How to Set Up an ARK Survival Ascended Dedicated Server

How to Set Up an ARK Survival Ascended Dedicated Server

This guide walks through installing and launching a working ARK Survival Ascended (ASA) dedicated server. The instructions are grounded in the launch-arg layout we use in production. If you'd rather skip the manual setup, our managed hosting handles all of the steps below — see the bottom of this page.

Step 1: Install with SteamCMD

Pull the ASA dedicated server build:

steamcmd +force_install_dir /opt/asa-server +login anonymous +app_update 2430930 validate +quit

The dedicated-server build was originally Windows-only; on Linux hosts it is run through Proton/UMU. We use Proton with PROTON_USE_WINED3D=1 on our nodes for graphics-layer compatibility. If you're self-hosting on Linux, expect a Proton-based launch flow rather than a native Linux binary.

Step 2: Port Layout

If you run multiple ASA servers on one host, increment base by at least 4 between instances so the four-port block doesn't overlap.

Step 3: Launch Args (the Full Reference)

ASA's launch line mixes two styles: ?-prefixed "URL options" passed as the first positional argument, and standard -flag=value CLI args. Below is the canonical layout, derived from our production launch.

?-options (positional, attached to map name)

MAP_NAME?listen?SessionName=YOUR_SERVER_NAME?ServerPassword=...?RCONEnabled=True?RCONPort=PORT?ServerAdminPassword=...

Important order rule: ServerAdminPassword must be the last ?-option. ASA parses this list left-to-right and treats anything after ServerAdminPassword as part of the password value. Our plugin enforces this order.

-flag CLI args

-port=BASE_PORT
-QueryPort=BASE_PORT_PLUS_1
-WinLiveMaxPlayers=NUMBER
-ServerPlatform=ALL                # or PC
-PublicIPForEpic=YOUR_PUBLIC_IP
-NoBattlEye
-newsaveformat
-servergamelog

Other documented flags from the official ARK Community Wiki:

• -crossplay — Epic Games / cross-platform support
• -automanagedmods — automatic mod management on startup

Common optional flags also exposed in panel-driven configurations:

• -mods=ID1,ID2,ID3 — CurseForge mod IDs (active mods)
• -passivemods=ID1,ID2 — passive mods loaded after active
• -clusterid=NAME — for multi-map clusters
• -ClusterDirOverride=PATH — shared cluster directory
• -ActiveEvent=NAME — seasonal events
• -MaxNumOfSaveBackups=N — default 20
• -UseStructureStasisGrid — boolean toggle
• -AutoDestroyStructures — boolean toggle
• -UseDynamicConfig — boolean toggle
• -ExclusiveJoin — whitelist-only joins

Step 4: Pick a Map

Map names are passed as the first positional argument (before the ?-options). The official ARK Community Wiki lists these ASA map identifiers:

For the Astraeos-specific setup see ARK Astraeos server setup. Some ARK SE legacy maps (Valguero, Crystal Isles, Lost Island, Fjordur) have not been ported to ASA at the time of writing — check the current ARK Community Wiki for the latest map list before assuming a legacy identifier works.

Step 5: Mods (CurseForge)

ASA's mod platform is CurseForge (Studio Wildcard partnered with CurseForge / Overwolf for ASA modding — this replaces Steam Workshop, which is what ARK SE used). Mod IDs are numeric and obtained from each mod's CurseForge page.

Pass them as a comma-separated list in -mods=:

-mods=900062,926956,927131,914844

The dedicated server auto-downloads each mod on first startup. For panel-driven setups, IDs are typically validated against a digits-and-separators format and capped at a few hundred characters total — managed hosts handle that. Active mods load before passive mods (use -passivemods= for the second tier).

For mod-loading troubleshooting see ASA mods not loading.

Step 6: Server Platform (Crossplay)

The -ServerPlatform= flag controls which clients can connect:

• ALL — PC (Steam) + Xbox + PlayStation 5
• PC — Steam only (no console crossplay)

If console players can't see your server in the in-game browser, see ASA crossplay timeout fix.

Step 7: Stop & Restart Behavior

Use a clean shutdown when stopping the server — typically Ctrl-C in an interactive console or the equivalent DoExit RCON command. Allow ~30 seconds for the server to flush saves. Hard kills (SIGKILL / kill -9, End Task on Windows) can corrupt the world if interrupted mid-save.

Suspending the server process to free resources (e.g., SIGSTOP) is not recommended — ASA's Epic Online Services and anti-cheat heartbeats can drop, leaving the server in an unrecoverable state.

Step 8: First Boot Verification

On first launch:

• The Proton-based wrapper compiles shaders the first time materials are rendered. First boot is slower than subsequent boots.
• Look for the server appearing in the in-game "Unofficial" tab. If your server doesn't show within a few minutes, check that ports are forwarded and that -PublicIPForEpic= matches your real public IP.
• Connect from your client; the server should accept your password (if set) and load the chosen map.

Common Boot Failures

Related ARK SA Articles

• ARK Dedicated Server Setup (ASE + ASA)
• ARK UE5 Performance Upgrade Notes
• ARK Ascended Server Migration
• ARK Cluster Setup
• ARK Crossplay Setup
• ARK Performance Optimization

Quick Start with Supercraft

Supercraft hosts ARK Survival Ascended dedicated servers with the launch flow above pre-configured: app 2430930 pulled, Proton wrapper, port quartet allocated, all panel-configurable launch flags exposed (mods, cluster, active event, max backups, structure stasis grid, dynamic config). Map switch is one click — pick from the 10-map list above.

Rent an ARK Ascended Server