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How to Change the Max Tamed Dinos Limit on an ARK Server

Edit MaxTamedDinos under [ServerSettings] in GameUserSettings.ini, restart the ARK Survival Evolved server, and verify the loaded value. Defaults are disputed, and Ascended uses different, unresolved settings.
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On an ARK: Survival Evolved dedicated server, change the tame cap by editing GameUserSettings.ini. Add or modify MaxTamedDinos=your_value inside the [ServerSettings] section, save the file while the server is stopped, and restart the server. For example: MaxTamedDinos=9500.

The default is not reliably established: one community guide lists 4,000, while other community references cite 5,000 without a verifiable primary page. Check the configuration actually loaded by your server instead of assuming either number. ARK: Survival Ascended uses different, unresolved settings and should be handled separately.

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What this setting changes

MaxTamedDinos is the community configuration key used to raise or lower the tamed-dinosaur limit on an ARK: Survival Evolved server. Community configuration examples place it under [ServerSettings] in GameUserSettings.ini. The key is not consistently present in a newly generated file, so you may need to add it yourself.

Available evidence describes this as a server-wide cap, but it does not establish whether the number is calculated across every tribe together, per tribe, or by another internal scope. Do not promise players a specific per-tribe allowance unless your own server build and host documentation confirm that behavior.

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No official Studio Wildcard page confirming the key name, default, or calculation scope was identified. Treat the procedure below as the community configuration method for Survival Evolved and verify the result on the server you operate.

Survival Evolved and Survival Ascended are different cases

First identify which game your server is running. The instructions for ARK: Survival Evolved use MaxTamedDinos. Reports for ARK: Survival Ascended instead mention MaxPersonalTamedDinos, and those reports disagree about both the file and the section. A setting copied from an Evolved guide can therefore appear to do nothing on an Ascended server.

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Game Setting reported by community sources Reported location Confidence and caveat
ARK: Survival Evolved MaxTamedDinos [ServerSettings] in GameUserSettings.ini Community consensus; key and scope are not confirmed by an official source.
ARK: Survival Ascended MaxPersonalTamedDinos=250 One report says GameUserSettings.ini; another suggests Game.ini under [/script/shootergame.shootergamemode] Conflicting reports, including cases where the value had no effect.

If you are on Ascended, skip to the dedicated section later in this guide rather than applying the Evolved steps blindly.

Before editing the server

Changing an INI file is simple, but an incorrect path, a running server, or a hosting-panel override can make a valid edit appear broken. Complete these checks first:

  • Confirm that the server is running Survival Evolved if you intend to use MaxTamedDinos.
  • Make a backup copy of the current configuration file. Keep the original until the new value has been verified in-game.
  • Use the host’s stop control or stop the dedicated-server service cleanly. Do not edit a file while the server is writing its configuration.
  • Identify the exact instance, map, and profile that players use. Multi-instance hosts can have several similarly named GameUserSettings.ini files.
  • Check whether your host exposes an INI editor or a setting that regenerates configuration files at startup. A panel can overwrite a manual change.
  • Decide on a test value and record the old line, if one exists, so you can revert quickly.

Find the correct GameUserSettings.ini file

Linux dedicated servers

A commonly documented Linux path is:

/ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/GameUserSettings.ini

The leading directory depends on where your server installation is mounted. The important portion is ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/. If your host uses a control panel, open its file manager or configuration editor and locate the file inside the server’s saved configuration directory rather than editing a similarly named file elsewhere.

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Windows dedicated servers

Windows servers use a WindowsServer configuration folder instead of LinuxServer. The corresponding path follows the same structure:

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ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/GameUserSettings.ini

The exact drive and installation directory vary by administrator and host. Search within the active ARK server installation, then confirm that the file’s modification time changes when the running instance saves settings. If the host provides a documented path, use that path over a generic example.

Change MaxTamedDinos on an ARK: Survival Evolved server

  1. Stop the server. Use the hosting panel’s stop button or the normal service command. Wait until the process is fully offline before opening the file.
  2. Open the active file. Edit GameUserSettings.ini in the instance’s saved configuration directory. Make a backup before changing any text.
  3. Locate [ServerSettings]. Search for that exact section header. INI section headers use square brackets and must be on their own line.
  4. Find or add the key. If a line beginning with MaxTamedDinos= exists in that section, replace only its value. If it is absent, add one line beneath the section header or alongside the other server settings.
  5. Enter an integer value. The syntax is a key, an equals sign, and a number, with no quotation marks: MaxTamedDinos=9500. The number is an example from a community configuration, not an official recommendation or default.
  6. Save as plain text. Preserve the .ini extension and the file’s existing text format. Do not save an additional copy such as GameUserSettings.ini.txt.
  7. Start the server. Settings load during startup, so a restart is required after the edit. A live reconnect without a server restart will not prove that the new value was read.
  8. Verify the loaded configuration. After startup, inspect the active file or host console and check the server in-game. Keep the backup until the limit behaves as expected.

Example of the relevant section

[ServerSettings]
MaxTamedDinos=9500

Your section will normally contain many other settings. Do not delete unrelated lines just to add this key. If the file has more than one [ServerSettings] section or more than one MaxTamedDinos line, simplify it to one clearly placed entry before testing; duplicate entries make it difficult to know which value the server is reading.

Choosing a value without mistaking examples for defaults

The default value is disputed. A GameWalkthrough Universe guide lists 4,000, while other community references cite 5,000. The 5,000 figure was not accompanied by a verifiable page in the available evidence, so neither number should be presented as an established universal default.

