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Freedom251 › Blog › ARK Survival Ascended

How to Run Custom Maps on an ARK: Survival Ascended Server

By Freedom251 Team · · 9 min read

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To run a custom map in ARK: Survival Ascended (ASA), install the map as a CurseForge mod, set the server’s map selector to Custom, enter the map’s exact internal name, and restart after the first download. Back up ShooterGame/Saved before changing maps. On a managed host this takes a few control-panel settings; a self-hosted server requires Windows-compatible infrastructure, SteamCMD, ports, launch parameters, updates, and your own backups.

What an ASA custom map actually is

A custom map is a map distributed as an ASA mod rather than one of the maps included in the base server installation. The server must download and load that mod, then launch the map using the internal map identifier assigned by its author. The title shown to players and the internal identifier are not necessarily the same.

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Map mods are separate from ordinary gameplay mods. A gameplay mod can alter items, structures, or creatures while the server still launches a standard map. A map mod supplies the world itself, so the server needs both the mod files and a valid map name. If either is missing, the host may start a different map or fail to provide a usable session.

Before you change the server

Back up the Saved directory

Make a complete copy of ShooterGame/Saved before installing or switching a map. A dedicated server stores world data, player profiles, tribes, configuration files, logs, and cluster data there. Keep the backup outside the live server directory and label it with the date and the map that was running.

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  • Stop the server before copying files so the backup is not made while the world is being written.
  • Do not overwrite the only backup when testing a new map.
  • If you run a cluster, preserve each server’s Saved and cluster-related data, not just the current map folder.

Confirm the map supports your players

Open the map’s CurseForge page and check its ASA platform support, required version, installation notes, and internal map name. A map author may publish a PC-only build, a cross-platform build, or separate versions. Console players cannot join a map that has not been cooked and published for their platform.

Decide whether you need a new save

Map changes can have different save requirements. One ASA installation guide advises creating a new save when installing a map mod, while individual map documentation may describe a migration or reuse procedure. Treat that advice as map-specific: preserve the old save, read the author’s instructions, and never test a new map by deleting the only copy of an established world.

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Managed hosting: the control-panel procedure

The following sequence matches the documented workflow for a managed ASA server. Menu names can vary slightly by host, but the order matters because the server must be stopped while the mod and map settings are changed.

1. Stop the server

Open the host control panel and stop the ASA instance. Wait until its status shows that it is fully offline before editing settings or files.

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2. Install the map mod

  1. Open Settings → CurseForge Mods.
  2. Search for the map by its CurseForge listing, not only by the name players use in chat.
  3. Choose the ASA map mod and select Install.
  4. Save the settings and wait for the download to finish.

In this managed-host workflow, only one map mod is supported at a time. Remove or disable an old map mod before installing another if the panel does not permit multiple map entries.

3. Select the Custom map mode

  1. Go to Settings → General → Base Settings.
  2. Set Mapname to Custom.
  3. Save the setting.

Do not type the display title into this field. Custom tells the host to use the downloaded map and its internal identifier rather than a built-in map such as The Island.

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4. Start and allow the first download to complete

Start the server once. The host needs this first run to enumerate the downloaded map. Keep the server offline to players while it is doing so; a partially installed mod can produce misleading startup results.

5. Set Custom Mapname if the panel does not fill it

After the first run, return to the same base settings. The custom map name should normally populate automatically. If it remains blank, copy the exact internal name shown on the map’s CurseForge page into Custom Mapname. For example, the internal name used for Svartalfheim is Svartalfheim_WP; the public title alone is not a valid substitute.

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6. Restart and verify the selected world

Restart the server after entering or confirming the internal name. Check the host interface and restart.log for the map that was discovered and launched. Join with an administrator account before announcing the server to players, and confirm that the world, spawn locations, and expected map landmarks are present.

Self-hosting an ASA custom map

Self-hosting gives you direct access to files and launch parameters, but it moves every operational responsibility to you. The ASA dedicated-server route described by the Official Community Wiki uses SteamCMD to install and update the server files and requires Windows or a Windows-like environment.

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Install and maintain the dedicated server

  1. Prepare a Windows or compatible Windows-like machine with sufficient storage, memory, network upload capacity, and permission to run a long-lived server process.
  2. Use SteamCMD to install the ASA dedicated-server files into a dedicated directory.
  3. Configure firewall and router rules for the server and query ports you choose. Use the same values in your launch script and network rules.
  4. Create a repeatable start script so the executable, map, session options, ports, and mods are not entered manually after every restart.
  5. Schedule updates and backups, and keep a known-good copy of the previous server build until the new version has started successfully.

Use ASA’s current mod parameter

ASA uses the -mods launch parameter. Do not apply the older Steam Workshop map settings or rely on an obsolete ActiveMods/MapModID procedure from ARK: Survival Evolved. A launch template can look like this:

ArkAscendedServer.exe <MapInternalName>?SessionName=<YourSession> -mods=<modID1>,<modID2> -Port=<gamePort> -QueryPort=<queryPort>

Replace the bracketed values with the map’s internal name, your session name, the numeric mod IDs, and the ports configured on your firewall. Keep the map identifier and mod list in the same start script used by your service manager.

