ARK: Survival Ascended uses two configuration files for almost everything a dedicated server administrator changes. GameUserSettings.ini contains session, access, rates and many PvE controls under [ServerSettings]. Game.ini contains deeper game-mode overrides, including engrams, creature balance, breeding, imprinting and item crafting, under [/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameMode]. Stop the server before editing either file, save a backup, then restart it so the new values can load.
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Which ARK: Survival Ascended file controls a setting?
Start by identifying the scope of the change. Settings that affect the server as a session, its access controls or broad progression rates normally belong in GameUserSettings.ini. Per-engram, per-creature and other game-mode overrides belong in Game.ini. A correctly spelled setting in the wrong file or section can appear to do nothing.
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| File | Section normally used | Typical controls | Scope and risk |
|---|---|---|---|
GameUserSettings.ini |
[ServerSettings] |
Server name, passwords, experience, taming and harvesting rates, PvE mode, food and water drain, tame cap | Broad, server-wide behaviour. Usually suitable for tuning an existing world, provided you back up first. |
Game.ini |
[/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameMode] |
Engram unlocks, stat multipliers, creature spawn balancing, breeding and imprinting, item-crafting overrides | Deep game-mode changes. A malformed or missing file can prevent an override from loading; some changes may affect the balance of an established save. |
On a typical Windows dedicated server, the files are under ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/. The exact parent folder depends on how the server was installed, but the final Saved/Config/WindowsServer portion is the useful locator.
Prepare the server before changing an INI file
- Stop the server cleanly. Do not edit while the process is running. A shutdown can write the current configuration back to disk and overwrite your manual change.
- Make dated backups. Copy both INI files and the save folder before the first change. Keep the original copy outside the live configuration directory.
- Confirm the platform folder. For a Windows dedicated server, open
ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/. A Linux or provider-managed installation can use a different directory and may expose the same files through a control panel. - Check whether the file exists. If the server has not generated
Game.ini, create it only after confirming the expected location and section. A Steam community report says an absent, server-generatedGame.inican be ignored by some setups; current builds may not behave like older 2023 examples. - Edit plain text only. Preserve section headers, one key-value pair per line and the equals sign. Do not paste Markdown, smart quotes or formatting from a rich-text editor.
- Save, start, and test. Restart the server after every small group of related changes. Testing one group at a time makes a wrong section or unsupported key much easier to find.
GameUserSettings.ini: session, access and broad rates
Server name and passwords
These entries determine how players find and enter the session:
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SessionNamecontrols the name shown in the server browser.ServerPasswordis the password required to join when one is configured.ServerAdminPasswordauthenticates administrative commands. Treat it as a secret separate from the ordinary join password.
Keep each value on one line. If a name contains punctuation or spaces, check how your hosting panel writes it before adding quotation marks; inconsistent quoting is a common reason for a value to be read differently than intended.
Experience, taming and harvesting
Under [ServerSettings], the commonly used rate keys are:
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XPMultiplierchanges experience gain.TamingSpeedMultiplierchanges the speed of taming.HarvestAmountMultiplierchanges the amount gathered from a harvest action.
These are multipliers, so the decimal you choose is relative to the server’s baseline rather than a fixed number of items or minutes. Record the value and the date in your administrator notes; otherwise a later change can be mistaken for a game update or a player exploit.
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PvE and survival pacing
ServerPVE=True disables player-versus-player damage and raiding for a PvE session. It changes the server’s ruleset, not merely a user interface preference, so make this decision before inviting players who expect PvP.
Food and water drain multipliers control how quickly those needs fall. Lower values slow hunger and thirst; higher values accelerate them. Test the result with a new survivor before applying a dramatic change to an established community, because a setting that feels comfortable during a short test can make long expeditions unusually forgiving or punishing.
Maximum tamed creatures
MaxTamedDinos is the server-wide limit on tamed creatures. It is not a per-player allowance. Raising it can increase the number of actors the save must track, while lowering it can leave players unable to tame even when they have space in their bases. Announce a new cap before enforcing it so existing tribes can plan their stables.
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Difficulty and maximum player count: handle conflicting guides carefully
Wild-level difficulty
One commonly circulated configuration pairs DifficultyOffset=1.0 with OverrideOfficialDifficulty=5.0. That guide describes the maximum wild level as 30 times the override value, or 150. This relationship and the key behaviour should be treated as provisional until confirmed against the current ARK Community Wiki and your server build. Do not assume that a value copied from an older guide produces the same level distribution after an update.
After changing difficulty, verify the result in-game with a fresh creature spawn or the server’s normal creature-refresh procedure. Existing creatures do not necessarily change level simply because the configuration changed.
Maximum players
Documentation disagrees on how to set the player ceiling. Some guides say the maximum is not read from an INI file and must be supplied with the -WinLiveMaxPlayers launch parameter. Others show MaxPlayers under [/Script/Engine.GameSession]. Treat these as two competing methods rather than stacking both blindly.
First check your host’s launch command and control panel. If it already supplies -WinLiveMaxPlayers, change the value there and remove conflicting panel overrides. If your build exposes MaxPlayers in GameUserSettings.ini under [/Script/Engine.GameSession], test that method on a private restart. Confirm the effective limit by attempting to fill the session; a browser display alone is not proof that the server accepted the value.
