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ARK server behavior is split between two INI files. Put gameplay toggles and most capacity settings in GameUserSettings.ini under [ServerSettings]; put progression and other game-mode rebalancing in Game.ini under [/script/shootergame.shootergamemode]. Save the file and restart the server after every edit. The names and defaults below are widely used community settings, not a guaranteed contract for every ARK build, so confirm the result on your running version.
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Where ARK stores server settings
Dedicated-server configuration normally lives in ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/ on Linux and ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/ on Windows. The two files have different jobs, and putting an option in the wrong file is one of the most common reasons a change appears to do nothing.
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GameUserSettings.ini: server rules, rates and capacity
Open GameUserSettings.ini and find the [ServerSettings] block, usually near the bottom. Many options are not created until you add them manually. Boolean values are generally written as True or False; multiplier values use decimal numbers such as 1.0 or 5.0.
[ServerSettings]
serverPVE=True
serverHardcore=False
allowThirdPersonPlayer=True
ShowMapPlayerLocation=False
proximityChat=False
AllowHitMarkers=False
TamingSpeedMultiplier=5.0
HarvestAmountMultiplier=3.0Game.ini: progression and game-mode rebalancing
Options that alter XP progression, engram points and similar mode-level rules belong in Game.ini, beneath the exact section header [/script/shootergame.shootergamemode]. Passing one of these settings on a launch command does not replace the required Game.ini entry.
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[/script/shootergame.shootergamemode]
// progression and engram overrides go hereKeep a backup before editing. A malformed header, duplicate key or typographical error can make a setting appear ignored, and an update can regenerate parts of a configuration file.
How to apply a change safely
- Stop the ARK server cleanly, or use its control panel’s stop function. Editing while the process is writing the file can overwrite your change.
- Back up both
GameUserSettings.iniandGame.ini. - Choose the correct file and section. Add a missing key inside the existing section rather than creating a second section with a similar name.
- Use the exact spelling and casing expected by your build. Guides disagree on the casing of some keys, including the third-person option.
- Save the file, start the server and wait for it to finish loading.
- Test with a connected player. Check the in-game behavior and, where available, the startup log; a successful boot alone does not prove that every key was accepted.
A restart is required after editing. Players who remain connected through a file change may continue using the old values until the next restart or map load.
Player-versus-environment and hardcore toggles
serverPVE
Set serverPVE=True to disable player-versus-player combat, according to commonly used community configuration guides. Those guides list False as the default. PvE does not automatically make every structure, tribe or creature interaction identical across maps, so test the particular behaviors your community relies on.
serverHardcore
serverHardcore=True makes a player restart at level 1 after death. Use it only when that permanent-progression penalty is intentional; switching the value later does not undo levels already lost. Community guides list False as the default.
allowThirdPersonPlayer
This Boolean enables the third-person camera when set to true. The key is shown with different capitalization in different guides, so copy the spelling used by the build or host template you are running and verify it in-game rather than assuming that a restart confirms it.
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ShowMapPlayerLocation and proximityChat
ShowMapPlayerLocation=True displays a player’s location on the map. proximityChat=True limits voice communication to nearby players instead of treating chat as global. Community guides commonly list both as False by default. They are independent: enabling map coordinates does not change voice range, and enabling proximity chat does not hide map positions.
AllowHitMarkers
Set AllowHitMarkers=True to show hit markers for ranged attacks. The commonly published default is False. Test with the weapons and client platform your server actually uses, because a server-side toggle cannot compensate for a client UI setting or a mod that replaces the combat display.
Player capacity and structure limits
MaxPlayers
The community wiki places MaxPlayers in GameUserSettings.ini under [/Script/Engine.GameSession] and documents a default of 70. A separate community discussion reports that this placement did not take effect for some installations and that only a launch parameter worked. Treat the location as build-dependent rather than universal.
[/Script/Engine.GameSession]
MaxPlayers=20If the INI value is ignored, test the equivalent launch syntax used by your server manager:
?MaxPlayers=20Do not assume that a panel’s displayed capacity is the value the game accepted. Start with a low test value, restart, and confirm the advertised and actual connection limit. Check for a panel or script that rewrites the file or appends its own command-line value; the command line may win when both are present.
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MaxStructuresInRange
Community guides commonly list MaxStructuresInRange=1300 as the default. This is a local density ceiling, not a server-wide structure budget. Raising it can allow denser bases but may increase load when a player renders a heavily built area; lowering it can prevent extreme clusters while frustrating builders. Change it in small increments and test the busiest base on your map.
