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To disable BattlEye on an ARK: Survival Evolved dedicated server, add the launch argument -NoBattlEye to the server startup command, after the map and any quoted options. It is a command-line switch, not a Game.ini or GameUserSettings.ini setting.
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Stop the server before editing its command line, start it again, and inspect the console or log. If the startup output still reports BattlEye initialization, the running process did not receive the argument.
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The exact change
The supported method described by the ARK Official Community Wiki and LinuxGSM documentation is the -NoBattlEye launch parameter. Put it on the command that starts ShooterGameServer. A representative Windows command is:
"ShooterGameServer.exe" TheIsland?listen -NoBattlEyeTheIsland?listen is the map and option portion in this example. Keep your server’s existing map, session, port, and gameplay options, then add -NoBattlEye at the end. The important details are the leading hyphen, the spelling and capitalization, and placing the flag outside any quoted map/options string.
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LinuxGSM lists the same switch as a common ARK parameter and notes that command-line parameters take precedence over configuration files. Consequently, adding a BattlEye value to an ini file is not an alternative way to disable the service.
What disabling BattlEye does
BattlEye is the anti-cheat component used by ARK servers. With -NoBattlEye present when the dedicated-server process starts, the server is instructed to run without BattlEye. The switch does not alter your map, mods, save, player data, or other gameplay settings; it changes how the server process is launched.
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Before you change the server
- Identify the edition. This procedure concerns ARK: Survival Evolved dedicated servers. ARK: Survival Ascended has separate documentation and launch behavior; do not assume that a guide for one edition applies unchanged to the other.
- Record the current launch command. Save a copy of the startup script, service definition, panel command line, or wrapper configuration before editing it. A community suggestion is to copy the command line shown in a ShooterGame backup log, then append the switch to that copy.
- Schedule a full stop. Do not edit while the server is still running. Stop it cleanly so that the next launch uses the new command and the current save is flushed.
- Tell players what will happen. A restart is required. On a public server, disabling anti-cheat can change who is willing or able to join and can increase the chance of abusive play.
- Know how to undo it. Re-enabling BattlEye is simply removing
-NoBattlEyeor clearing the equivalent panel option, followed by another restart.
Self-hosted Windows server
Use these steps when you start the dedicated server directly with a batch file, shortcut, Windows service, or another local launcher.
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- Stop the server. Use the normal shutdown command or close the dedicated-server process after it has saved.
- Find the real startup entry. Open the batch file, shortcut properties, service definition, or scheduled task that starts
ShooterGameServer.exe. Editing an unused example script will have no effect. - Locate the map/options portion. ARK commonly has the map followed by options such as
?listen. Preserve every existing option and its order unless you have a separate reason to change it. - Append the switch. Add a space followed by
-NoBattlEyeafter the map/options portion. If the map and its options are inside quotation marks, put the switch after the closing quotation mark. Do not insert it into the quoted text. - Save the launcher and check for overrides. A service wrapper or control panel may replace the command line at startup. If more than one launcher exists, make the edit in the one that is actually used.
- Start the server and watch the first lines. Keep the console visible during startup. The verification step below is more reliable than assuming the file saved correctly.
Some ARK command syntaxes separate map options with question marks and separate standalone switches with a space and hyphen-minus. Follow the syntax already used by your launcher. The ARK Official Community Wiki’s Windows example has been reported with a typo that uses =AllowThirdPersonPlayer; that option should use the question-mark form, ?AllowThirdPersonPlayer, when it is part of a map-options string. This typo is unrelated to BattlEye but illustrates why copying a malformed line can prevent a server from starting as intended.
Linux and LinuxGSM servers
On Linux, the principle is identical: add -NoBattlEye to the argument list used to launch the ARK server executable. LinuxGSM’s ARK: Survival Evolved documentation identifies it as a common parameter and explains that command-line values override configuration-file values.
- Stop the instance through the same manager that starts it. If LinuxGSM controls the process, stop it in LinuxGSM rather than killing an unrelated shell process.
- Open the instance’s launch-parameter configuration. Use the parameter field or startup script supplied by your manager. Keep the existing map and server options intact.
- Add the switch as a separate argument. Place a space before
-NoBattlEye; do not join it to the map name or hide it inside a quoted argument. - Save, start, and monitor the console. Confirm that the process launched by the manager contains the new argument, not merely a discarded copy in another file.
If you maintain a custom shell script, inspect the final command after variable expansion. A variable can look correct in the script while an empty value, mismatched quote, or later replacement removes the flag from the command that is executed.
Hosting-panel procedure
Panel labels differ, but a hosting guide documents the following flow:
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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
- Explore the Island: Solve the mystery of The ARK as you explore this massive island, discovering Explorer's Notebooks (filled with clues!) throughout. Make your way to the final boss and figure out why you've been dropped into this Jurassic-era experience
- Stop the ARK server from the panel.
- Open Commandline Manager or the panel’s equivalent startup-command editor.
- Enable the checkbox labelled Disable Battleye (the panel may spell the product name “Battleye” even though “BattlEye” is the usual branding).
- Save or apply the command-line profile.
- Start the server and inspect its console output.
A checkbox is only a user-interface shortcut for adding the launch argument. If the panel also offers a free-form command-line field, check that the resulting command contains -NoBattlEye exactly once and that a later profile or template is not overwriting it.
Placement and quoting rules
Keep the flag outside the quoted map string
Older Steam community advice from 2016 reported that putting a dash-prefixed flag inside the quoted map string could fail. The working form described there placed -crossplay -NoBattlEye after the closing quote. That report is dated, but it matches the safer general rule: map and URL-style options belong in the map/options argument; standalone switches belong after that argument.
