ARK: Survival Ascended dedicated server on a Windows VPS: setup, ports, RAM and clusters

Short answer: the official ARK: Survival Ascended dedicated server (Steam app 2430930) only runs on Windows, so the supported way to host one is a Windows Server VPS. Install SteamCMD, download the server with an anonymous login, add the Visual C++ 2013 and DirectX runtimes, open UDP port 7777 and start ArkAscendedServer.exe with a map such as TheIsland_WP. Plan on 16 GB of RAM or more: one empty map already uses 7 to 12 GB before anyone joins.

Below are the PowerShell commands for Windows Server 2019 or 2022, a start script, the GameUserSettings.ini lines that matter, a scheduled task that keeps the server running without anyone logged in, and the fixes for the usual “my server does not show up” problems.

Can an ARK: Survival Ascended server run on Linux?

Not officially. Steam lists app 2430930 for Windows only, and the official ARK wiki says ASA needs Windows or a Windows-like environment. Community projects run the Windows server on Linux under Proton or Wine, usually in a container. That works for some people, but nobody supports it, and a game update can break it until the project catches up. For a server other people rely on, use Windows Server and keep to the supported path.

How much RAM does an ASA server need?

A lot. The ARK wiki lists what each map uses on an empty server with default settings and a new save:

Players, tames, structures and mods all add to that, and Windows Server itself needs a couple of gigabytes. In practice:

• 16 GB: one of the lighter maps, vanilla, a small group of players.
• 24 GB: The Center, a busy server, or a handful of mods.
• 32 GB or more: heavy mod lists, or two maps in a cluster on one machine. Each map is its own server process with its own memory.

For CPU, the wiki recommends four logical cores per server instance and says single-thread speed counts for more than extra cores, because gameplay apart from physics runs on one thread. One installation takes about 11 GB of disk, and SteamCMD, saves, backups and Windows updates come on top, so leave 80 GB or more.

Which ports does an ASA server need?

Players only need the game port. Guides written for ARK: Survival Evolved also open UDP 7778 and 27015, and the wiki’s port table still lists them; ASA players join through the game port, so start with 7777 and add the other two only if you are ruling them out while troubleshooting.

How do I prepare Windows Server for ASA?

Connect over Remote Desktop as Administrator and open PowerShell with Run as administrator. Everything below runs there.

1. 1Install the Visual C++ 2013 and DirectX runtimes

   The server needs the 64-bit Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable and the DirectX End-User Runtimes (June 2010). Both come straight from Microsoft:

   $ProgressPreference = 'SilentlyContinue'   # much faster downloads in Windows PowerShell
   
   Invoke-WebRequest https://aka.ms/highdpimfc2013x64enu -OutFile $env:TEMP\vcredist2013_x64.exe
   Start-Process $env:TEMP\vcredist2013_x64.exe -ArgumentList '/install','/quiet','/norestart' -Wait
   
   Invoke-WebRequest https://download.microsoft.com/download/8/4/a/84a35bf1-dafe-4ae8-82af-ad2ae20b6b14/directx_Jun2010_redist.exe -OutFile $env:TEMP\dx2010.exe
   Start-Process $env:TEMP\dx2010.exe -ArgumentList '/Q','/T:C:\dxredist' -Wait
   Start-Process C:\dxredist\DXSETUP.exe -ArgumentList '/silent' -Wait

2. 2Add the certificate list ASA needs on Windows Server

   Windows Server treats certificates and revocation lists differently from desktop Windows, so the wiki has you add Amazon’s r2m02.crl by hand, with TLS 1.2 enabled, which it is by default on 2019 and 2022. Skipping this is a known reason a server never appears in the list. Add it to the trusted root store:

   Invoke-WebRequest http://crl.r2m02.amazontrust.com/r2m02.crl -OutFile $env:TEMP\r2m02.crl
   certutil -addstore Root $env:TEMP\r2m02.crl

   Restart Windows once afterwards to be safe. If you installed an older r2m02.cer certificate for this, the wiki says to remove it (it shows up as “Amazon RSA 2048 M02” under Trusted Root Certification Authorities).

3. 3Install SteamCMD and the server

   New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path C:\steamcmd, C:\asa | Out-Null
   Invoke-WebRequest https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd.zip -OutFile C:\steamcmd\steamcmd.zip
   Expand-Archive C:\steamcmd\steamcmd.zip -DestinationPath C:\steamcmd -Force
   C:\steamcmd\steamcmd.exe +force_install_dir C:\asa +login anonymous +app_update 2430930 validate +quit

   No Steam account is needed. The first run updates SteamCMD itself, then installs about 11 GB of server files. The server binary ends up in C:\asa\ShooterGame\Binaries\Win64\ArkAscendedServer.exe.

How do I start the server?

Create a start script with notepad C:\asa\start-asa.bat. It updates the server first, because players can only join a server running the same version as their game:

@echo off
C:\steamcmd\steamcmd.exe +force_install_dir C:\asa +login anonymous +app_update 2430930 +quit
cd /d C:\asa\ShooterGame\Binaries\Win64
ArkAscendedServer.exe TheIsland_WP?listen?ServerAdminPassword=ChangeThisAdminPassword -port=7777 -WinLiveMaxPlayers=20

• The first word is the map ID from the table above. Options joined with ? belong to the map URL; ASA wants ServerAdminPassword as the last of them.
• ASA takes the port as -port=7777, not as ?Port=.
• -WinLiveMaxPlayers sets the player limit; on ASA it replaces MaxPlayers from the ini file. The default is 70.
• Mods go in as -mods=12345,67890 with CurseForge project IDs; the server downloads and updates them at start.

