with crashes or downtime. For some players that control is a benefit, but for others it quickly becomes frustrating.

A VPS or dedicated server is often the better route if you are serious about running an ARK server but still want flexibility. Hosting from a spare PC can be tempting, but hardware requirements, internet limits, uptime and the lack of support make it harder than it first appears. A VPS or dedicated server is a good middle ground, with more freedom than standard game server hosting and fewer of the risks of hosting from home.

Later in this guide we cover tips to make self-hosting easier and less risky. In the end, the right choice depends on your technical confidence, your hardware, your internet connection and how much time you are willing to spend managing the server.

2Server Requirements

• Disk20 GB minimum50–75 GB recommended
• RAM8 GBVery map and mod dependent
• CPU2 cores @ 3.0 GHz+For 10–15 players
• OS64-bit Windows or LinuxWindows is often preferred
• Network100 Mbps+Reliable connection recommended

Before setting up an ARK: Survival Evolved dedicated server, make sure your machine meets the basic requirements. At minimum you need a 64-bit version of Windows or Linux, since the ARK dedicated server is a 64-bit application.

Storage: 20 GB is a sensible minimum, but 50–75 GB or more is a safer target once updates, save data and mods build up. SSD storage is strongly recommended for faster loading and smoother performance.

RAM is one of the biggest factors. The server needs at least 6 GB to start, but a more realistic minimum for a small private server is 8 GB. Larger maps, more players or mods can push that to 10–16 GB or more.

CPU: older guidance suggests 2 cores minimum, but strong single-core performance matters a lot as players spread across the map and server simulation load rises. For small servers, at least 2 strong cores at around 3.0 GHz or higher is a reasonable start. More headroom is always better.

Network: make sure you have a stable connection with enough upload capacity for connected players.

Running multiple maps in a cluster

The figures above are a baseline for one ARK server. Each additional map in a cluster increases CPU, RAM, storage and overall load, so clusters need more headroom. The more players, mods and background activity you add, the more spare resources you should leave.

If your server lacks CPU power or RAM, expect slower startup, stuttering, rubberbanding and general lag. A busier server or multi-map cluster usually means a stronger CPU and more memory.

Hosting from home

At home, your internet connection may be the biggest limitation. Even good hardware cannot make up for weak upload speed. No number guarantees a given player count because usage depends on the map, settings, mods and player activity, but a stable 10 to 20 Mbit upload is a sensible starting point, and more is better when other people share the connection.

3Choosing Your Hosting Environment

Before installing anything, decide which operating system to use. In most cases that means Windows or Linux, and your choice affects compatibility, memory use, setup experience and long-term management.

Linux is attractive because it is free and widely used for VPS and dedicated hosting, a strong option if you are comfortable with it and want to keep costs down. Windows is usually easier if you already know it, and it is the safer choice if you plan to use ARK Server API (ARKAPI), because that framework for ARK: Survival Evolved targets Windows hosts.

Community setup guidance notes that Linux can use more memory than Windows for the ARK server in some setups, which matters when RAM is tight. Usage varies with OS version, map, mods and configuration, so treat it as a practical consideration rather than a fixed rule.

For beginners, Ubuntu is the easiest Linux starting point because it is widely documented and commonly offered by hosting providers. On the Windows side, many VPS and dedicated server providers offer Windows Server as an install option, and Microsoft has offered Windows Server evaluation editions that expire after 180 days.

If you host from home, include security in the decision. Running a public game server on the machine you use for personal files is usually a bad idea, because a compromise could expose your personal data. A separate PC, VPS or dedicated server is the safer approach.

4Setup And Install SteamCMD

The first step is to download SteamCMD from Valve's official server. Create a new folder in a suitable location and extract the SteamCMD files into it. Keeping SteamCMD in its own folder makes the rest of the setup easier and keeps your server files organised.

Download the server files (Windows)

Create a .bat file inside the SteamCMD folder. It tells SteamCMD to download the ARK: Survival Evolved dedicated server files to an install location. In this example the files go to C:\ArkServer; change the path if you want them elsewhere.

@echo off
steamcmd.exe +force_install_dir "C:\ArkServer" +login anonymous +app_update 376030 validate +quit

Save the file, launch it and let SteamCMD download the server. When it finishes you can close the window.

• 376030 is the ARK dedicated server app ID.
• validate tells SteamCMD to check the files as they download.
• +login anonymous works because the ARK dedicated server can be downloaded without a personal Steam account.

5Windows Launch Script

1. Open your installed server files and go to ShooterGame\Binaries\Win64.
2. Create a .bat file to start the server. An example is below. Change the session name and passwords to your own.
3. In the folder containing ShooterGameServer.exe, right-click and choose New › Text Document, open it in Notepad and paste the script.
4. Choose File › Save As, set Save as type to All Files, name it startserver.bat and save.

start ShooterGameServer.exe TheIsland?listen?SessionName=ChangeMe?ServerPassword=ChangeMe?ServerAdminPassword=ChangeMe?Port=7777?QueryPort=27015?MaxPlayers=10 -server -log
exit

What each parameter does

TheIsland

The map name, for example TheIsland or TheCenter.

SessionName=ChangeMe

The name of your server. Avoid symbols and spaces.

ServerPassword=ChangeMe

Optional join password if you want to lock the server down. Remove it for a public server.

ServerAdminPassword=ChangeMe

The admin password. Change it and make it secure.

