ARK: Survival Evolved Dedicated Server: GameUserSettings.ini & Admin Commands
Data Verified: May 2026Complete ARK: Survival Evolved admin reference. GameUserSettings.ini & Game.ini tuning, taming/harvest multipliers, RCON commands, cluster setup, and hardware sizing for large 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 join. Leave blank for public. | |
ServerAdminPassword | (empty) | Password for the in-game admin console and RCON. | |
MaxPlayers | 70 | Maximum concurrent players (CLI flag `-WinLiveMaxPlayers` overrides). | |
DifficultyOffset | 1.0 | Multiplier (0-1) controlling max wild dino level. 1.0 = level 150 cap with OverrideOfficialDifficulty=5. | |
OverrideOfficialDifficulty | 5.0 | Sets the wild dino max level multiplier. 5.0 = level 150 max. | |
TamingSpeedMultiplier | 1.0 | Multiplier for taming speed. Higher values tame faster. | |
HarvestAmountMultiplier | 1.0 | Multiplier for resources gathered per harvest action. | |
XPMultiplier | 1.0 | Multiplier for all XP gain sources. | |
DayCycleSpeedScale | 1.0 | Multiplier for the in-game day/night cycle length. | |
AllowFlyerCarryPvE | False | Allow flyers to pick up other players' tames on PvE servers. | |
ServerCrosshair | True | Shows a HUD crosshair to players. | |
EnableCryopodNerf | False | Forces a stat penalty on dinos deployed from cryopods (official PvP behavior). | |
RCONEnabled | True | Enables the RCON socket on RCONPort. | |
RCONPort | 27020 | TCP port for the RCON socket. | |
EnableIdlePlayerKick | False | Kicks AFK players after 15 minutes to free a slot. |
Showing 16 of 16 configuration parameters.
| Command | Default Value | Description | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
cheat SetCheatPlayer true | N/A | Enables cheat commands for the executing admin. | |
cheat GiveItemNum <id> <qty> <quality> <blueprint> | N/A | Spawns the specified item into your inventory. | |
cheat Summon <class> | N/A | Spawns the named creature at your location. | |
cheat DestroyWildDinos | N/A | Wipes all wild dinos so fresh spawns reflect new INI multipliers. | |
cheat SaveWorld | N/A | Forces an immediate world save. | |
cheat DoExit | N/A | Saves and gracefully shuts down the server. | |
cheat Broadcast <msg> | N/A | Sends a server-wide on-screen broadcast to all players. | |
cheat KickPlayer <steamID> | N/A | Disconnects the named player. | |
cheat BanPlayer <steamID> | N/A | Adds the player to PlayerBan.txt and disconnects them. | |
cheat ListPlayers | N/A | Lists connected players with their Steam IDs. |
Showing 10 of 10 admin console commands.
Recommended hosting providers
Vetted hosts with one-click ARK: Survival Evolved installs. Links are affiliate placeholders and marked rel="sponsored".
Official Studio Wildcard partner with one-click cluster creation, mod auto-sync, and Crossplay (PC+Xbox) support.
Visit Nitrado →High-clock plans tuned for ARK's notorious single-thread bottleneck; included web-based INI editor.
Visit GTXGaming →Dedicated boxes with NVMe and unmetered bandwidth for large modded clusters (S+, Awesome Teleporters).
Visit Host Havoc →Hardware specifications
Sizing guidance for self-hosting a ARK: Survival Evolved dedicated server.
| Tier | Specification | Use case |
|---|---|---|
| Small Tribe (1-10 players) | 8 GB RAM / 2-core 4.0 GHz+ CPU / SSD | Single map, vanilla rates, lightly built. The Island idles at ~6 GB. |
| Community (20-50 players) | 16 GB RAM / 4-core 4.5 GHz+ CPU / NVMe | Single populated map. ARK is single-thread bound; clock matters more than core count. |
| Cluster / Modded (70+ players) | 32 GB RAM / 8-core 4.5 GHz+ Dedicated Node / NVMe | Multi-map cluster (Ragnarok + Gen2) with mods (S+, Structures+). Each map needs its own ~12-16 GB. |
Default file locations
Default installation paths for ARK: Survival Evolved dedicated servers installed via SteamCMD.
Windows
C:\arkserver\ShooterGame\Saved\Config\WindowsServer\Linux
/home/steam/arkserver/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 Evolved server
Copy-paste these two commands to install and start a ARK: Survival Evolved dedicated server. Tested against SteamCMD on a fresh box.
Step 1, Install via SteamCMDSteam App ID 376030
steamcmd +force_install_dir /home/steam/arkserver +login anonymous +app_update 376030 validate +quitStep 2, Launch the ARK: Survival Evolved server
cd /home/steam/arkserver && ./ShooterGame/Binaries/Linux/ShooterGameServer TheIsland?listen?SessionName="My ARK Server"?ServerPassword=?ServerAdminPassword=CHANGE_ME?Port=7777?QueryPort=27015?MaxPlayers=70 -server -logStep 1, Install via SteamCMDSteam App ID 376030
steamcmd +force_install_dir "C:\arkserver" +login anonymous +app_update 376030 validate +quitStep 2, Launch the ARK: Survival Evolved server
C:\arkserver\ShooterGame\Binaries\Win64\ShooterGameServer.exe TheIsland?listen?SessionName="My ARK Server"?ServerPassword=?ServerAdminPassword=CHANGE_ME?Port=7777?QueryPort=27015?MaxPlayers=70 -server -logNote: Question-mark style launch params override config file values.
Starter GameUserSettings.ini
A working baseline config with sensible defaults for ARK: Survival Evolved. Copy it, tweak the marked values, and drop it into your server directory.
[ServerSettings]
ServerPassword=
ServerAdminPassword=CHANGE_ME
SpectatorPassword=
MaxPlayers=70
DifficultyOffset=1.0
OverrideOfficialDifficulty=5.0
XPMultiplier=1.0
TamingSpeedMultiplier=3.0
HarvestAmountMultiplier=2.0
ResourcesRespawnPeriodMultiplier=0.5
DayCycleSpeedScale=1.0
DayTimeSpeedScale=1.0
NightTimeSpeedScale=2.0
AllowThirdPersonPlayer=true
ServerCrosshair=true
ShowMapPlayerLocation=true
[SessionSettings]
SessionName=My ARK Server
Port=7777
QueryPort=27015
Frequently asked questions
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