Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesUse GameUserSettings.ini for most server rules and rates; use Game.ini for deeper gameplay changes such as breeding, stat scaling and engram progression. Stop the server before editing, save the files in the correct configuration folder, and restart it afterward. ARK: Survival Evolved and ARK: Survival Ascended use different executables, map names, mod systems and player-limit settings, so an Evolved tutorial is not automatically correct for Ascended.
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The exact defaults shown in many online tables are not consistent. Treat the values below as guide-reported references, then verify the effective value on your own server.
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ARK Survival Evolved Definitive Complete Guide & Walkthrough (Latest Update 2025) All Strategies,... | $15.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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What the two ARK configuration files do
GameUserSettings.ini: server rules and rates
GameUserSettings.ini contains most ordinary server options. Dedicated-server settings normally belong in a [ServerSettings] section. Experience, taming, harvesting, day/night behavior, player needs and many rule toggles are commonly managed here.
The file can also contain client-side preferences. A dedicated server ignores those client-only entries, so changing a graphics or local-interface option in the server copy will not change what players see.
#1 Best Overall
- Use cunning strategy and tactics to tame, train, ride and breed the 100+ dinosaurs and other primeval creatures roaming the dynamic, persistent ecosystems across land, sea, air, and even underground Build your character's strengths and gain items, skills, and pet creatures using in-depth role-playing systems
- Start a tribe with hundreds of other players to survive and dominate competing tribes...and ultimately discover ARK's true purpose
- Build a fire or shelter, then craft customizable clothing & armors to help protect against damage and extreme temperatures on your way to unlocking advanced technologies and equipment
- Chop down trees and mine metal and other precious resources to build massive multi-leveled structures composed of complex snap-linked parts
Game.ini: deeper gameplay configuration
Game.ini is used for systems that need more detailed gameplay definitions, including engram points, experience per level, stat scaling, item stack sizes, disabled content, custom creature spawns and breeding multipliers. Gameplay parameters normally go under:
[/script/shootergame.shootergamemode]Unlike GameUserSettings.ini, Game.ini usually does not exist in a new installation. Create a plain-text file with that exact name in the server’s configuration folder. Do not create a rich-text document with a hidden .txt extension.
Where ARK stores the files
Folder names vary by installation method, but these are the locations most dedicated-server guides identify:
| Installation | Typical location | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|
| ARK: Survival Evolved dedicated server | ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/ |
Some installations and guides use a different server configuration path, such as a Config/server folder. Confirm the folder used by your install. |
| ARK: Survival Ascended dedicated server | ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/ |
The same folder is commonly named, but the Ascended executable and configuration keys differ from Evolved. |
| Ascended Steam client | ShooterGameSavedConfigWindows |
A WindowsNoEditor variant is also used by some client installations. |
On a hosted server, the provider may hide the physical path behind a configuration editor or file manager. The editor is still writing these INI files; use the provider’s stop, save and restart controls rather than editing a live process.
Rank #2
- Capture and Tame Dinosaurs: Discover over 100 different dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures on the island, finding ways to tame them into useful additions for your tribe's dino herd
- Survive Above All: Hunger, thirst, basic safety, and protecting yourself from the weather are all part of the game
- Harvest, Hunt and Build: Cut down trees and turn them into a basic home, which you can quickly expand into a Jurassic estate. Hunt for meat, scavenge for plants (or start your own garden!)
- Customize Everything: An extensive crafting system invites you to mix and match materials scavenged from the island, while also modifying the colors, textures, shapes, and styles
- Explore the Island: Solve the mystery of The ARK as you explore this massive island, discovering Explorer's Notebooks (filled with clues!) throughout
Safe editing procedure
- Stop the server completely. Running ARK keeps most
[ServerSettings]values in memory and can write those values back when it shuts down. An edit made while the server is running can therefore be overwritten. - Back up both files. Copy the existing
GameUserSettings.iniandGame.inibefore changing them. Keep a dated copy so you can restore a known-good configuration. - Open the actual configuration folder. For a dedicated installation, start with
ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/. If the files are not there, use the server’s launch or provider documentation to identify its active folder. - Create or open the correct file. Put ordinary server rates in
GameUserSettings.ini. CreateGame.inimanually if it is absent. - Use the correct section. Place ordinary server options under
[ServerSettings]. Place gameplay multipliers and other game-mode overrides under[/script/shootergame.shootergamemode]inGame.ini. - Save as plain text. Preserve the spelling, capitalization and punctuation of each key. A key in the wrong section can be ignored without producing an obvious error.
