ARK: Survival Ascended Dedicated Server: Admin Commands & GameUserSettings Guide
Data Verified: May 2026Complete ARK: Survival Ascended server reference. Master GameUserSettings.ini multipliers, admin cheat commands, port forwarding, and hardware requirements for stable tribes.
Commands & configuration database
| Command | Default Value | Description | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
SessionName | ARK Server | Public server name shown in the in-game browser. | |
ServerPassword | (empty) | Password required to connect. Leave blank for public servers. | |
ServerAdminPassword | (empty) | Password used to log in as admin via `EnableCheats`. | |
MaxPlayers | 70 | Maximum concurrent players on the server. | |
DifficultyOffset | 1.0 | Scales overall difficulty. 1.0 unlocks max wild dino level 150 when combined with OverrideOfficialDifficulty=5. | |
OverrideOfficialDifficulty | 5.0 | Sets the official difficulty cap. 5.0 = max wild dino level 150. | |
XPMultiplier | 1.0 | Multiplier for all player and tamed dino XP gain. | |
TamingSpeedMultiplier | 1.0 | Multiplier for taming speed. Higher = faster tames. | |
HarvestAmountMultiplier | 1.0 | Multiplier for resources gained from harvesting. | |
DayCycleSpeedScale | 1.0 | Scales the day/night cycle length. | |
NightTimeSpeedScale | 1.0 | Scales only the night portion of the cycle; lower = shorter nights. | |
DinoCountMultiplier | 1.0 | Multiplier for total wild dino spawn count on the map. | |
AllowThirdPersonPlayer | True | Allows players to toggle third-person camera view. | |
ServerCrosshair | True | Enables the targeting crosshair for all players. |
Showing 14 of 14 configuration parameters.
| Command | Default Value | Description | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
EnableCheats <password> | N/A | Authenticates the current player as a server admin. | |
cheat GiveItemNum <ID> <qty> <quality> <blueprint> | N/A | Spawns a specific item by ID into the admin's inventory. | |
cheat Summon <dino_blueprint> | N/A | Spawns a specific creature at the admin's location. | |
cheat ForceTame | N/A | Instantly tames the creature currently in the admin's crosshair. | |
cheat Fly / cheat Walk | N/A | Enables/disables admin flight mode. | |
cheat GodMode / cheat InfiniteStats | N/A | Grants invulnerability and unlimited stats to the admin. | |
cheat TeleportPlayerIDToMe <playerID> | N/A | Teleports a specific player to the admin. | |
cheat KickPlayer <steamID> | N/A | Disconnects the specified player from the server. | |
cheat BanPlayer <steamID> | N/A | Permanently bans the specified player. | |
cheat Broadcast <message> | N/A | Sends a server-wide broadcast message to all players. | |
cheat SaveWorld | N/A | Forces an immediate world save to disk. | |
cheat DoExit | N/A | Saves and shuts down the server safely. | |
cheat DestroyWildDinos | N/A | Deletes all wild dinos so the map can respawn fresh creatures. | |
ShowMyAdminManager | N/A | Opens the admin UI panel for managing players in-game. |
Showing 14 of 14 admin console commands.
Recommended hosting providers
Vetted hosts with one-click ARK: Survival Ascended installs. Links are affiliate placeholders and marked rel="sponsored".
Official ARK partner with one-click ASA installs, cluster support, and console-compatible crossplay configuration.
Visit Nitrado →High-clock Ryzen plans tuned for UE5 single-thread performance, with web-based GameUserSettings.ini editor.
Visit GTXGaming →Dedicated boxes with 32 GB+ RAM and NVMe storage for heavily-modded ASA clusters.
Visit Host Havoc →Hardware specifications
Sizing guidance for self-hosting a ARK: Survival Ascended dedicated server.
| Tier | Specification | Use case |
|---|---|---|
| Small Tribe (1-10 players) | 16 GB RAM / 4-core 4.0 GHz+ CPU / NVMe SSD | Single map, vanilla settings. UE5 idle RAM usage is high even with no players online. |
| Community (10-30 players) | 32 GB RAM / 6-core 4.5 GHz+ CPU / NVMe SSD | Single map with light mods and active tribes. Single-thread clock dominates ASA performance. |
| Cluster / Heavy Mods (30+ players) | 64 GB RAM / 8-core 4.5 GHz+ Dedicated Node / NVMe | Multiple clustered maps or large modpacks. Each map instance needs its own 16-24 GB allocation. |
Default file locations
Default installation paths for ARK: Survival Ascended dedicated servers installed via SteamCMD.
Windows
C:\ASA\ShooterGame\Saved\Config\WindowsServer\Linux
/home/steam/asa/ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/Pro-Tip: Always stop the server completely before editing configuration files, or the server will overwrite your changes upon restart.
Default ports for port forwarding
Open these on your router and firewall before exposing the server to the internet.
| Service | Protocol | Port |
|---|---|---|
| Game Port | UDP | 7777 |
| Query Port | UDP | 27015 |
| RCON / Telnet | TCP | 27020 |
Quick start: launch your ARK: Survival Ascended server
Copy-paste these two commands to install and start a ARK: Survival Ascended dedicated server. Tested against SteamCMD on a fresh box.
Step 1, Install via SteamCMDSteam App ID 2430930
# ARK Survival Ascended has no native Linux server, run the Windows server under Proton/WINE.Step 2, Launch the ARK: Survival Ascended server
# See https://ark.wiki.gg/wiki/Dedicated_server_setup#Linux for the WINE wrapper.Note: Studio Wildcard has not shipped a native Linux build. Most hosts run ASA under Proton.
Step 1, Install via SteamCMDSteam App ID 2430930
steamcmd +force_install_dir "C:\asaserver" +login anonymous +app_update 2430930 validate +quitStep 2, Launch the ARK: Survival Ascended server
C:\asaserver\ShooterGame\Binaries\Win64\ArkAscendedServer.exe TheIsland_WP?listen?SessionName="My ASA Server"?ServerAdminPassword=CHANGE_ME?Port=7777?QueryPort=27015?MaxPlayers=70 -server -log -NoBattlEyeFrequently asked questions
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Host your own ARK: Survival Ascended server
All hosting guides →Step-by-step install and deploy walkthroughs (panels, ports, RAM sizing). Pair these with the command reference above.
Reference and hosting hub for ARK: Survival Ascended
All reference articles →- Open hub
Hosting hub
How to host an ARK Survival Ascended dedicated server
AMP and Pterodactyl walkthroughs, mod automation, cluster setup.
- Read reference
Console commands
ARK Survival Ascended dino spawn codes (SpawnDino and GMSummon)
Creature blueprint paths for ARK Survival Ascended with copy ready SpawnDino and GMSummon examples, plus the difference between the two commands.