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Freedom251 › Blog › Ark

How to Ban Players on an ARK Server With the Ban List

By Freedom251 Team · · 9 min read

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For a dedicated ARK server, add BanListURL under [ServerSettings] in GameUserSettings.ini, then point it to a plain-text file of player IDs. On Linux, the file is normally under ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/; on Windows, use the WindowsServer configuration folder. ARK: Survival Evolved and ARK: Survival Ascended use different list URLs, so confirm the edition before saving the setting.

What the ARK ban-list setting does

BanListURL is a subscription-style server setting reported by multiple community guides. It tells the server to read a remotely hosted, plain-text list of player IDs and apply those entries as bans. Community reports say URL-based bans are added alongside bans made locally in the game, rather than replacing the local list.

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The setting is not the same as the local ban file. An in-game ban is normally specific to one server and is maintained locally. A URL list can be shared by several servers, but every server must be able to reach the address and interpret the file correctly.

No current Studio Wildcard documentation confirming the complete procedure was located. The instructions below reflect consistent community and server-admin guidance, so treat them as a practical method with medium confidence rather than a formally documented guarantee.

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Check your ARK edition before changing anything

Do not copy a ban-list address between the two current ARK dedicated-server editions. The hosts are different:

Edition List address What it is used for
ARK: Survival Evolved http://arkdedicated.com/banlist.txt The newer, commonly cited global list for Evolved. It is intended to cover accounts banned from official servers.
ARK: Survival Ascended cdn2.arkdedicated.com/asa/BanList.txt An Ascended-specific list address reported in a current server-template source. Do not use it for an Evolved installation.

Older forum posts refer to playark.com/banlist.txt. That address predates the newer Evolved host and should not be substituted automatically. If you are maintaining an older configuration, verify that the address still resolves before relying on it.

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Prepare the server and the list

  • Confirm the edition and installation. Identify whether the instance is Evolved or Ascended and whether it runs on Linux or Windows. A hosting panel may expose a file manager instead of a normal desktop path, but the underlying configuration still has to be the active server’s GameUserSettings.ini.
  • Stop the server before editing. Stopping it prevents a running process or panel from overwriting your changes when it shuts down.
  • Back up the configuration. Save a copy of GameUserSettings.ini and any existing local ban file so you can restore the previous state.
  • Collect the right player IDs. Ban lists are generally keyed to platform account IDs, such as Steam or Epic IDs, rather than a player’s display name. Names can change; record the ID you intend to block.
  • Make the remote file plain text. The list must be served as a text document at a URL the server can reach. Do not publish an HTML page, a login-protected document, or a file that requires a browser session.

Configure BanListURL step by step

  1. Open the active configuration folder. For a Linux server, navigate to ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/. For a Windows server, use the corresponding WindowsServer folder. The exact parent directory depends on where you installed or where your host placed the server.
  2. Open GameUserSettings.ini. Use a plain-text editor. Avoid a word processor that can add formatting or change line endings.
  3. Find the [ServerSettings] section. If the section is already present, add the setting on its own line within that section. Many default files do not include this option, so adding it manually is normal.
  4. Add the setting with the correct case. For Evolved, the line is:
BanListURL=http://arkdedicated.com/banlist.txt

For Ascended, use the Ascended address instead:

BanListURL=cdn2.arkdedicated.com/asa/BanList.txt
  1. Save the file without changing the section name. Do not put the line above [ServerSettings], inside another section, or under a misspelled key. Keep one setting per line and remove accidental quotation marks.
  2. Restart the server. A restart is the safest way to make the dedicated server reread the INI file and fetch the list. If a control panel generates configuration files, restart from that panel after saving the change.
  3. Test with a controlled entry. After the server is back online, check the server log or connection behavior using an account you are authorized to test. Never test by placing an unrelated player’s ID on a live server without a legitimate administrative reason.

Build and maintain a custom community list

A custom list is useful when several servers in one community must enforce the same ban decisions. Host the file at a stable HTTPS or HTTP address that does not require authentication, and publish only the IDs that should be rejected. Keep the document as plain text rather than adding headings, HTML, comments, or explanatory prose that the server might parse as an ID.

Administrators commonly keep one ID per line and maintain a separate administrative record containing the decision details. The record can include:

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Field Why it matters
Platform ID The value the server uses to identify the account.
Current and previous names Helps staff recognize an account after a display-name change.
Date and administrator Creates an audit trail for the decision.
Reason and evidence Supports appeals and consistent moderation.
Review date or duration Prevents a temporary sanction from becoming permanent by accident.

When you remove an entry, edit the hosted text file and restart affected servers if they do not recognize the change while running. The available guidance does not establish a universal polling interval, so do not assume that a remote edit is applied immediately.

