How to Set Up an ARK: Survival Ascended Server

ARK: Survival Ascended is the Unreal Engine 5 remaster of ARK, and it's demanding to host — but a dedicated server gives your tribe a persistent world with the rates and rules you choose. Here's how to run one on Linux.

Hardware reality check

ASA is heavy. Plan generously:

• Minimum: 16 GB RAM for a small server.
• Comfortable: 24–32 GB RAM for a full tribe on a big map.
• Fast CPU cores and NVMe storage are not optional — map loads and saves are large.

Step 1: Install SteamCMD

sudo add-apt-repository multiverse -y
sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt update
sudo apt install steamcmd screen -y

Step 2: Download the server

sudo adduser --disabled-password ark
sudo su - ark
steamcmd +force_install_dir ./asa-server +login anonymous +app_update 2430930 validate +quit

App ID 2430930 is the ASA dedicated server. It's a very large download — several GB.

Step 3: Launch with a map

ASA's server binary lives deep in the install. Start The Island like this:

screen -S ark
cd asa-server/ShooterGame/Binaries/Win64
./ArkAscendedServer.exe TheIsland_WP?listen?SessionName="My ASA Server"?ServerPassword=changeme?ServerAdminPassword=STRONGADMINPASS?Port=7777 -WinLiveMaxPlayers=20

On Linux the server runs through a Proton/Wine layer that one-click hosts handle for you; note the map codes: TheIsland_WP, ScorchedEarth_WP, TheCenter_WP and so on.

Step 4: Tune the rates

ASA reads GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini from the server's Saved/Config folder. Popular quality-of-life tweaks:

• HarvestAmountMultiplier — more resources per hit.
• TamingSpeedMultiplier — faster taming.
• XPMultiplier — quicker levelling.
• DifficultyOffset and OverrideOfficialDifficulty=10.0 for higher-level wild dinos.

Step 5: Open the ports

ASA needs UDP port 7777 for the game (and 7778 on some setups):

sudo ufw allow 7777/udp
sudo ufw allow 7778/udp

Step 6: Connect

In the server browser, filter to unofficial servers and search your session name, or use the open your-ip:7777 console command. Enter your server password if you set one.

Mods from CurveForge

ASA uses CurseForge for mods rather than the Steam Workshop. Add mod IDs to your launch parameters with -mods=ID1,ID2 and the server downloads them automatically. Keep mods updated after each game patch to avoid crashes.

Admin commands and tribe settings

Log in as admin in-game with enablecheats YOURADMINPASSWORD, then run commands like GiveExpToPlayer, DestroyWildDinos or Broadcast. For a shared server, decide your tribe rules up front in GameUserSettings.ini: MaxNumberOfPlayersInTribe caps tribe size, and enabling structure and dino limits keeps a busy map from grinding to a halt. If you run multiple maps, a cluster setup with a shared clusterid lets players transfer dinos and items between them via obelisks.

Common issues

• Server won't appear: unofficial servers are filtered out by default — tick "show unofficial" and search your session name.
• Massive save files filling disk: ASA saves are large and grow; prune old backups and give yourself generous NVMe space.
• Crash on boot after a patch: a mod is out of date — update your CurseForge mods before relaunching.

Save management

ASA saves are large and live under ShooterGame/Saved/. Back up the whole SavedArks folder on a schedule, and expect it to grow — budget disk space accordingly. NVMe makes the difference between a smooth save and a visible hitch for everyone online.

The practical route

ASA's Unreal Engine 5 world is one of the most resource-hungry survival games out there, so it rewards generous RAM, fast cores and NVMe disks — the exact profile of Nxeon's larger VPS plans. Full root lets you manage the Proton layer, mods and configs, and a one-click ARK deploy sets up the server and map so you can get your tribe taming without wrestling SteamCMD.