Rates and multipliers
Most rate multipliers are published with a default of 1.0. A value of 1.0 is the baseline, not a percentage: 2.0 generally means twice the baseline and 0.5 means half. Because the game applies different rates to different actions, test a complete cycle rather than inferring every result from one harvest or tame.
Taming and harvesting examples
TamingSpeedMultiplier=5.0 is a commonly shown example and is intended to make taming five times faster than the baseline. HarvestAmountMultiplier=3.0 is another example, intended to produce three times as much material per strike. These are configuration examples, not measured guarantees for every creature, tool, server mode or mod.
[ServerSettings]
TamingSpeedMultiplier=5.0
HarvestAmountMultiplier=3.0Damage multipliers
Community settings expose separate controls for PlayerDamageMultiplier, DinoDamageMultiplier and StructureDamageMultiplier. They let you tune player attacks, creature attacks and damage to structures independently. Keep the three values documented together so that a later balance change does not accidentally make one category dramatically stronger than the others. A value above 1.0 increases the relevant damage category; a value below 1.0 reduces it, subject to the game’s other armor, resistance and mode rules.
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Publish the actual values you run, including whether they apply to a special event or a temporary test. Players otherwise cannot tell whether a fast tame is an intentional server rule, a weekend change or a mod effect. When you return a multiplier to 1.0, explain that it is the baseline rather than describing it as “zero boost.”
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Difficulty settings and conflicting defaults
DifficultyOffset and OverrideOfficialDifficulty are often used together, but community references do not agree on their defaults. Several current guides list DifficultyOffset with a default of 1.0 and OverrideOfficialDifficulty with a default of 0.0. An older walkthrough lists a default of 4 for DifficultyOffset. Because those values conflict, do not copy a “default” into documentation without checking the running build.
Community guides commonly state that OverrideOfficialDifficulty=5.0 produces the creature-level scale associated with official servers. That is a frequently used target, not a promise that every map, expansion or later build calculates levels identically. After changing difficulty, restart and inspect newly spawned creatures; existing spawns may retain their old levels until they are replaced.
[ServerSettings]
DifficultyOffset=1.0
OverrideOfficialDifficulty=5.0If the observed maximum creature levels do not match the intended scale, verify both keys, check for a launch profile that overwrites them and perform the map’s appropriate wild-creature respawn procedure. Record the old values before experimenting so you can restore the previous balance.
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Mods and automatic Workshop management
A 2026 community guide describes the -automanagedmods launch option as a way for a dedicated server to download, install and update Steam Workshop mods automatically. The guide specifies Steam-only operation. It does not make non-Steam clients or unrelated mod distribution systems compatible.
-automanagedmodsUse the option only in the launch configuration that actually starts your server. On the first run, allow time for downloads before judging the server as ready. Pin or document the mod IDs and versions you expect, because an automatic update can change gameplay without an INI edit. If startup loops after a mod update, remove the option temporarily, restore the last known working mod set and test one change at a time.
Why a setting appears not to work
The option is in the wrong file
Move server toggles, rates and capacity candidates to GameUserSettings.ini; move XP, engram and other game-mode rebalancing to Game.ini under the shootergamemode section. A command-line argument cannot substitute for a Game.ini rebalancing entry.
The section header or key is wrong
INI sections are exact. Compare [ServerSettings] and [/script/shootergame.shootergamemode] character by character, and check the capitalization of keys such as allowThirdPersonPlayer. Remove duplicate versions of the same key while testing.
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Stop and start the process after saving. If a control panel offers “restart,” use it rather than merely reconnecting a player. Confirm the file timestamp and inspect the startup log to ensure the intended configuration directory was loaded.
A launcher or host overwrote the value
Panels, startup scripts and command-line profiles can rewrite INI files or supply a competing argument. Compare the effective launch command with the file, then change the source that is applied last. This is especially important for MaxPlayers, whose INI placement is disputed by community reports.
The value is community-documented, not officially guaranteed
Names and defaults for the toggles, rates and difficulty keys above come from community guides and wiki discussions. They are useful starting points, but they are not verified authoritative documentation for every ARK version. Test on a password-protected instance first, record the result and only then copy the setting to a live world.
Quick Recap
A practical validation checklist
- Backups exist for both configuration files.
- Every key is under the section that owns it.
- Boolean values are explicitly
TrueorFalse. - Multipliers are written as decimals and documented for players.
MaxPlayerswas tested both in the documented GameSession section and, when necessary, as a launch parameter.- Difficulty changes were checked against newly spawned creatures.
- Mods finished installing before players joined.
- The server was restarted after the final edit.
- A real player verified camera, map, chat, combat, harvesting and taming behavior rather than relying only on a successful boot.
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