Most of what you want to change on an ARK: Survival Evolved server is on one page of the panel.
Open Game Settings
- Open your server in the panel and click the Settings tab.
- Click Game Settings.
- Change a value and click outside the field, or press Enter. The panel saves it. Switches save as soon as you flip them.
- Restart the server so the change takes effect. See How to start, stop, restart and force-stop your server.
Options most owners change first
- Server Name. The name players see in the in-game server browser; restart, then refresh the list in game to see a new name.
- Server Password. Players must type it to join; leave it empty for an open server. 1 to 100 characters: letters, numbers, dashes and underscores only.
- Admin Password. Unlocks the admin commands for whoever types it, so change it from the default and share it only with people you trust. 1 to 100 characters: letters, numbers, dashes and underscores only.
- Server Map. Pick the map to load (for example TheIsland, Ragnarok, ScorchedEarth_P, Aberration_P, Valguero_P, CrystalIsles, Fjordur); each map keeps its own separate save, so switching back returns your old world as it was.
- Max Players. Set by your plan and not editable here; upgrade the plan to raise it.
- BattlEye Anti-Cheat. On by default; turn it off only if a mod or an older client needs it, because the server then has no cheat protection.
- Auto-update server. Off by default. Turn it on to check for a game update at each start. Leave it off only to stay on one build for mod compatibility.
- Steam Workshop Mod IDs. Workshop IDs separated by commas with no spaces, digits only; the server installs them at the next start.
- Extra Launch Options. For features without their own field, such as -crossplay -PublicIPForEpic=
<your server IP>for Epic Games players, or -exclusivejoin for a whitelist. Each option starts with a dash, separated by spaces.
Server Name, passwords, map, BattlEye, auto-update, mods and launch options are all read when the server starts, so restart the server after changing any of them. Gameplay rates and rules (taming speed, harvest amounts, PvE and so on) have no panel field. To change them, stop the server, open Files, go to ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/, edit GameUserSettings.ini, save, and start the server. ARK discards edits to its ini files made while the server is running, so always stop it first. Keep the passwords and the map in the panel rather than in the ini file, because the panel's values are used at every start.
Every option is listed in ARK: Survival Evolved server settings: every option explained.