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Use Game.ini for changes that need the ShooterGame mode rather than a simple server-wide rate. The relevant section is normally [/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameMode]. This is where administrators place engram unlock rules, player and creature stat multipliers, spawn balancing, breeding and imprinting adjustments, and item-crafting changes.
Unlike a session name or harvest rate, these overrides can change how characters, creatures and recipes are created. Keep a separate, commented change log and introduce one category at a time. If the server starts but the change is absent, inspect the section header and spelling before changing the value again.
When Game.ini appears to be ignored
- Stop the server and check that the file is in the live server’s
Saved/Config/WindowsServerdirectory, not a client installation. - Confirm the file is named exactly
Game.ini, notGame.ini.txt. - Ensure the override is below
[/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameMode]. - Start the server, stop it again, and inspect whether the host rewrote or removed the entry.
- Check the startup log or host panel for configuration errors, then test with one simple override before restoring a large file.
A Steam community report specifically notes that some servers ignore Game.ini when the server has not generated its own file. It also warns that tame-limit fixes circulated in 2023 may not apply to current builds, so an old workaround is not evidence that the present version supports it.
A repeatable editing workflow
- Write down the goal. For example: “slower thirst,” “faster taming,” or “deeper breeding override.” This determines the file and section before you touch a value.
- Locate the live files. Open
ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/on the machine actually running the dedicated server. - Choose the file from the scope. Use
GameUserSettings.inifor session, access and broad rates; useGame.inifor game-mode overrides. - Find or create the section. Put broad settings under
[ServerSettings]. Put deep overrides under[/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameMode]. Put a testedMaxPlayersentry, if your build supports it, under[/Script/Engine.GameSession]. - Add one key per line. Use the exact capitalization and spelling shown by your current documentation. Keep a backup copy before replacing an existing line.
- Save and restart. A live process will not reliably reread these files, and shutdown writes can undo an online edit.
- Verify in the game. Check the browser name and password behaviour, perform a controlled harvest or tame test, and confirm PvE/PvP rules with two test accounts when possible.
- Document the outcome. Record the value, build date, file, section and observed result. If an update invalidates a key, this log tells you exactly what to revisit.
Settings reference and decision guide
| What you want to change | First place to check | What to verify after restart | Common failure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Browser name | GameUserSettings.ini, [ServerSettings], SessionName |
The new name appears in the server list | Editing a client copy or a panel-generated file instead of the live file |
| Join or admin access | ServerPassword and ServerAdminPassword |
A test join and an admin authentication attempt | Confusing the join password with the admin password |
| XP, taming or harvest speed | XPMultiplier, TamingSpeedMultiplier, HarvestAmountMultiplier |
A controlled action using a new test character or resource node | Key placed outside [ServerSettings] or overwritten at shutdown |
| PvE rules or survival pacing | ServerPVE, food and water drain multipliers |
Damage rules and drain over a measured interval | Assuming lower drain multipliers make needs faster rather than slower |
| Deep creature, breeding or engram behaviour | Game.ini, [/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameMode] |
A fresh test creature, imprint or engram unlock | Missing generated file, wrong section or an obsolete 2023 workaround |
| Player ceiling | Launch parameter -WinLiveMaxPlayers or, on some builds, MaxPlayers under [/Script/Engine.GameSession] |
Actual connection capacity, not only the browser listing | Conflicting launch, panel and INI values |
Troubleshooting a setting that does nothing
The value disappears after restart
The server may have been running when you edited it, or a control panel may regenerate the file. Stop the process, restore the backup, apply the change offline and inspect the file after a full stop-start cycle. If the panel owns the configuration, make the change in its editor instead of fighting its generated file.
The file loads but the behaviour is unchanged
Check the file, section and exact key first. A rate in Game.ini will not be read as a [ServerSettings] value, and a game-mode override will not work merely because it is present somewhere in GameUserSettings.ini. Then test with a new character, creature or resource action; existing entities may retain values created under an earlier configuration.
The server fails to start
Remove the last group of edits and start from the known-good backup. Re-add entries one at a time, preserving section headers and plain-text syntax. This isolates a malformed line without sacrificing the save itself. Never delete the world save as a first troubleshooting step.
An old guide gives a different result
Check its publication date and build assumptions. The maximum-player method is disputed, and 2023 tame-limit fixes are specifically reported as potentially obsolete. Current behaviour should be confirmed against the present ARK Community Wiki and your server’s own startup output before adopting a workaround.
Operational checklist for a stable configuration
- Keep
GameUserSettings.iniandGame.inibackups with dates. - Use one authoritative copy of each file; do not alternate between a host panel and manual edits without checking which one wins.
- Change one setting family at a time and test on a password-protected session.
- Separate the join password from the administrator password and rotate both when staff access changes.
- Record every non-default multiplier and the reason for it.
- Recheck difficulty, player-limit and tame-limit workarounds after server updates.
- Warn players before changing PvE rules, tame capacity or progression rates.
The practical rule is simple: identify the setting’s scope, place the exact key in the file and section that owns that scope, stop the server before saving, restart, and verify the result in-game. When documentation conflicts, trust the effective launch command and a controlled test on the current build rather than an undated snippet.
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