On an ARK: Survival Evolved dedicated server, creative mode is enabled for the player who authenticates as an administrator and runs the creative-mode command. Set a ServerAdminPassword, save and restart the server, join it, open the console, authenticate with enablecheats, then use cheat Gcm or cheat givecreativemode. The player receives every engram and can craft without the usual material requirements.
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What ARK creative mode changes
Creative mode is an administrator-enabled gameplay state in ARK: Survival Evolved. It changes the inventory and crafting rules for the player who activates it:
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- All available engrams are unlocked for that player.
- Crafting no longer requires the normal materials.
- The resulting creative inventory exposes the building and crafting options associated with those engrams.
This is not a server-wide difficulty switch. The command applies to the issuing player, so each person who needs creative access must authenticate and activate it for their own character. Other players remain under the server’s ordinary rules until an administrator enables the mode for them.
The procedure below is for an ARK: Survival Evolved dedicated server, whether you manage it yourself or use a hosting control panel. Controls and command behavior can differ in another ARK edition, a heavily modified server, or a later patch, so treat those environments as separate compatibility cases.
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Before you begin
Have these items ready before changing anything:
- Access to the server’s control panel or file system.
- The exact server admin password you intend to use.
- The platform account that will join the server and run the commands.
- A way to restart the server after configuration changes.
Keep the admin password separate from the ordinary player password. The player password controls who can join; ServerAdminPassword controls who can authenticate for administrative commands. Sharing the wrong password either blocks a legitimate administrator or gives administrative access to someone who only needed to join.
Step 1: Set ServerAdminPassword
The password can be entered in the host’s server-settings interface or directly in GameUserSettings.ini. In a file-based setup, the general settings section normally contains an entry in this form:
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ServerAdminPassword=ChooseAnAdminPasswordReplace ChooseAnAdminPassword with the password you will enter later. Do not include angle brackets or spaces around the equals sign. If the file already has a ServerAdminPassword entry, edit that existing value rather than creating conflicting duplicate entries.
In a control panel, open the general server-settings page, locate the administrator-password field, enter the value, and save it. Panels may write the INI file for you, while self-managed servers require you to edit the correct instance’s file. Make certain you are editing the server you will actually join; changing a different instance produces the same symptoms as an incorrect password.
Step 2: Save and restart the server
Configuration changes are not active merely because they appear in a panel or text editor. Save the change and perform a complete server restart. Wait until the server is online again before joining. A restart loads the updated GameUserSettings.ini and prevents you from testing against the old password still held by the running process.
If your host offers separate save and restart controls, use them in that order. For a self-managed installation, stop the server cleanly, confirm the file was saved, and start the same server instance again. Avoid editing the file while the server is running if the management software can overwrite unsaved changes during shutdown.
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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
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Step 3: Join the intended server
Launch ARK: Survival Evolved, connect to the dedicated server whose admin password you changed, and load into the world with the character that should receive creative mode. If you maintain several maps or instances, verify the name and map before opening the console. Administrative authentication is tied to the connected server session; it does not grant access to a different server automatically.
Step 4: Open the in-game console
Use the platform-specific control while you are in the game. On consoles, pause first. The available combinations documented for ARK: Survival Evolved are:
| Platform | How to open the console | Important detail |
|---|---|---|
| PC | Press Tab. |
If nothing appears, inspect the game’s keyboard mapping and confirm that the console key has not been changed. |
| PlayStation 4 | While paused, press L1 + R1 + Square + Triangle. |
Press all four buttons together from the pause screen. |
| Xbox One | While paused, press LB + RB + X + Y. |
Use the combination from the pause screen rather than ordinary gameplay. |
The console is where authentication and the creative-mode commands are entered. If it will not open, fix that input problem before troubleshooting the password; a command cannot work if the console never receives it.
Step 5: Authenticate as an administrator
With the console open, enter:
enablecheats YourAdminPasswordSubstitute the exact value configured as ServerAdminPassword. In usage, the angle-bracket notation often shown in documentation means replace the placeholder; do not type the brackets themselves. Submit the command, keeping the spelling and capitalization of the command intact.
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Step 6: Turn on creative mode
After authentication, use either of the following commands:
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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
| Command | Result | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
cheat Gcm |
Toggles creative mode for the issuing player. | Use this short command when you want to switch the player’s creative state on or off. |
cheat givecreativemode |
Sets the issuing player to creative mode. | Use the descriptive form when you want to set creative mode directly. |
Run one command, not both as a requirement. The two forms are alternative ways to activate the same player-level creative state. Because Gcm is a toggle, running it again changes the state back; use that behavior carefully if you are trying to leave creative mode rather than enter it.
The command affects the character currently issuing it. If another administrator or player needs creative access, that person must join, authenticate with the admin password, and run the command in their own session.
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Step 7: Confirm that creative mode is active
Open the inventory after the command is accepted. Look for the creative or Creation menu and the unlocked engrams. The practical confirmation is that the creative inventory is present and crafting entries no longer ask for their usual materials.
If the inventory still looks ordinary, do not assume the server needs a second restart. First check the command sequence: you must be connected to the intended server, authenticate successfully, and then run the creative command from the same player session. A rejected authentication leaves the later command without the required privileges.
