How do I create an Ark: Survival Evolved dedicated server?
Released on 2 June 2015 as an early-access title, Ark: Survival Evolved is one of the most ambitious multiplayer survival games ever. Its 12 million players worldwide receive regular content in the form of DLC packs and season passes. A new extension released in 2021, Genesis: Part 2, offers new content for further exploration. This means more equipment, biomes and missions, and a new map waiting to be discovered. Gather your community of players and enjoy a unique gaming experience with our Ark dedicated servers.
Team up and try to survive!
If you grew up with Jurassic Park, then Ark: Survival Evolved is for you. Enter a unique open world, from lush jungles to steep mountains. Survive alone or together in this merciless nature. Tame and ride a tyrannosaurus, build a base and plan your hunts...there’s so much to do.
The gameplay in Ark: Survival Evolved has been designed to keep you on your toes. You’ll need your wits about to you to manage your resources and win battles. But great rewards are up for grabs and you will really feel like you’re making progress.
The game is available on PC (Microsoft Windows, Linux, macOS, via Steam and Epic Games Store), Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and smartphones (Android and iOS).
Why create an Ark dedicated server?
In Ark, there are two ways to play. In PvE, you can enjoy the game’s world by fighting NPCs solo or as a team. PvP, the mode where players compete against each other, offers many more possibilities. You can create a tribe, and fight other players. However, this mode requires more computing resources. Both PvE and PvP mode can be hosted on public or private servers. Most of these servers are standardised for a specific number of players and offer limited customisation options.
There are several ways to enjoy this multiplayer game:
- join a public server
- host your game locally
- create your own dedicated server
Hosting your own Ark server locally may seem like the easiest solution. But this method may prove to be difficult, especially for a world as vast as Ark. Also, if you want to host a large number of players (over 15 people), you will face two issues:
- high resource consumption — if your machine isn’t powerful enough, it may cause bugs and slow performance for you and your community;
- players must remain in a small area — so you won’t be able to fully enjoy what the game has to offer.
A dedicated server allows you to create your own rules. Bring your community of players together in a single powerful and stable environment, and give them a unique experience in their favourite game. It’s your world: manage it the way you prefer, and minimise latency for players on your server.
Our OVHcloud Game dedicated servers give you the best power for you and your community.
What are the advantages of an Ark dedicated server?
Unlimited customisation
Build your Ark server the way you like it. Configure its specifications to shape a unique gaming experience. Add the game mods you want and get your community involved. You can offer a server that they have an affinity with and unite them around an optimised game.
Are you going to encourage cooperation or competition among your players? The choice is yours!
High performance
Our Game dedicated servers are built on technology optimised to offer you a unique performance. They use the latest generation of AMD Ryzen processors based on Zen 3 architecture, giving you up to 26% more performance than the previous versions (3000 series).
Hosted in one of our datacenters, your server also benefits from our water cooling technology ensuring constant efficiency.
Availability
Our Game dedicated servers have bandwidth of up to 1 Gbps for improved in-game stability. You can also choose which region your server will be located in, so you can select one that’s as close as possible to your players, offering them high fluidity and minimal latency during their games. Our servers are also subject to a 99.90% SLA.
Anti-DDoS Game Protection
This solution is included with all of our Game dedicated servers, and was specially designed for gaming to protect your games and your players’ experience. Unlike standard solutions, it is adapted to UDP traffic (specific to video games), with incoming and outgoing controls. Dedicated gaming profiles can also be applied to further optimise your protection.
Adapts to your needs
Our servers were designed to meet the needs of the gaming industry.
- For resellers: you can configure your game servers using our solutions. Offer your players a quality experience in a protected environment.
- For developers/publishers: focus on designing your game. We’ll take care of the hosting. Find out which infrastructure is most suitable for your project in terms of server clusters, cloud gaming, resilience, and more.
- For streamers and their community: want to create a shared experience with your viewers? Rent a Game server and create a world of your own. Configure Twitch directly on the server and provide unique entertainment. You can also install Mumble or TeamSpeak, or host a Discord bot to optimise game interactions between your community members.
How do I create an Ark dedicated server?
Here is the minimum recommended configuration for your Ark dedicated server:
- 8 GB RAM
- 20 GB minimum disk space (however, we recommend between 25 and 50 GB)
- 2 CPU cores of at least 3.0 GHz (for 10 to 15 players)
- Windows or Linux 64-bit operating system (CentOS Linux is recommended for a standalone server)
- A reliable internet connection – 100 Mbps is recommended.
Please note that these are the minimum requirements for a small community of players. OVHcloud Game servers also offer higher performances to allow you to create a more advanced gaming experience with more players.
Need help setting up your dedicated server? Many guides are available.