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Place and activate mod files

Dedicated-server mod files belong under ShooterGame/Mods. The active installation must contain the mod’s plugin at the expected folder level, not buried inside an extra nested directory created by an unzip operation. Add the mod ID to the active -mods list and restart the server after installation.

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Every joining client needs the same mod and a compatible version. A server can be healthy while a player is rejected because the player’s local copy is missing, outdated, or different from the server copy.

Licensing and administration

The Official Community Wiki’s cited interpretation of the ASA licensing terms says non-Nitrado dedicated servers are for personal, non-commercial hosting unless an applicable licensing exception is met. Verify the current terms for your intended use before charging access, selling services, or operating a commercial community.

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Crossplay or PC-only?

Choose the platform scope before installing mods. The managed-host selector distinguishes two modes:

Setting Players it is intended to serve What to check
Crossplay Console players and players using the Windows 10 Microsoft Store edition, in addition to supported PC clients The map author must publish a cross-platform ASA version; confirm Xbox and PlayStation support on the mod page.
PC-only Steam PC players Use this when the map or another required mod is limited to the Steam PC environment.

CurseForge describes ASA’s in-game mod discovery, server downloads, and cross-play modded servers hosted on managed infrastructure. When an author publishes a cross-platform mod, automatic cooking can produce packages for PC, Xbox, and PlayStation. That capability belongs to the published mod; selecting Crossplay cannot convert a PC-only map.

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Save the platform choice and restart before testing. Changing it after clients have downloaded mods can leave players with incompatible files or an unavailable server listing.

Managed hosting versus self-hosting

Factor Managed host Self-hosted server
Initial setup Install the map from the control panel, select Custom, and restart. Install with SteamCMD, create launch scripts, configure ports, place files, and activate the mod list.
File and update control The host handles much of the server environment; control-panel choices limit low-level access. Direct access to executables, configuration, mod folders, logs, update timing, and rollback copies.
Cross-platform access A Crossplay selector is provided, subject to the map author’s platform build. You must configure a compatible build and verify that the chosen server and mods support the target platforms.
Mod-size and platform limits Host policies and the selected platform mode can limit what can be installed. Hardware, bandwidth, storage, game compatibility, and licensing determine practical limits.
Backups You still need your own copy of ShooterGame/Saved; do not assume a host snapshot is a portable backup. You are responsible for automated, tested backups and recovery.
Recurring cost A recurring hosting charge covers the rented server environment. No hosting subscription, but you supply hardware, power, bandwidth, storage, and administration.
Licensing Use the host’s permitted ASA service and map-mod terms. Check the current ASA licensing terms, including the personal/non-commercial restriction described by the Official Community Wiki.

Troubleshooting a map that will not load

The server opens The Island instead

  • Confirm that the map mod finished installing rather than remaining queued or errored.
  • Run one complete restart after the initial download so the host can enumerate the map.
  • Set Mapname to Custom and enter the exact internal name in Custom Mapname.
  • Check restart.log and the panel’s current-map field before allowing players to connect.

A fallback to The Island is a protective startup behavior when the requested custom map cannot be found or is not installed; it does not indicate that the custom map loaded successfully.

Custom Mapname is blank or rejected

Copy the identifier from the map’s CurseForge page, including capitalization and suffixes such as _WP. Do not remove underscores, add spaces, or use the marketing title. Save the field, restart, and inspect the startup log for the identifier that the server actually parsed.

The server starts, but nobody can join

  • Check that the map identifier is valid and that the server did not silently start a fallback world.
  • Review host metrics and logs for extremely low or zero RAM use, query activity, or a process that exits immediately.
  • Verify that the advertised game and query ports are open and match the launch script.
  • Have one client update or reinstall the map mod and test again before changing unrelated settings.

The mod does not appear in the panel or server files

  • Search by the CurseForge project listing and confirm it is an ASA map, not an ARK: Survival Evolved-only project.
  • Check the numeric mod ID and the folder name.
  • Ensure the plugin is at the expected level inside ShooterGame/Mods, without an extra nested folder.
  • Confirm that the mod is present in the active -mods list for a self-hosted server.
  • Compare the server and client versions; mismatches can hide a mod from players even when the server process is running.

Console players cannot connect

Switching from PC-only to Crossplay is necessary but not sufficient. Confirm that the map author published a cross-platform build and that every required gameplay mod is also available for the target consoles. Save the platform setting and restart before testing a new connection.

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A map change appears to erase progress

Stop immediately and restore the pre-change copy of ShooterGame/Saved if the world or player data is missing. Then consult the map author’s save guidance. Some workflows require a new save, and a map’s world data is not interchangeable merely because the server directory is the same.

Operational checklist

  • Map mod page checked for ASA version, internal name, and platform support.
  • Pre-change copy of ShooterGame/Saved stored off the live server.
  • Server stopped before installation or file changes.
  • Managed host: mod installed under Settings → CurseForge Mods.
  • Managed host: Settings → General → Base Settings → Mapname set to Custom.
  • Exact internal name entered in Custom Mapname when auto-detection does not populate it.
  • Self-hosted: SteamCMD files, Windows-compatible environment, ports, ShooterGame/Mods, and -mods list verified.
  • First-run restart completed and restart.log checked.
  • Administrator test connection completed before players are invited.
  • Clients instructed to use matching mod versions and the correct platform build.

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