How to change your ARK server name, password and rates

The settings that matter most on an ARK server live in GameUserSettings.ini, under ShooterGame/Saved/Config/. On a Linux build the folder inside is LinuxServer, on a Windows build it is WindowsServer.

1. Open the file

1. Stop the server in the Game Panel and wait for it to report offline. ARK rewrites this file when it shuts down, so editing a running server throws your work away.
2. Open the Files tab and browse to the config folder.
3. Click GameUserSettings.ini.

2. The settings people ask for

Each setting belongs under its section header. A line placed under the wrong header is ignored without an error.

3. Save and restart

1. Save the file.
2. Start the server and watch the Console for the session name as it loads.
3. A first boot on a new map takes several minutes.

4. Changing the map

The map is not in this file. It is a launch parameter, so it is set on the Startup page of your server in the panel. That page is not linked in the sidebar, so open your server and add /startup to the end of the address. Changing the map loads a different world save. Your old map is not deleted, and switching back brings it up as you left it.

5. If a value keeps reverting

• The server was running when you saved. Stop it first, every time.
• The same setting may also be present on the Startup page, and anything set there is applied at boot.
• Some rate settings exist in both GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini. If you set the same thing in both, the result is whichever the game reads last, so keep each setting in one file only.

Open a ticket with the setting name and the value you want if it will not hold.