Two other community values illustrate the range of configurations: a configuration gist shows 9500, and a Steam discussion shows 3700. Those are examples of values administrators have used. They are not official limits, recommended settings, or proof that every server starts at one of them.

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Figure Where it appears How to interpret it
4,000 GameWalkthrough Universe guide One guide’s stated default; not independently confirmed.
5,000 Other community references Frequently cited, but no verifiable page was available for confirmation.
9,500 Community configuration gist Example configured value, not a default.
3,700 Steam discussion Example configured value, not a default.

Because the default and scope are unresolved, the safest workflow is to read the file loaded by your own server, choose a value appropriate for your community, and test it with a controlled change. Do not infer the number of creatures allowed per tribe from the setting name alone.

How to confirm that the server accepted the change

A successful save is not the same as a successful load. Use several checks, in order, so you can distinguish a file problem from an in-game limit:

  1. After stopping the server, reopen the file and confirm that the intended line is still present in the active instance directory.
  2. Start the server and wait for a complete boot. Check whether the host panel rewrote the file or restored an older value.
  3. Reconnect with an administrator account and perform a small, controlled test rather than trying to fill the entire limit immediately.
  4. Compare the observed behavior with the value you entered. Record the game version, map, host, and exact file path if the result differs.
  5. Stop the server and inspect the file again. If the line disappeared or changed, an editor, startup routine, or host override is managing that setting.

This process is especially important because no official diagnostic page was identified for the key. A host’s panel may expose a tame-limit field that writes a different setting, and a server may load a different configuration directory from the one you edited.

Troubleshooting when the limit does not change

The line is in the wrong section

For Survival Evolved, place MaxTamedDinos under [ServerSettings] in GameUserSettings.ini. A line placed in Game.ini, under a different section, or outside any section may not be read as intended. Move it to the documented location, restart, and test again.

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You edited the wrong instance

Hosts often keep separate files for each server instance, map, or operating-system build. Compare the path with the instance selected in the control panel and check file timestamps after a clean stop. Editing a spare installation cannot affect the server your players join.

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The server was not fully stopped

If the process remains active, it can rewrite the file after you save it. Stop the process, wait for the service to exit, make the edit, and then start it again. Recheck the value after startup.

A host panel overwrote the manual edit

Some panels generate INI files from form fields or templates. If your value reverts, set the value in the panel’s server-settings editor when available, or disable the conflicting generated entry according to that host’s documentation. Keep only one authoritative value and verify the resulting file.

The syntax is malformed

Use the exact spelling MaxTamedDinos, an equals sign, and an integer. Avoid quotation marks, commas, comments on the same line, and accidental extensions such as .txt. Preserve the section header’s square brackets.

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You are actually running Ascended

Do not troubleshoot an Ascended server with the Evolved key. Ascended reports use a different key and conflicting file locations; follow the section below and your host’s current instructions.

The observed cap does not reveal the setting’s scope

Community descriptions call MaxTamedDinos server-wide, but they do not clearly establish whether all tribes share one pool. If one tribe reaches a limit while another does not, document the exact test and consult the host or current game-specific documentation instead of assuming the key is broken.

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What is known about ARK: Survival Ascended

Ascended should be treated as an unresolved case rather than a direct continuation of the Evolved procedure. A Steam thread reports MaxPersonalTamedDinos=250 in GameUserSettings.ini. A second thread suggests putting the same setting in Game.ini under:

[/script/shootergame.shootergamemode]

Those locations conflict, and neither report establishes an official configuration contract. There are also host-user reports in which the tame limit remained 100 despite both an INI value and a hosting-panel setting, followed by a report that the change still had no effect.

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If you administer Ascended:

  1. Confirm the game edition and server build in the host panel.
  2. Check the host’s current Ascended configuration documentation for the accepted key and file before editing.
  3. Back up both GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini if you are testing a documented change.
  4. Stop the server, make one controlled change, and restart it completely.
  5. Check whether the host panel rewrites the value and whether the in-game cap changes.
  6. If the cap remains unchanged, report the exact key, section, file, host, and build to the host rather than repeatedly copying Evolved settings.

Do not present 250 as an Ascended default. It is a value reported in a community thread, while other reports describe a 100 limit that did not respond to configuration changes.

Operational cautions for busy servers

Keep a rollback copy

Save the original file before editing and label the backup with the date and server instance. If startup fails or another setting is accidentally altered, restoring the known-good file is faster than reconstructing it from memory.

Change one variable at a time

Do not combine a tame-limit edit with unrelated map, breeding, or difficulty changes when diagnosing a problem. A single-variable change gives you a clear cause when the next restart behaves differently.

Record the effective configuration

Maintain a short administrator note containing the active path, game edition, value, date changed, and whether the host panel controls it. This prevents a later operator from editing a stale copy or treating an example value as the server’s default.

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Explain uncertainty to players

Because the default and tribe-wide scope are not officially settled in the available documentation, publish the actual configured value and the test conditions you observed. Avoid promising that the number represents a per-tribe allowance unless your server’s own rules and testing establish that.

Quick reference

  • Game: ARK: Survival Evolved.
  • File: GameUserSettings.ini.
  • Section: [ServerSettings].
  • Key: MaxTamedDinos.
  • Syntax: MaxTamedDinos=number.
  • Linux path example: /ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/GameUserSettings.ini.
  • Windows folder: WindowsServer in the same saved-configuration structure.
  • Required lifecycle: stop, edit, save, start, verify.
  • Default: disputed between community figures of 4,000 and 5,000; inspect your running configuration.
  • Ascended: separate, conflicting reports for MaxPersonalTamedDinos; verify with the host before making changes.

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