After setting up your machine, install SteamCMD to download the files from your Ark server. Next, be sure to open UDP ports 27015/27016, UDP 7777, UDP 7778 and TCP 27020.
Even if you have a large storage space included with the server (500 GB), we advise adding extra space for your backups.
Each server has a public IPv4 address and an IPv6 address range. You can order more (up to 256 per machine). They enable you to be visible in the list of Ark servers.
Your questions answered
What are the benefits of using a dedicated server for Ark?
There are many advantages to choosing a dedicated server to host Ark games. First, you have full access to the resources included with the service: RAM, CPU, GPU, the hardware is all yours. This lets you allocate resources to your Ark server so it performs at its best, especially for stable gameplay, fast response times, and handling several players or mods.
You’re also in charge of setting up and customising your machine, as well as the game itself. OVHcloud dedicated servers have solid security features, including anti-DDoS Game protection.
How do I choose an Ark server?
There are a couple of factors to consider when choosing an Ark server.
Start by figuring out your specific needs — the size of your community, how many players you plan to host at a time, and which mods you’ll be using. All these will determine how you configure your server.
Your machine needs to meet the basic requirements to game. Be sure to pick a server with the right hardware to meet your performance needs. Dedicated servers give you more freedom to customise compared to virtual or shared services.
Finally, you need to decide how much you’re willing to spend, so you can choose the server that fits your budget.
What are the basic requirements for installing Ark?
To get the most out of your Ark experience, we recommend using the following configuration:
- 2 CPU cores of at least 3.0 GHz (for 10 to 15 players)
- Windows or Linux 64-bit operating system (CentOS Linux is recommended for a standalone server)
- 20 GB minimum disk space (you should aim for 25 to 50 GB)
- 8 GB RAM
- For a reliable internet connection – 100 Mbps would be best.
How do Ark servers on HDD and SSD differ?
The major difference between these two disks is how well they perform, especially how fast they can read and write. Solid State Drives (SSDs) have higher capacities than HDDs (also called hard drives). SSDs can access data and memory (RAM) almost instantly, which means load times are shorter and Ark server responsiveness gets a boost. These drives are also known to be more reliable and less sensitive to shocks.
On the flip side, an HDD is usually cheaper, so it might be a better fit for your budget. The higher storage capacity will make it an ally for setting up and playing Ark.
Basically, the disk you choose for your server depends on a lot, including how much you’re willing to spend.
What are the steps for configuring an Ark server on Windows?
Follow these basic steps to configure Ark on Windows.
- Make sure your system meets the basic requirements. Before you start, check if your Windows system meets the minimum requirements for running an Ark server. The hardware should have a fast processor, enough RAM, and storage space.
- Download and install SteamCMD. Use this command-line tool from Steam to install and update game servers. Download and install SteamCMD on your Windows system.
- Download and install Ark server. Launch SteamCMD and use it to download and install the server. You’ll need the Ark app ID, which you can find on the game’s Steam Store page.
- Set up the server config files. Once you’ve installed Ark server, you’ll need to use the config files to adjust server settings — game settings, rules, permissions. You can edit these files using Notepad or any other text editor.
- Open the firewall ports. Don’t forget to open up the right ports in the Windows firewall so the Ark server can run smoothly. The default ports for Ark are usually UDP port 27015 for server connection and UDP port 7777 for the game itself.
- Start the server. Once configuration is complete, start the Ark server by running the file or using the right command line. Monitor server logs for any issues when starting up the server.
- Test the server. Once the server has booted, log in to the Ark game and find your server in the available servers list. You should be able to log in and play on your own server.
- Make whatever changes you need to. Test the server and then customise the settings to match your gaming community’s needs. You could also consider adding extra mods or plugins, based on your preferences.
What files do I need to set up an Ark server?
You need a few files to get an Ark server running. Here are the main files needed to set up an Ark server.
- Game.ini. This file comes with custom game settings that can totally level up your gameplay in the Ark world. You can customise settings like harvest, experience, and damage levels, as well as building rules, and much more.
- GameUserSettings.ini. The file contains client config settings, such as display options, audio settings, and shortcut keys. It can also include settings just for gamers, like preferred language or gamer name/ID.
- ServerSettings.ini. In this file, you’ll find all the server-specific configuration settings — server name, password, PvP/PvE rules, and backup options.
- AdminPassword.txt. This file contains the admin password for accessing server console and commands.
- ModList.txt. If you’re using mods on your Ark server, this file lists the mod credentials you have installed, and is used by the server to load mods at startup.
- ConfigOverrideSupplyCrateItems.ini. Use this file to customise the contents of the supply cases in the game by swapping out default objects for custom ones.