- Restart the server. Changes normally take effect only after a full restart. Reconnect and test one change at a time so a bad value is easy to identify.
Common GameUserSettings.ini options
The following values are reported in Evolved-oriented configuration guides. A “default” is included only where the guide summaries provide one; it is not a guarantee for every map, version or host.
| Key | What it changes | Guide-reported value or behavior |
|---|---|---|
XPMultiplier |
Scales experience gained from all sources. | Default reported as 1.0; 3.0 is a commonly cited custom value. |
TamingSpeedMultiplier |
Changes how quickly creatures are tamed. | Default reported as 1.0; higher values tame faster. |
HarvestAmountMultiplier |
Scales yields from chopping, gathering berries, harvesting carcasses and mining. | The summaries describe its effect but do not establish one universal default. |
NightTimeSpeedScale |
Changes the speed at which nighttime passes. | It affects night only, making it the usual setting for shortening long nights. |
PlayerCharacterFoodDrainMultiplier |
Controls how quickly player food decreases. | The summaries identify the key but do not establish one universal default. |
OverrideOfficialDifficulty |
Raises the wild-dinosaur level cap. | 0.0 disables the override. The resulting cap depends on the game’s difficulty calculation and should be checked in-game. |
A multiplier is not automatically a percentage. For example, a value of 3.0 means three times the baseline for that setting, while a value below 1.0 reduces the rate. Keep each key on its own line in the appropriate section.
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Breeding settings belong in Game.ini, not GameUserSettings.ini. Putting them in the latter can result in the server silently ignoring them.
[/script/shootergame.shootergamemode]
EggHatchSpeedMultiplier=...
BabyMatureSpeedMultiplier=...
MatingIntervalMultiplier=...The three commonly used keys are:
EggHatchSpeedMultiplierchanges how quickly an egg hatches.BabyMatureSpeedMultiplierchanges the rate at which a baby matures.MatingIntervalMultiplierchanges the delay before a creature can mate again.
The available summaries do not establish one reliable default for these multipliers. Choose values deliberately, test an entire cycle and record the result rather than assuming that a value copied from an Evolved guide behaves identically on Ascended.
Rank #3
- Capture and Tame Dinosaurs: Discover over 100 different dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures on the island, finding ways to tame them into useful additions for your tribe's dino herd
- Survive Above All: Hunger, thirst, basic safety and protecting yourself from the weather are all part of the game. Run too far and not only will you be exhausted, but you will also quickly get hungry and thirsty. Weather effects are based on real-world climates, and so you'll need to hide out from rain and snow, while making the most of sunny days
- Harvest, Hunt and Build: Cut down trees and turn them into a basic home, which you can quickly expand into a Jurassic estate. Hunt for meat, scavenge for plants (or start your own garden!)
- Gather Resources, Customize Everything: An extensive crafting system invites you to mix and match materials scavenged from the island, while also modifying the colors, textures, shapes and style of everything from the walls of your home, to your character's armor, weapons and more
- Explore the Island: Solve the mystery of The ARK as you explore this massive island, discovering Explorer's Notebooks (filled with clues!) throughout. Make your way to the final boss and figure out why you've been dropped into this Jurassic-era experience
Settings that use different sections or launch parameters
Session name
SessionName belongs under [SessionSettings], not the ordinary [ServerSettings] block. If the name does not appear in the server browser, check both the spelling and the section header.
Maximum players in Evolved
Evolved guides commonly place MaxPlayers under [/Script/Engine.GameSession]. Older guides put it under [ServerSettings], creating conflicting instructions. Use the section expected by your Evolved server build and confirm the actual connection limit after restarting.
Maximum players in Ascended
Ascended handles the player limit through the -WinLiveMaxPlayers launch parameter rather than an INI entry. Changing a MaxPlayers line in the file will not replace that launch setting.
