ARK: Survival Evolved Server HostingARK: Survival Evolved Server Hosting
Run the original ARK with Steam Workshop mods, maps from Ragnarok to Genesis, and full control of every ini multiplier.
Choose your Game Server
Select from our wide range of optimized game servers. Each server is configured for maximum performance and comes with DDoS protection.
1. Plan Type
2. Location
3. Choose Plan
Silver 6GB
Gold 8GB
Platinum 10GB
Diamond 12GB
Emerald 16GB
Xtreme 32GB
Which ARK: Survival Evolved Plan Is Right for You?
Compare recommended use, plan hardware and monthly prices.
| Plan | Recommended for | Hardware | Monthly price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver 6GB | 2–8 players, The Island, unmoddedMeets the official 6 GB minimum; a starting point for a new, small tribe world. | 4 vCore Ryzen 9950X · 6 GB DDR5 6000MHz · 60 GB NVMe SSD Samsung 990 PRO | ₺345.00/mo |
| Gold 8GB | 8–15 players, a few light modsSafe headroom for memory that grows as tames and structures pile up. | 4 vCore Ryzen 9950X · 8 GB DDR5 6000MHz · 70 GB NVMe SSD Samsung 990 PRO | ₺440.00/mo |
| Platinum 10GB | 15–25 players or a large mapComfortable for big maps like Ragnarok or Valguero and building mods like S+. | 4 vCore Ryzen 9950X · 10 GB DDR5 6000MHz · 100 GB NVMe SSD Samsung 990 PRO | ₺530.00/mo |
| Diamond 12GB | 25–35 players, mid-sized mod listCarries the thousands of structures and tames a server builds up over months. | 4 vCore Ryzen 9950X · 12 GB DDR5 6000MHz · 110 GB NVMe SSD Samsung 990 PRO | ₺617.50/mo |
| Emerald 16GB | 35–50 players, overhaul modsSix vCores and 16 GB for busy servers running heavy mods such as Primal Fear. | 6 vCore Ryzen 9950X · 16 GB DDR5 6000MHz · 120 GB NVMe SSD Samsung 990 PRO | ₺840.00/mo |
| Xtreme 32GB | 50–70 players, Genesis and big mod packs12 vCores for full, heavily modded community servers built to last. | 12 vCore Ryzen 9950X · 32 GB DDR5 6000MHz · 200 GB NVMe SSD Samsung 990 PRO | ₺1520.00/mo |
Why TheCrewHost for ARK: Survival Evolved?
What your tribe's server actually needs, from mods to admin tools.
Steam Workshop mods
List mod IDs, comma-separated, on the ActiveMods line in GameUserSettings.ini. The -automanagedmods parameter has the server download and update them on its own.
Every multiplier is yours
Change XP, harvesting, taming, mating interval and baby maturation rates in GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini directly from the file manager.
RCON and admin commands
Log in with ServerAdminPassword, then use admincheat to kick players, force a save or wipe wild dinos. RCON lets you manage the server from outside the game too.
Maps and clusters
Pick The Island, Ragnarok, Valguero, Genesis or another map. For transfers between maps, each map runs as its own server in a cluster.
SavedArks backups
World, player and tribe files are backed up automatically. Take a manual panel backup before big mod changes to protect months of breeding.
Free DDoS protection
Rival tribes on PvP servers sometimes try to knock a server offline. DDoS protection is included on every plan to help it stay up during raid hours.
ARK: Survival Evolved server hosting at TheCrewHost starts at $8.63 per month for a server on Ryzen 9 9950X hardware in Istanbul, Türkiye, with 6 GB to 32 GB of RAM. ASE, the Unreal Engine 4 version that left early access in 2017, needs far less server hardware than Ascended and gives you the huge Steam Workshop mod library. You set every multiplier from taming speed to baby maturation in GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini, and adding a mod is as simple as putting its ID on the ActiveMods line.
ARK: Survival Evolved or Survival Ascended?
They are two generations of the same game, and their servers cannot talk to each other. Survival Evolved (ASE) is the Unreal Engine 4 version that reached full release in 2017; Survival Ascended (ASA) is the Unreal Engine 5 remake released in 2023.
An ASE server runs on Windows or Linux, has an official minimum of 6 GB, and pulls mods from the Steam Workshop, where years of overhauls, building mods and community maps live. For crossplay, Steam and Epic Games PC players can share a server launched with -crossplay, but console players cannot join a PC server.
ASA starts at 16 GB, uses CurseForge mods and supports crossplay between PC and PS5 or Xbox Series. Pick ASE if your group includes older PCs, depends on Workshop mods you cannot give up, or wants a lower starting budget. If you want to play with console friends or get the current content updates, see our Ascended page instead.
How much RAM does an ASE server need?
