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ARK Crossplay Setup Guide

Ark Guide • Updated Mar 30, 2026

ARK Crossplay Setup Guide

Crossplay setup depends entirely on which ARK you are hosting. ARK: Survival Evolved crossplay is mainly a PC storefront question, while ARK: Survival Ascended can support a broader dedicated-server audience if the server is launched with the correct platform settings and exposed ports.

ASE vs ASA

Game Main Crossplay Use Case Key Launch Detail
ARK: Survival Evolved Steam and Epic on PC -crossplay is required for dedicated servers
ARK: Survival Ascended Broader cross-platform dedicated play Use a current platform flag set such as -ServerPlatform=All

ASE Crossplay Basics

ShooterGameServer.exe TheIsland?SessionName=MyARK -crossplay -UseVivox

For ASE, the critical official guidance is that dedicated servers need -crossplay for Steam and Epic interoperability. If you omit the relevant crossplay flags or run with incompatible mod assumptions, Epic players may not be able to join.

ASA Crossplay Basics

ArkAscendedServer.exe TheIsland_WP?listen?SessionName=MyASA -Port=7777 -QueryPort=27015 -ServerPlatform=All

ASA crossplay problems often look like total server failure when the real issue is browser filtering, stale client state, or a wrong launch flag. Keep the startup clean, expose the standard ports, and test from more than one platform before changing anything else.

Common Failure Points

  • Using ASE guidance on an ASA server
  • Forgetting required browser filters for unofficial or protected sessions
  • Running an incompatible mod setup during crossplay testing
  • Leaving one of the gameplay or query ports closed

Test crossplay on a clean vanilla server first. If the base server cannot crossplay cleanly, mods will only hide the real issue.

Crossplay Validation Checklist

  1. Launch with a known-good crossplay argument set.
  2. Open and forward the standard game and query ports.
  3. Verify the client and server are on the same build.
  4. Test with one player per target platform.
  5. Add mods only after vanilla crossplay works.

Need a cleaner baseline for ARK crossplay? Run ARK: Survival Evolved on Supercraft or launch ARK: Survival Ascended on Supercraft and start from a known-good dedicated configuration.

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