Local bans and URL bans are different tools

Characteristic Local in-game ban BanListURL list
Where it is maintained On the individual server, through the game’s ban controls. In a plain-text file hosted at a reachable URL.
Best use Quick action against a player currently online. Sharing a common policy across multiple servers or applying a prepared set of IDs.
Player availability Most practical when the player is present and can be identified in game. Can use a known ID even when the player is not currently connected.
Scope Normally limited to that server’s local data. Any configured server that reads the same list.
Failure points Wrong local file, lost server data, or an administrator banning the wrong account. Wrong edition URL, malformed text, unreachable host, or an inactive configuration file.

A forum report places the local file named BanList.txt under the server’s Binaries folder. The exact parent path varies by installation, so use the file created by your own server rather than copying a path from a different host.

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How to ban an online or offline player

When the player is online

Use the server’s normal in-game administrative ban control when the player is connected. This writes to the server’s local ban data and is the quickest route when you can identify the correct account in the game. If you also want the sanction shared with other servers, add the account ID to your managed URL list separately; a local action does not automatically publish your community list.

When the player is offline

Offline bans are harder because the game interface may not present the player for selection. Community discussions report using RCON or looking up the account ID externally, but those workarounds were not confirmed against a current official procedure. Use only an RCON command syntax documented for your exact server build and panel; do not guess a command from a different ARK edition. Once the correct ID is established, the URL list provides a way to enforce the decision without waiting for the account to reconnect.

Troubleshoot a list that is not working

The setting appears to do nothing

  • Confirm that the line is inside [ServerSettings] in the active GameUserSettings.ini, not a similarly named backup or template file.
  • Check the spelling and capitalization: BanListURL has no spaces in the key.
  • Stop and restart the server after saving. A panel may require a full restart rather than a map reload.
  • Open the list address from another machine and confirm it returns text instead of a login page, redirect loop, or error document.

The wrong players are still able to connect

  • Verify that the list contains the account’s platform ID, not a character name, tribe name, or an ID from another platform.
  • Check for extra spaces, punctuation, HTML markup, or copied quotation marks in the text file.
  • Make sure the server is using the URL for its edition. An Evolved server and an Ascended server do not share the same published address.
  • Confirm that you edited the configuration for the live instance. Multi-map installations and hosting panels can expose several configuration directories.

The list worked once but not after a change

  • Restart the server after modifying the remote file; no common refresh interval is established by the available documentation.
  • Check whether the host or CDN is serving an old cached response. Test the URL from the server’s network if your provider offers shell or log access.
  • Review the server log for URL, DNS, TLS, or permission errors. A list that works in your desktop browser may still be unreachable from the server machine.

A server update removed the setting

Keep a copy of the intended line and recheck GameUserSettings.ini after updates, migrations, or panel reinstalls. Some management systems regenerate INI files from templates. If the line disappears, add it again under [ServerSettings], save a backup, and restart.

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Multi-map servers and hosted control panels

A cluster or multi-map setup can have more than one active configuration and more than one running process. Apply the setting to every server that should enforce the policy, and make sure each instance points to the same custom list if that is your goal. Community posts have discussed whether URL-list changes propagate across maps before a restart, but that behavior is not established consistently. Restart all affected instances when you need a predictable result.

With a hosting panel, the file may be edited through an INI editor rather than a visible filesystem. Look for an advanced or server-settings area that writes to GameUserSettings.ini; if the panel hides custom keys, use its file manager or ask the host how to preserve an unlisted setting. The important checks remain the same: correct section, correct edition URL, reachable plain text, and a completed restart.

Security and moderation practices

  • Control list ownership. Anyone who can edit the hosted file can affect every server subscribed to it. Restrict write access and use a change log.
  • Protect the delivery path. Serve the document from a stable address and monitor for unexpected content changes. Do not expose administrative credentials in the URL.
  • Use IDs carefully. A typo can block the wrong account, while a name-only record can lead to an incorrect ID later.
  • Separate evidence from the feed. Keep reasons, screenshots, appeal notes, and expiration dates in an administrator-only record; keep the published file limited to the values the server must read.
  • Review temporary bans. If a sanction expires, remove the ID from the list and confirm that the change has reached every subscribed server.

Practical deployment checklist

  1. Identify Evolved or Ascended and the active Linux or Windows instance.
  2. Stop the server and back up its configuration and local ban data.
  3. Open the active GameUserSettings.ini.
  4. Place BanListURL under [ServerSettings].
  5. Use the Evolved or Ascended URL that matches the installation.
  6. Publish a reachable plain-text list containing the intended account IDs.
  7. Save, restart, and verify the result with an authorized test.
  8. Record who made the decision, why, when it should be reviewed, and which servers received it.

What to expect from this method

The URL list is best understood as a shared input to the server’s ban checks, not as a complete moderation system. It can complement local in-game bans and help enforce a known set of account IDs across several servers. It does not by itself solve identity mistakes, offline-player identification, inaccessible hosting files, or disagreements about moderation policy.

The newer Evolved address is the commonly cited choice for Survival Evolved, while Ascended has its own address. Because the procedure is community-sourced and list hosts can change, verify that the selected URL currently returns the intended text before putting it into production.

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Arkban listBanListURLDedicated ServersGameUserSettings.iniserver administration

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