Help · Connecting & ports · ARK: Survival Evolved

ARK: Survival Evolved: Connecting to and setting up your server

How to connect to your ARK server, find the admin password and change the map, mods and player count.

Here you'll learn how to connect to your ARK: Survival Evolved server and change the most important settings.

Connecting

  1. Start the server on the server page with Start.
  2. Wait until the status shows “running”. You can follow the progress in the Console tab.
  3. Search for your server name in the in-game server list, or add the server as a favourite in Steam using the address (IP:Port) at the top of your server page.

Important settings

  • Server name (SESSION_NAME) – the name in the server list.
  • Server password (ARK_PASSWORD) – optional password for joining.
  • Admin password (ARK_ADMIN_PASSWORD) – for admin commands via the game console.
  • Map (SERVER_MAP) – e.g. TheIsland, Ragnarok, Valguero_P, Fjordur.
  • Mods (MOD_ID) – mod IDs, separated by commas.
  • Max. players (MAX_PLAYERS) – how many players can join.

Changes to the Startup variables take effect on the next restart.

Good to know

  • The admin password (ARK_ADMIN_PASSWORD) is generated automatically by the portal during setup. It is shown once at the top of the server page – please make a note of it. You can change it in the Startup variables tab.
  • The first start takes considerably longer because of the large download. You'll find further ports in the Ports tab.
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