Useful administrative commands
These commands can help you inspect or control the administrative state while working on a dedicated server:
| Command | Purpose | Scope |
|---|---|---|
enablecheats <adminpassword> |
Authenticates the player with the server’s administrator password. | Current player and current server session. |
cheat Gcm |
Toggles creative mode. | Current player. |
cheat givecreativemode |
Sets creative mode. | Current player. |
showmyadminmanager |
Opens the administrative manager and its available cheat tools. | Current authenticated player. |
setcheatplayer true |
Turns cheat commands on for the issuing player. | Current player. |
setcheatplayer false |
Turns cheat commands off for the issuing player. | Current player. |
The administrative manager and cheat-player switch do not replace enablecheats. Authenticate first; then use the tool or command that matches the task you are performing.
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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
Where server settings live
Knowing which file holds which setting helps you avoid editing the wrong place:
| File | Typical contents relevant to a dedicated server | Use for creative-mode setup |
|---|---|---|
GameUserSettings.ini |
General settings such as ServerAdminPassword, the ordinary server password, difficulty, PvE/PvP mode, and gameplay multipliers. |
Yes. This is the file to check when the administrator password is not being accepted. |
Game.ini |
Advanced options such as experience ramps, level caps, and detailed experience settings. | No. Creative-mode authentication does not require moving the admin password into this file. |
Some control panels expose these values as forms and hide the underlying files. The same rule applies: save the change, restart the server, and test the instance you edited. Do not place ServerAdminPassword in Game.ini simply because it is another ARK configuration file.
Troubleshooting by symptom
The console does not open on PC
Check the game’s keyboard mapping first. The console key may have been reassigned, or another application may be intercepting the input. Restore or identify the console binding, rejoin the server if necessary, and try again. On PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, pause before using the documented button combination.
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enablecheats is rejected
- Confirm that you joined the intended dedicated server, not a different map or instance.
- Compare the entered password character by character with
ServerAdminPassword. Case, punctuation, and spaces matter. - Check that the setting was saved in the active server configuration.
- Restart the server after changing the password, then reconnect and authenticate again.
- Make sure you are using the admin password, not the ordinary password required to join the server.
cheat Gcm or cheat givecreativemode does nothing
Run enablecheats successfully in the same session before the creative command. Then verify that the command was entered in the in-game console and that your character is the player who should receive the mode. If authentication was performed by another person, your player does not inherit that person’s creative state.
The creative menu is missing after the command
Reopen the inventory and inspect the Creation or creative section. If it is still absent, repeat the sequence from the connected server: authenticate, run one creative command, and check the inventory immediately. A server restart is normally needed for configuration edits, not for every inventory check; restarting without correcting the password or target instance will not solve a session-authentication problem.
The setting disappears after a restart
Verify that the change was saved to the server instance that is actually running. A control panel can have separate profiles, maps, or configuration pages, and a self-managed installation can contain more than one server directory. Reopen GameUserSettings.ini after the restart and confirm that the ServerAdminPassword value is still present.
Commands work on one server but not another
Do not assume that all ARK environments behave identically. Edition, patch level, host implementation, mods, and platform controls can affect console access or command handling. Confirm that both servers are ARK: Survival Evolved dedicated servers and compare their active settings before changing unrelated configuration values.
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Creative mode is powerful because it bypasses the normal progression and material costs. Treat the admin password as a secret rather than a convenience setting:
- Give it only to people who should be able to run administrative commands.
- Use a password that is different from the ordinary join password.
- Remove or change access when a player no longer needs administration.
- Use creative mode deliberately on a survival server so that builds, progression, and resource balance are not changed accidentally.
- Remember that the commands affect the issuing player, so identify the active character before confirming a creative action.
For construction or testing, a practical workflow is to enable creative mode, build or inspect the desired structure, and then toggle it off with cheat Gcm when finished. For a server intended to remain progression-focused, consider using a separate test instance so creative activity cannot alter the main world.
Complete setup checklist
- Confirm that the server is an ARK: Survival Evolved dedicated server you can administer.
- Open the general server settings or the active
GameUserSettings.ini. - Set
ServerAdminPasswordto the exact password you will use. - Save the configuration.
- Restart the server and wait for it to come online.
- Join that same server with the player who needs creative mode.
- Open the console:
Tabon PC,L1 + R1 + Square + Trianglewhile paused on PlayStation 4, orLB + RB + X + Ywhile paused on Xbox One. - Enter
enablecheats YourAdminPassword, replacing the example with the configured password. - Run
cheat Gcmorcheat givecreativemode. - Open the inventory and confirm the Creation menu, unlocked engrams, and material-free crafting.
What this setup does not change
Enabling creative mode does not automatically rewrite the server’s difficulty, PvE/PvP mode, experience ramps, level caps, or multipliers. Those settings remain in their respective configuration areas. It also does not make every player creative: the authenticated player must activate the mode, and each additional player needs the same per-player process.
Following the sequence in this guide gives you a controlled way to use ARK: Survival Evolved’s built-in creative tools while preserving the rest of the server configuration.
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