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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchIf your ARK server remains in PvE, stop the server, edit the active GameUserSettings.ini, put serverPVE=False in the [ServerSettings] section, save the file, and restart the server. The setting is counterintuitive: serverPVE=True enables PvE, so False is the value that enables PvP. Only the server administrator can change the game mode.
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The direct fix
- Shut down the dedicated server completely. Do not edit the file while the process is still running.
- Open the active
GameUserSettings.inifor that server instance. - Find the
[ServerSettings]heading. If it is missing, create it on its own line. - Under that heading, add or change the setting to:
serverPVE=False - Save the file while the server is stopped.
- Start the server again, wait for it to finish loading, and reconnect to test the mode.
Do not place the line in Game.ini, outside the [ServerSettings] section, or in an unrelated local copy of the file. ARK reads the value from the configuration used by the running server process.
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Why an apparently correct change does not work
You edited the wrong path
ARK installations can contain several configuration directories. A file with the right name is not necessarily the file your server loads. For a self-hosted dedicated server, use the path that matches the operating system:
| Server platform | Expected active file | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | ShooterGameSavedConfigWindowsServerGameUserSettings.ini |
Confirm that this is the directory belonging to the instance you actually start. |
| Linux | ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/GameUserSettings.ini |
Check the LinuxServer directory rather than a WindowsServer or client configuration directory. |
If you operate more than one map or instance, each instance can have its own saved configuration. Editing a neighboring installation or a backup leaves the live server unchanged.
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- 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
The value is in the wrong section
serverPVE is a server setting and belongs under [ServerSettings] in GameUserSettings.ini. A correctly spelled line in another section will not reliably change the game mode. Keep the heading and the setting in the same file, with the heading on a separate line.
The server was still running when you edited
ARK can write its configuration back to disk during operation. Documentation warns that edits made while the game is running can be removed. A panel may also regenerate the file when it stops or starts the instance. Always stop the server first, wait until the process is fully offline, then edit and save.
You saved the file but did not restart
The game-mode parameter is loaded when the server starts. Saving the file does not switch an already-running session. Perform a complete stop and start, not merely a player reconnect or a browser refresh of the control panel.
A hosting panel overwrote the file
On a rented server, the provider’s control panel may be the authoritative configuration. A local download can be overwritten on the next deployment, and direct filesystem edits may not be exposed at all. Use the panel’s active Configuration Files, Expert Settings, or equivalent interface, then apply the change and restart from that same panel. A hosting guide from Host Havoc documents this panel-based workflow, but labels differ between providers.
The server edition is different from the guide you followed
Confirm whether the instance runs ARK: Survival Evolved or ARK: Survival Ascended. Configuration names, directory layouts, and panel controls can differ between editions. Do not assume that an INI example or menu path written for one edition applies unchanged to the other.
Choose the correct fix path
Four facts determine whether the change persists: the operating system, how the server is deployed, which file has authority, and whether the server is stopped before the edit.
| Situation | Where to change the setting | Authority to trust | Required restart |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows, self-hosted | ShooterGameSavedConfigWindowsServerGameUserSettings.ini |
The file used by the running dedicated-server instance | Stop before saving; start afterward |
| Linux, self-hosted | ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/GameUserSettings.ini |
The file used by the running Linux instance | Stop before saving; start afterward |
| Rented server with a control panel | The panel’s active Configuration Files or Expert Settings area | The provider’s generated configuration | Apply or save in the panel, then restart there |
| Multiple installations or maps | The configuration associated with the instance you launch | The live instance’s file or panel profile | Restart that specific instance |
If you cannot identify the authoritative location, changing a second copy will not help. First identify the exact instance, edition, and deployment method; then make one change in the location that controls it.
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Self-hosted Windows: complete procedure
1. Stop the dedicated server
Use the normal shutdown control for the server process and wait until it has exited. If you launch it from a service manager or script, stop that service rather than only closing a player window. The file should no longer be receiving writes.
2. Open the WindowsServer configuration
Browse to ShooterGameSavedConfigWindowsServerGameUserSettings.ini inside the server installation. If Windows shows several ARK folders, use the one referenced by the shortcut, service, or launch script that starts this server. Opening a client-side GameUserSettings.ini will not alter a dedicated server.
3. Locate or create the section
Search for [ServerSettings]. Keep the spelling and brackets exactly as shown. If the heading does not exist, add it at the end of the file, followed by the setting on the next line. If serverPVE already exists under that heading, change its value rather than leaving competing entries in different parts of the file.
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Save the file as an INI file, not as a text document with an extra extension. Preserve the existing encoding and line structure where possible. A successful save should leave the setting in the same file you opened, under [ServerSettings].
5. Start and test
Start the same dedicated-server instance you stopped. Wait for the startup process to complete, then reconnect. If the server still behaves as PvE, stop it again before inspecting the file: verify that the line remains, that you edited the WindowsServer path for this instance, and that no service or startup script copies a different configuration over it.