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Use the separator your launcher expects
ARK examples use either question marks within the map/options expression or a space followed by a hyphen-minus for independent command-line switches. Do not replace every separator indiscriminately. Preserve the existing syntax, and add the BattlEye switch as its own space-separated argument at the end.
Do not turn it into an ini setting
No BattlEye-specific ini key was identified in the available ARK server-configuration material. GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini contain many other server settings, but adding a guessed key such as a “disable BattlEye” value will not substitute for the launch argument.
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- 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
How to verify that BattlEye is disabled
- Perform a complete restart. A command-line change cannot affect a process that was already running.
- Read the startup console or log. Look at the earliest initialization messages, when the server reports which services and parameters it is loading.
- Check for the BattlEye warning or initialization message. If that message still appears, treat the flag as unapplied rather than assuming the service is disabled.
- Inspect the effective command line. Confirm that the process or panel profile actually includes
-NoBattlEye. This catches edits made to the wrong script or an override applied by a wrapper. - Test with the normal client connection method. Use the same address and query method your players normally use, and record the restart time so you can correlate any connection issue with the change.
Third-party guidance for ARK: Survival Ascended says launch flags are separated by single spaces and appear at the top of that server’s console. That observation is useful as a general diagnostic idea, but it is not an official ARK: Survival Evolved guarantee. For Evolved, the decisive check is whether the running server log still reports BattlEye initialization.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshooting when the flag appears not to work
The console still reports BattlEye initialization
- Stop the server again and inspect the exact command used by the running service, not just the file you intended to edit.
- Check for a missing hyphen, a spelling error, or a flag placed inside quotation marks.
- Look for a panel template, startup profile, scheduled task, or wrapper script that rebuilds the command line and removes your addition.
- Make sure you restarted the dedicated-server process rather than reconnecting to an old process.
- If you use multiple instances, verify that you changed the instance serving the address and port you tested.
A 2016 Steam discussion described a server that still showed “BattlEye Anti-Cheat Protection” after the operator tried the flag. That report is old and may reflect behavior before later patches, but it is a reminder to verify the effective command and the current log rather than relying on a single historical forum post.
The server will not start after editing
- Restore the saved original command to confirm that the edit, rather than another change, caused the failure.
- Re-add only
-NoBattlEye, separated from the map/options argument by a space. - Check quotation marks and the question-mark separators in the map/options portion.
- Remove accidental smart punctuation or an em dash introduced by a rich-text editor; the argument requires an ordinary ASCII hyphen-minus.
The panel shows the option, but the log does not change
Some panels maintain separate saved profiles for different maps or instances. Apply the change to the profile that is selected for the server you start, then stop and start the instance from that same panel. If the panel exposes the generated command line, compare it with the command shown in your server log.
You cannot find a BattlEye setting in the ini files
That is expected. The documented control is the launch argument. Do not create a new ini key based on a similarly named gameplay setting; remove the guessed key and edit the startup command instead.
Re-enabling BattlEye
To return to the default protected launch, stop the server, remove -NoBattlEye from the startup command, or clear the panel’s Disable Battleye checkbox, save the profile, and restart. Then check the startup log for the normal BattlEye initialization message. If you keep a version-controlled startup script, record the change so a future deployment does not silently reintroduce the switch.
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Disabling anti-cheat can be reasonable for a private test server, a controlled development environment, or troubleshooting where BattlEye itself is preventing a known participant from connecting. On a public server, the trade-off is different: reports associated with disabling BattlEye warn that it can make abuse easier. The available material does not provide a measured cheating rate or a quantified increase, so treat that as an operational risk rather than a statistic.
If you run without BattlEye:
- Restrict access with a password, allow-list, or private network when practical.
- Use administrator tools and player reports actively; disabling BattlEye does not remove the need for moderation.
- Tell players that the server is running without the anti-cheat layer so they can make an informed choice.
- Watch connection, chat, and gameplay logs for unusual behavior and keep backups before testing changes.
- Have a rollback plan and a maintenance window for restoring BattlEye if abuse becomes a problem.
These controls reduce exposure but do not provide the same function as an anti-cheat service. The decision should be based on who can reach the server and why the service is being disabled.
ARK: Survival Evolved versus Survival Ascended
The title of this guide refers to ARK: Survival Evolved. Search results also contain instructions for ARK: Survival Ascended, including advice about space-separated flags and console display. Ascended is a different edition with its own server builds and support material. Before applying any command, verify the edition, executable, host panel, and current patch. Do not use a successful Ascended example as proof that a particular Evolved launcher will parse every option identically.
Host panel or self-hosted script: which method fits?
| Situation | Best place to make the change | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Managed hosting panel | Commandline Manager or the panel’s “Disable Battleye” checkbox | The generated command contains -NoBattlEye after saving and restarting |
| Windows desktop or dedicated machine | The batch file, shortcut, service, or scheduled task that launches ShooterGameServer.exe |
The edited launcher is the one that actually starts the running process |
| Linux with LinuxGSM | The instance’s LinuxGSM parameter configuration | The active instance starts with the switch and the startup log reflects the change |
| Custom Linux or Windows wrapper | The final script or service command after variables are expanded | No later template, quote, or variable expansion removes the argument |
The panel route is usually easier because it exposes a checkbox, while a self-hosted route gives you direct control over the complete command line. In both cases, log verification is the same and is more important than the editing interface.
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The ARK Official Community Wiki is fan-maintained rather than Studio Wildcard documentation. LinuxGSM documents the parameter for its server-management context. No current official Studio Wildcard page confirming behavior for every ARK: Survival Evolved patch was located, and one release-note quotation repeated in a 2016 Steam discussion is secondhand rather than verified against an official document.
For that reason, test the change on the exact server build and host environment you operate. Keep the original command, record the patch version and restart result, and use the server’s own console as the final authority on whether BattlEye initialized.
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