The official minimum is 6 GB, which Silver 6GB covers; a small tribe on a fresh copy of The Island will be comfortable. ARK's memory use grows over time, though. Every tamed dino, every wall and foundation, and every storage box adds to what the server keeps in memory, and on a PvE server that has been running for months, the difference from week one is significant.
Map choice matters as well. Large or complex maps such as Ragnarok, Valguero and Genesis need more memory than The Island. Your mod list has a direct effect too: building mods add a small amount, while overhauls that introduce new creatures and biomes are much heavier.
Roughly: Silver or Gold for a small unmodded group, Platinum or Diamond for a few mods and a larger map, and Emerald 16GB or above for overhaul mods or servers with more than 35 players.
How do you add Steam Workshop mods and maps?
Mods go on the ActiveMods line in the [ServerSettings] section of GameUserSettings.ini, as Workshop IDs separated by commas. Launch the server with -automanagedmods and it downloads and updates them for you. Order matters: when two mods conflict, the one listed first wins.
Popular picks include quality-of-life mods such as Structures Plus (S+), Awesome Spyglass!, Dino Storage v2 and Classic Flyers, plus large overhauls like Primal Fear. Overhauls make the server noticeably heavier, so factor them into your plan choice.
For maps you have The Island, The Center, Scorched Earth, Ragnarok, Aberration, Extinction, Valguero, Genesis, Crystal Isles, Lost Island and Fjordur. The server does not need to own any DLC, but players do need to own a paid map such as Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction or Genesis to play on it.
GameUserSettings.ini, Game.ini and admin commands
Config files sit under ShooterGame/Saved/Config in either the WindowsServer or LinuxServer folder. GameUserSettings.ini holds general server settings like SessionName, ServerPassword, ServerAdminPassword, XPMultiplier, TamingSpeedMultiplier, HarvestAmountMultiplier and DifficultyOffset. Setting OverrideOfficialDifficulty to 5.0 lets wild dinos spawn up to level 150. Game.ini covers breeding values such as MatingIntervalMultiplier, EggHatchSpeedMultiplier and BabyMatureSpeedMultiplier, along with engram overrides.
In game, run enablecheats with your admin password, then issue commands through admincheat. ListPlayers shows who is online, KickPlayer and BanPlayer take a Steam ID, and SaveWorld writes the world to disk immediately. After changing spawn settings, DestroyWildDinos repopulates the wild creatures.
To limit the server to specific people, launch with -exclusivejoin to turn on whitelist mode and add players with AllowPlayerToJoinNoCheck. RCON uses TCP port 27020 by default.
Saves, clusters and getting players connected
The world save lives in ShooterGame/Saved/SavedArks as a .ark file named after the map; player characters are stored in .arkprofile files and tribes in .arktribe files. ARK also writes timestamped backup copies into that folder, so clear out old ones before they eat your disk. Our automatic backups and your manual panel backups add a second layer of safety on top.
If you want players to move characters and dinos between maps, you need a cluster. Each map runs as its own server, and all of them share the same -clusterid value and a common ClusterDirOverride folder. If a cluster is in your plans, talk to our support team before choosing plans.
Players can find you on the Unofficial tab of the in-game server list by searching your server name; for a passworded server, they need to enable the option that shows password-protected servers. Another route is adding your IP and query port 27015 to Favorites in Steam's server browser.
How to Set Up a ARK: Survival Evolved Server
- 1
Choose a plan for your map, mods and player count
Small unmodded groups start on Silver or Gold; large maps and overhaul mods are safer on Diamond or Emerald.
- 2
Let the automatic setup finish after checkout
Once payment clears, the ARK files are downloaded and installed automatically, and you get the console, file manager and backups at gamepanel.hostingmerkezi.net.
- 3
Edit GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini
Set SessionName, passwords, multipliers and breeding values. Keep the admin password private and restart the server after each change.
- 4
Add Workshop mods to ActiveMods
List mod IDs in priority order, separated by commas, and use -automanagedmods so the server fetches them itself.
- 5
Give yourself admin rights
Run enablecheats with your admin password in game, try a SaveWorld first, and confirm backups are being taken properly.
- 6
Invite your tribe
Friends search your server name on the Unofficial tab, or add your IP with port 27015 to Steam Favorites and join from there.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about hosting ARK: Survival Evolved.
How much does an ARK: Survival Evolved server cost?
Which plan should I choose, and how much RAM do I need?
How do I install Steam Workshop mods?
What is the difference between an ASE and an ASA server?
How long does setup take?
How do my friends connect?
Are my saves and dinos backed up?
How do DDoS protection and upgrades work?
Can I link several maps together?
Wild dinos look wrong after a change. What should I do?
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Our İstanbul datacenter runs on Ryzen 9 hardware, delivering low latency to players in Türkiye and good connectivity to Europe, the Middle East and the Caucasus.
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