How to Set Up an ARK: Survival Ascended Dedicated Server Yourself
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 ARK: Survival Ascended dedicated server hosting handles every step below on a fully managed dedicated machine.
Want PC, Xbox, and PS5 players on the same server? Read our guide on whether ARK: Survival Ascended is cross-platform alongside this one for the platform-specific launch flags and the official-vs-unofficial split.
Searching for "dedicated server on PS5"? The direct answer: you cannot self-host an ASA dedicated server on a PS5 (or Xbox) - the server software is a Windows/Linux program (SteamCMD app 2430930). PS5 players get a 24/7 server one of two ways: run this guide's setup on a PC that stays online, or rent a hosted server and enable crossplay (-ServerPlatform=All) so PS5, Xbox and PC friends all join the same world. Our managed ASA hosting does the second option in a few clicks. Before you launch, paste your start command into the free ARK ASA Cluster & Mod Doctor - it catches the ?Port=-ignored trap and port collisions, and the INI validator checks your GameUserSettings.ini with passwords stripped in your browser.
App ID: ASA's dedicated server is Steam app 2430930. This is different from ARK: Survival Evolved (app 376030). See ARK Dedicated Server Setup for ARK SE.
Step 1: Install with SteamCMD
Pull the ASA dedicated server build:
steamcmd +force_install_dir /opt/asa-server +login anonymous +app_update 2430930 validate +quitThe 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
| Port | Protocol | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| base | UDP | Game traffic (set with -port=) |
| base+1 | UDP | Steam P2P / peer (also passed as -QueryPort= on our launches) |
| base+2 | UDP | Reserved for query (allocated alongside game/peer) |
| base+3 | TCP | RCON (set with -RCONPort= via the ?-options) |
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
-servergamelogOther 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:
| Map | Identifier | Status |
|---|---|---|
| The Island | TheIsland_WP | Default vanilla |
| The Center | TheCenter_WP | Free |
| Scorched Earth | ScorchedEarth_WP | Free DLC |
| Ragnarok | Ragnarok_WP | Free |
| Aberration | Aberration_WP | DLC |
| Extinction | Extinction_WP | DLC |
| Astraeos | Astraeos_WP | Community map (official identifier) |
| Lost Colony | LostColony_WP | Community map (official identifier) |
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=900062,926956,927131,914844The 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 5PC, 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
| Symptom | Likely cause | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| Server doesn't appear in browser | Public IP / Epic heartbeat misconfigured | Verify -PublicIPForEpic; check firewall on UDP base, base+1, base+2 |
| "No sessions found" on connect | Listen mode / session sync | ASA no sessions found |
| Console players can't see server | Crossplay or Epic platform issue | ASA crossplay timeout fix |
| Mods don't load | Mod ID format or CurseForge fetch | ASA mods not loading |
| Unofficial-server login loop | EOS / login token issue | ASA unofficial login fix |
| Server crashes on save | Disk pressure / out-of-space | Check disk space; verify save backup count via -MaxNumOfSaveBackups |
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 (general)
- Is ARK: Survival Ascended Cross-Platform? (ASA-specific)
- 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.
Managed ARK: Survival Ascended server hosting. Supercraft runs ASA dedicated servers on AMD EPYC hardware with CurseForge mods, every released map, raw INI access, daily snapshots and four regions. Still on Survival Evolved? We run ARK: Survival Evolved servers too.