ARK Survival Ascended server config reference

ARK: Survival Ascended keeps its server settings in two files in ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/. GameUserSettings.ini holds most of them, like rates, difficulty and passwords. Game.ini holds deeper rules, like breeding. You can change the common ones in Settings without opening a file.

Where the config files are

The folder is called WindowsServer because ARK’s server software only comes for Windows. We run it on Linux, but the game still uses the Windows folders.

How to change settings

You have three ways, from easiest to most detailed:

1. Settings in the panel. Easy settings with plain labels: server name, map, max players, password, PvE, difficulty, XP, harvesting, taming speed and mods.
2. Advanced under Settings. The real files, in an editor.
3. Files, or SFTP with the details from the SFTP card in Files.

If you edit a file by hand, the easy settings read your change back instead of overwriting it. To be safe, stop the server before you edit a file by hand, then start it again.

Server settings

These go under [ServerSettings] in GameUserSettings.ini, one Key=Value per line. A multiplier of 1.0 is normal speed, and 2.0 is twice as much.

The server name is SessionName, under [SessionSettings]. Max players is set with the -WinLiveMaxPlayers start option, which replaces the old MaxPlayers key. Change both in Settings.

Some settings are ours to manage. The game port (-port), RCONEnabled, RCONPort and ServerAdminPassword let the panel run the server and its Console. Changing them by hand can stop players joining or break the console. Set the admin password under Settings > Players instead.

Game.ini settings

These go under [/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameMode] in Game.ini. A new server’s Game.ini may be empty. Add the section header and the keys you want.

[/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameMode]
BabyMatureSpeedMultiplier=2.0
EggHatchSpeedMultiplier=2.0

Maps

Pick the map in Settings. Each map keeps its own save, so you can switch and come back later. The map ID is what ARK uses on the start line and in save folder names.

Before you pick a paid map, check that everyone in your group owns it. Some mods add their own maps. Their CurseForge page tells you the map name to use.

Admins, whitelist and bans

ARK knows each player by an ARK ID, a 32-character code of letters and numbers. A player sees their own by typing whoami in the game’s console. You see everyone online with ListPlayers in Console.

Admins. Anyone who types enablecheats and the admin password becomes admin until they leave. To make someone admin without the password, add their ARK ID on its own line in ShooterGame/Saved/AllowedCheaterAccountIDs.txt. See admin commands.

Whitelist. To let only chosen players join:

1. Add UseExclusiveList=True under [ServerSettings] in GameUserSettings.ini.
2. Put each player’s ARK ID on its own line in ShooterGame/Binaries/Win64/PlayersExclusiveJoinList.txt.
3. Restart the server.

To add someone later without a restart, type AllowPlayerToJoinNoCheck and their ID in Console. DisallowPlayerToJoinNoCheck takes them off again. A server password still applies on top of the whitelist.

Bans. Type BanPlayer and the player’s ID in Console. UnbanPlayer and the ID lifts it. KickPlayer and the ID only kicks them.

The admin, allow and ban lists under Settings > Players do all this for you.

Which changes need a restart

Some changes, like more wild creatures or higher levels, only show up as creatures respawn. Run DestroyWildDinos in Console to clear the wild ones, and new ones spawn with the new settings.

A sleeping server picks up every change the next time it starts.