1. Guides
  2. Game
  3. ARK Survival Evolved
  4. How to Configure Your Ark Survival Evolved Server
10 min read

How to Configure Your Ark Survival Evolved Server

Here's how you can locate and edit the most common configuration files for your Ark Survival Evolved server.

This guide covers in-depth and detailed configuration for both the Game.ini and GameUserSettings.ini files manually, or using the GameUserSettings.ini Generator, a powerful tool available on ArkForum that simplifies ARK server configuration. Instead of manually adding and configuring every setting, this tool includes an easy-to-use interface to quickly generate your GameUserSettings.ini settings.

GameUserSettings.ini is the most common file for configuration, while Game.ini is for advanced users who want granular control over their servers.

A full breakdown of settings can also be found on the ARK SE Server Configuration Wiki.

Using the GameUserSettings.ini Generator

Note

Basic settings such as Server Name and Password are set in our game panel under Settings.

  1. 1
    Use the ARK GameUserSettings.ini Generator to set your desired settings.
  2. 2
    Click Create File then copy everything directly under the [ServerSettings] section in the generated output.
  3. 3
    Log in to Bropanel and Stop your server.
  4. 4
    In the sidebar, go to Files and open /ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/GameUserSettings.ini.
  5. 5
    Paste the settings you copied earlier under the header of [ServerSettings], replacing what used to be there.
  6. 6
    Start your server.

Here's an example of what your settings file should look like after you've pasted in your new settings, only replacing the settings under the [ServerSettings] header in your GameUserSettings.ini file:

Manually Configuring GameUserSettings.ini

By default, an ARK: SE server won't include all of the settings in your GameUserSettings.ini file. Here's how to add them and how they're correctly formatted.

  1. 1
    Log in to Bropanel and Stop your server.
  2. 2
    In the sidebar, go to Files.
  3. 3
    Open /ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/GameUserSettings.ini.
  4. 4
    After you have made the changes you want, start your server.

Advanced Configuration Using Game.ini

By default, an ARK: SE server won't include any settings in your Game.ini file. Game.ini is an advanced configuration file that can be used to customize your server.

  1. 1
    Firstly, Log in to Bropanel and Stop your server.
  2. 2
    In the sidebar, go to Files.
  3. 3
    Open /ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/Game.ini.
  4. 4
    After you have made the changes you want, start your server.