ARK: Survival Evolved versus ARK: Survival Ascended
| Area | Evolved | Ascended |
|---|---|---|
| Server executable | ShooterGameServer.exe |
ArkAscendedServer.exe |
| Typical map name | Names such as TheIsland |
Suffixed names such as TheIsland_WP |
| Mods | Steam Workshop maps and mods, commonly loaded with -MapModID. |
CurseForge mods, loaded with the -mods= launch argument. |
| Player limit | Configured through the server’s INI conventions, with conflicting placement advice for older and newer guides. | Set with -WinLiveMaxPlayers. |
| Server platform | Runs natively on Linux as well as Windows. | Requires Windows or a Windows-like environment. |
Community references also report Ascended-specific keys such as ActiveMapMod and AllowCryoFridgeOnSaddle. The exact Ascended Game.ini header for those keys has not been consistently established, so do not assume an Evolved header is correct. Verify the key and section for the specific Ascended build you run.
Rank #4
- Capture and Tame Dinosaurs: Discover over 100 different dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures on the island, finding ways to tame them into useful additions for your tribe's dino herd
- Survive Above All: Hunger, thirst, basic safety, and protecting yourself from the weather are all part of the game
- Harvest, Hunt and Build: Cut down trees and turn them into a basic home, which you can quickly expand into a Jurassic estate. Hunt for meat, scavenge for plants (or start your own garden!)
- Customize Everything: An extensive crafting system invites you to mix and match materials scavenged from the island, while also modifying the colors, textures, shapes, and styles
- Explore the Island: Solve the mystery of The ARK as you explore this massive island, discovering Explorer's Notebooks (filled with clues!) throughout
Several Evolved DLC maps are listed as unavailable on Ascended, including Genesis Part 1, Genesis Part 2, Crystal Isles, Lost Island and Fjordur. A map name copied from an Evolved launch command can therefore fail on Ascended even when the rest of the command looks valid.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why a setting appears not to work
The value reverts after shutdown
You probably edited while the server was running. Stop it, make the change, save, then start it again. Also check that the provider or startup script is not restoring an older backup.
Breeding changes do nothing
Move the breeding keys to Game.ini under [/script/shootergame.shootergamemode]. They are silently ignored when placed in GameUserSettings.ini.
The server starts but one option is ignored
Check the section header first. SessionName, game-mode overrides and launch parameters do not all belong in [ServerSettings]. Then check capitalization, spelling and whether the key is supported by your edition.
The player cap does not change on Ascended
Set -WinLiveMaxPlayers in the server’s launch arguments. An INI-only change is not the control used by Ascended.
Difficulty results differ from a guide
Do not treat DifficultyOffset as settled across all guides. One commonly cited table lists a default of 0.2 and describes a maximum wild level around 30; another lists 1.0 and a range from 0.0 to 1.0. Many owners rely on OverrideOfficialDifficulty instead. Verify the resulting wild levels on your own map.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Map location display differs
References also conflict on ShowMapPlayerLocation: one table reports False, another True. Check the effective behavior in-game rather than assuming either value is universal.
Editing through a hosting control panel
| Task | Self-hosted server | Hosted control panel |
|---|---|---|
| Stop before editing | Use the server process or service manager. | Use the panel’s stop control and wait until the status is fully stopped. |
| Find files | Open the installation’s ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/ path or the path used by that build. |
Open the panel’s file manager or INI editor; the physical path may not be shown. |
Create Game.ini |
Create a plain-text file if it is missing. | Use the panel’s game-mode or custom-INI editor if it provides one. |
| Apply changes | Save, then start the server. | Save the configuration and restart through the panel; some hosts regenerate files from saved fields. |
If a panel keeps replacing your manual edits, make the change in its persistent configuration fields or custom-INI area. After startup, inspect the resulting file or the server’s configuration output to confirm what was actually written.
Quick Recap
Final validation checklist
- Edition identified: Evolved or Ascended.
- Correct executable, map name and mod-loading method selected.
- Server stopped before editing and restarted afterward.
GameUserSettings.iniused for ordinary server settings under[ServerSettings].Game.inicreated when necessary and used for breeding or other game-mode overrides.SessionName, Evolved player-limit settings and Ascended launch parameters placed in their proper locations.- Backups retained before each batch of changes.
- In-game behavior tested, especially for difficulty and settings whose documented defaults conflict.
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