Run C:\asa\start-asa.bat once. The first start creates the save and the config files and takes several minutes. When the console stops scrolling, check that the port is open, then stop the server; on a brand-new world there is nothing to lose:

Get-NetUDPEndpoint -LocalPort 7777          # any output means the game port is listening
Stop-Process -Name ArkAscendedServer        # fresh world only; later, use SaveWorld + DoExit

Which GameUserSettings.ini settings matter?

The server’s settings live in GameUserSettings.ini and, for the deeper gameplay tables, Game.ini, both in C:\asa\ShooterGame\Saved\Config\WindowsServer\. Edit them only while the server is stopped: the wiki warns that changes made while it runs are thrown away.

[ServerSettings]
ServerPassword=
RCONEnabled=True
RCONPort=27020
AutoSavePeriodMinutes=15

[SessionSettings]
SessionName=My ASA Server

• SessionName is the name players search for. It goes under [SessionSettings], not [ServerSettings].
• ServerPassword left empty makes the server public; set one for a private group.
• RCON authenticates with the admin password from the start script. Enable it only if you use an RCON tool, and firewall the port to your own address.
• AutoSavePeriodMinutes is the autosave interval; 15 is the default.

How do I open the Windows firewall?

New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName 'ASA game 7777/UDP' -Direction Inbound -Protocol UDP -LocalPort 7777 -Action Allow
# only if RCON is enabled; replace 203.0.113.7 with your own public IP:
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName 'ASA RCON 27020/TCP' -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 27020 -RemoteAddress 203.0.113.7 -Action Allow

For firewall profiles, port ranges and testing a port from outside, see opening a port in Windows Firewall.

How do I keep it running after I disconnect?

Closing the Remote Desktop window without signing out leaves the server running, but it does not come back after a reboot. A scheduled task that starts at boot does. A task stops after three days unless you lift that limit:

$action   = New-ScheduledTaskAction -Execute 'C:\asa\start-asa.bat'
$trigger  = New-ScheduledTaskTrigger -AtStartup
$settings = New-ScheduledTaskSettingsSet -ExecutionTimeLimit ([TimeSpan]::Zero)
Register-ScheduledTask -TaskName 'ASA server' -Action $action -Trigger $trigger -Settings $settings -User 'SYSTEM' -RunLevel Highest
Start-ScheduledTask -TaskName 'ASA server'

Before a restart or an update, save and stop cleanly: send SaveWorld and then DoExit over RCON, or with admincheat in front of each from the in-game console as an admin. The next start of the task runs SteamCMD and brings the server up to date. Back up C:\asa\ShooterGame\Saved\SavedArks, which holds the map save, the player profiles and the tribes, together with the Config folder.

Can I run two maps as a cluster?

Yes, with one server process per map. The least fiddly layout is a second install folder, for example C:\asa2, filled with the same SteamCMD line. Give it its own start script with a different map ID and its own -port= value, give its GameUserSettings.ini its own SessionName and RCONPort, and open that game port in the firewall too.

To let players carry characters, items and tames between the maps, start both servers with the same -clusterid= and point both at one shared folder with -ClusterDirOverride=, for example:

-clusterid=mycluster -ClusterDirOverride=C:\asa-cluster

Memory adds up per process, so budget each map from the table above. Two maps on one VPS start at roughly twice the RAM of one.

Why does my ASA server not show up or let players join?

• Not in the server list: self-hosted servers only appear in the Unofficial tab once Show Player Servers is ticked, and the box resets each time the game starts. Give the server several minutes after the console settles, tick the box, then search for your exact session name; a password-protected server also needs the password filter on. If it still does not appear, check the certificate list from step 2.
• Listed, but players time out: UDP 7777 is blocked, or -port= differs from the port you opened.
• Players see a version mismatch: the game updated and the server did not. Stop it and run the SteamCMD line again.
• The process closes right after start: a runtime is missing. Rerun step 1, then look in C:\asa\ShooterGame\Saved\Logs for the reason.
• Windows keeps shutting itself down: the evaluation licence has run out. See the Windows Server evaluation licence for how to check and activate it.

Which VPS plan fits an ASA server?

Size it by memory first. On a VMHeaven Windows VPS, Windows Server 2022 or 2019 can be picked on every KVM line and comes up on Microsoft’s evaluation licence until you activate your own key. Our Hi-CPU KVM plans run on AMD EPYC with ECC memory in Amsterdam and suit ASA’s preference for fast cores, with up to 28 GB of RAM. A modded cluster with two maps needs more than that; there, Standard KVM goes up to 64 GB on Intel. Every plan has always-on DDoS mitigation at no extra cost, a browser VNC console for when Remote Desktop is unreachable, and backups you can take from the panel before an update. If your group also plays Rust, our Rust server guide covers the Linux side. To size ARK against eight other games on both lines, see gaming VPS.

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