Self-hosted Linux: complete procedure
1. Stop the Linux instance cleanly
Use the service manager, launch script, or terminal session that controls the dedicated server. Confirm that the process is offline before editing; otherwise ARK can write the previous value back to disk.
2. Edit the LinuxServer file
Open ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/GameUserSettings.ini. The forward-slash path is different from the Windows path. If your host contains both directories, use LinuxServer for a Linux dedicated server.
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- 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
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3. Set the server value
Under [ServerSettings], add or change serverPVE=False. Save the file with the account and permissions used by the server installation. If the editor reports a read-only file or permission error, the change was not applied; correct access while the server is stopped and save again.
4. Restart the same service
Start the exact service or script that owns the edited directory. Reconnect only after startup has completed. Testing a different map or service can make a correct edit appear ineffective because that process reads another configuration.
Rented servers and control panels
Use the panel that deploys the instance
Sign in to the provider’s game-server panel and open the area named Configuration Files, Expert Settings, or a similar advanced configuration editor. Locate the ARK server settings, set the PvE flag to its PvP value (False), and use the panel’s save, apply, or restart control. The exact labels are provider-specific.
Do not rely on a downloaded copy
Some panels generate INI files from stored settings. A file downloaded to your computer may be only a snapshot; uploading it to the wrong location or editing it without applying the panel profile can have no effect. After saving, reopen the active panel configuration and confirm that the value is still present before restarting.
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A reverting value usually means the panel profile, startup template, or an automated deployment step is authoritative. Stop the server, change the value in the provider’s active configuration interface, apply it, and restart from that interface. If the panel offers both a basic mode selector and raw INI fields, use the control that actually writes the server profile rather than changing an inactive text box.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to verify that PvP is actually active
Reconnect after the restart
Players who were connected before the restart can retain an old session state. Disconnect and reconnect after the server has fully started. Test with a controlled interaction rather than assuming that a saved file changed a live process.
Check administrator authority
The ARK Official Community Wiki states: “The current Ark game mode can only be changed by the server admin.” A regular player cannot switch the mode from inside the game. If you are not the administrator, ask the person or provider controlling the server to make the change.
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
Test the correct instance
Verify the server name, map, edition, and provider instance you joined. A successful edit on one server does not alter another server using a separate configuration. This check is especially important when several maps or test instances run on the same machine.
Diagnostic checklist when PvE persists
| What you observe | Most likely explanation | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| The line disappears after startup | The server was running during the edit, or an automated panel rewrote the file. | Stop completely, edit the authoritative file or panel profile, save, and restart. |
| The line remains, but gameplay is still PvE | The wrong instance, edition, section, or configuration path was used. | Confirm the active server, use the matching WindowsServer or LinuxServer path, and place the value under [ServerSettings]. |
| A rented server ignores a manually edited file | The provider panel is the source of truth. | Change the value in Configuration Files or Expert Settings and apply the provider’s restart. |
| Players report no change immediately | The server has not been restarted or clients are still connected to the old session. | Complete a stop/start cycle and have players reconnect. |
| You cannot find the expected directory | The edition or operating system differs from the instructions. | Identify ARK: Survival Evolved versus ARK: Survival Ascended and the host platform before editing. |
Settings that are easy to confuse
True means PvE
The name serverPVE often causes the mistake. The official configuration reference defines serverPVE=True as disabling PvP and enabling PvE. Therefore, the PvP setting is False. Do not infer the behavior from the variable name; use the documented value.
GameUserSettings.ini is not interchangeable with every ARK configuration file
The relevant setting is specifically in GameUserSettings.ini under [ServerSettings]. Editing a different INI file, a client profile, or a backup cannot change the dedicated server’s mode.
Changing mode is an administrative operation
Because the game mode is server-wide, only the administrator or hosting account with control of the server configuration can change it. Player-side settings, local launch options, and reconnecting cannot override the server’s value.
What to confirm before switching an established world
Changing the mode requires a server restart, which interrupts everyone online. Schedule the stop, notify players, and make a backup of the active configuration before editing. The available documentation does not establish that every world object, tribe state, or other gameplay data is preserved identically across all editions and hosts after a mode change, so do not promise that outcome to players. Treat the restart and the mode transition as an administrative change that should be tested on the actual instance.
A practical decision sequence
- Identify the edition: determine whether the server is running Survival Evolved or Survival Ascended.
- Identify deployment: choose self-hosted file editing or the rented provider’s panel.
- Identify the platform: use the WindowsServer path for Windows and LinuxServer for Linux.
- Stop first: wait for the dedicated-server process to exit.
- Edit the authority: in
GameUserSettings.ini, under[ServerSettings], set the PvP value toFalse. - Restart and reconnect: start the same instance and have players join a fresh session.
- Escalate only after these checks: if the value still reverts, the provider’s panel or an automated startup configuration is overriding the file.
Following that sequence resolves the common causes without changing unrelated ARK settings: wrong file, wrong section, live editing, missing restart, panel overwrite, and edition mismatch.
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