Port=7777

The game port players connect to.

QueryPort=27015

The port the Steam server browser queries.

MaxPlayers=10

The player slot limit.

6Setup The Server On Linux

These steps assume Ubuntu. Linux uses shell scripts instead of batch files, so the syntax differs, but the launch options are the same as in the Windows section above.

1. Install dependencies

SteamCMD needs the 32-bit GCC library. On current Ubuntu releases it is lib32gcc-s1; on older releases it is called lib32gcc1.

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install lib32gcc-s1

2. Install SteamCMD

Create a steamcmd directory, move into it, then download and extract SteamCMD:

mkdir ~/steamcmd
cd ~/steamcmd
wget https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz
tar -xvzf steamcmd_linux.tar.gz

3. Download the ARK server files

Change the install directory if you do not use the ubuntu user.

./steamcmd.sh +force_install_dir /home/ubuntu/arkserver +login anonymous +app_update 376030 validate +quit

4. Raise the open file limit

Ubuntu needs a few changes before it can run a busy game server, most importantly a higher open file limit. These commands append the required lines to the relevant config files:

echo 'fs.file-max=1000000' | sudo tee -a /etc/sysctl.conf
echo '* soft nofile 1000000' | sudo tee -a /etc/security/limits.conf
echo '* hard nofile 1000000' | sudo tee -a /etc/security/limits.conf
echo 'session required pam_limits.so' | sudo tee -a /etc/pam.d/common-session

To make sure the changes take effect, restart the machine.

5. Create the launch script

Go to /home/ubuntu/arkserver/ShooterGame/Binaries/Linux, open a text editor and save the following as startserver.sh. Those question marks are the server's configuration options; see the parameter list in the Windows section for what each one does.

#!/bin/bash
ulimit -n 100000
./ShooterGameServer TheIsland?listen?SessionName=ChangeMe?ServerPassword=ChangeMe?ServerAdminPassword=ChangeMe?Port=7777?QueryPort=27015 -server -log

Linux is strict about which files it will run, so make the script executable, then start the server whenever you like from that folder:

cd /home/ubuntu/arkserver/ShooterGame/Binaries/Linux
chmod +x startserver.sh
./startserver.sh

7Firewall Configuration And Port Forwarding

Before anyone outside your machine can join your ARK: Survival Evolved dedicated server, the required ports must be open. If they are blocked, players cannot connect even though the server is running properly.

If you change Port or QueryPort in your launch script, open the matching ports instead.

Windows firewall

1. Open the Start menu and search for Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security.
2. Click Inbound Rules, then New Rule…
3. Choose Port and click Next.
4. Select UDP, choose Specific local ports and enter 7777, 7778, 27015.
5. Choose Allow the connection, pick the network profiles to apply it to (usually Domain, Private and Public as appropriate for your setup) and name it something clear, such as ArkServer UDP Ports.
6. If you want RCON, repeat the process for TCP port 27020 and name it ArkServer TCP RCON.
7. Finally, create another New Rule, choose Program, browse to your ShooterGameServer.exe in the ARK server folder and allow the connection.

If you are hosting only for players on the same local network (LAN), you usually need no extra router configuration. To let players from outside your home network connect, set up port forwarding on your router (below).

Linux firewall (UFW)

Ubuntu makes opening ports easy with UFW. Allow SSH before you enable the firewall, otherwise you can lock yourself out of a remote server.

sudo ufw allow OpenSSH
sudo ufw allow 7777/udp
sudo ufw allow 7778/udp
sudo ufw allow 27015/udp
sudo ufw allow 27020/tcp
sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw status verbose

Check that the output lists your ports as allowed. Many VPS and dedicated hosts also have a separate firewall in their control panel, so open the same ports there too.

Router port forwarding

To let outside players reach a server at home, log in to your router's admin page and forward the ports above to the server's local IP address. There is no single method because every router differs. Use PortForward.com's ARK page or search for your router's model to find its steps. Give the server machine a fixed local IP so the forward keeps working.

8Set Up The Server Configuration Files

Once the server files are installed, configure the two main files that control your server:

• GameUserSettings.ini: main settings such as server name, passwords, rates and general gameplay options.
• Game.ini: advanced settings, including breeding, custom multipliers and deeper gameplay changes.

They live in ShooterGame\Saved\Config\WindowsServer on Windows and ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer on Linux. The folder is created the first time the server runs. Stop the server before editing, because it can overwrite changes made while it is running.

To save time, use our ARK settings generators to build the config for you, then paste the output into the correct file.

9Start The Server

Once everything is ready, run the startserver.bat (Windows) or startserver.sh (Linux) script you created. A console window opens and confirms when the server is fully started. Startup can take anywhere from under a minute to around 30 minutes, depending on your hardware, world size, settings and mods.

To join, add your server's IP address and query port (for example 203.0.113.10:27015) to your Steam Favorites under View › Game Servers, or search for the session name in the ARK server browser.

These are the basic steps to download, set up and run a working ARK server. We hope you found them helpful.

10Resources And Other Help

• Ark Admins subredditA community for troubleshooting, questions and general discussion.
• Steam CommunityA first port of call for troubleshooting.
• ARK Wiki: Dedicated server setupOfficial-community wiki guide covering ports, app IDs and server settings.
• Ask UbuntuFor any Ubuntu-related queries.
• Microsoft AnswersHelp with Windows 10, Windows 11 and Windows Server.