Use GameUserSettings.ini for most server rules and rates; use Game.ini for deeper gameplay changes such as breeding, stat scaling, engrams and item stacks. Stop the ARK server before editing either file, save the files as plain text in the correct configuration folder, then restart the server. A running instance commonly keeps settings in memory and can overwrite live edits when it shuts down.
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ARK: Survival Evolved (ASE) and ARK: Survival Ascended (ASA) use similar concepts but not identical launch parameters, map names or mod systems. The guide below separates the two games and identifies settings whose documented defaults conflict, so you can verify them on your own server rather than relying on an old template.
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What each ARK configuration file controls
ARK separates ordinary server options from game-mode and progression overrides. Choosing the wrong file is the most common reason a setting appears to do nothing.
GameUserSettings.ini: server rules and rates
GameUserSettings.ini contains most server-facing options. In a dedicated-server file, these normally appear beneath the [ServerSettings] section. Experience, taming, harvesting, day/night behavior, food drain and many visibility or quality-of-life rules are typically configured here.
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The file also contains client-only preferences. A dedicated server ignores those entries; changing a client preference in the server copy will not force that behavior on connected players.
Game.ini: gameplay-system overrides
Game.ini is intended for deeper gameplay changes. Its game-mode parameters go beneath:
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Settings that do not fit either common section
Some values belong in a different section or are controlled at launch. SessionName is placed under [SessionSettings]. In Evolved guides, MaxPlayers is commonly shown under [/Script/Engine.GameSession], although older guides put it under [ServerSettings]. Ascended uses a launch argument for maximum players instead of the INI file, as explained below.
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Where the files are located
Dedicated servers
For both Evolved and Ascended dedicated servers, the location most commonly documented is:
ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/That directory should contain GameUserSettings.ini. Create Game.ini beside it if it is missing. Installations and hosting products can use a different configuration path, including a folder labeled Config/server; search for the existing GameUserSettings.ini rather than assuming a single universal path.
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On a Steam installation of Ascended, client configuration is commonly under:
ShooterGameSavedConfigWindowsSome installations use a WindowsNoEditor variant. These client files are not a substitute for the files read by a remote dedicated server. If you are changing a rented server, edit the host’s server configuration through its file manager or control panel.
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Safe editing procedure
Use this sequence for every change, whether you run the server yourself or use a host’s panel.
- Stop the server completely. Do this from the server console, service manager or hosting-panel stop control. A restart button is safe only if it actually terminates the process before starting it again.
- Back up both INI files. Copy the originals and give the copies a dated name. A backup lets you remove one bad line without losing unrelated settings.
- Open the correct file as plain text. Preserve the filename and the
.iniextension. Avoid word processors that add rich-text formatting. - Place the key under its required section. A key under the wrong header can be ignored without an obvious error. Breeding and stat multipliers belong in
Game.ini, notGameUserSettings.ini. - Save, then start the server. Most changes are read during startup. Allow the server to finish loading before testing.
- Check the result in game or in the startup log. Test one related group at a time. If a value is unchanged, stop the server again before correcting the file.
Editing while the process is running is unreliable: the server keeps many [ServerSettings] values in memory and can write those old values back when it shuts down. This behavior makes an apparently successful live edit disappear.
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Essential Evolved settings and what their multipliers do
The following examples describe ARK: Survival Evolved conventions. A multiplier of 1.0 represents the normal baseline unless a setting’s own documentation says otherwise.
| Key | Typical section | Effect | Documented baseline or example |
|---|---|---|---|
XPMultiplier |
[ServerSettings] in GameUserSettings.ini |
Scales XP gained from all sources. | Default 1.0; a commonly used custom value is 3.0. |
TamingSpeedMultiplier |
[ServerSettings] |
Higher values make creatures tame faster. | Default 1.0. |
HarvestAmountMultiplier |
[ServerSettings] |
Scales yields from chopping, gathering berries, harvesting carcasses and mining. | No single custom value is prescribed; choose a value for your server’s pace. |
NightTimeSpeedScale |
[ServerSettings] |
Changes only how quickly night passes. | Use it when nights last too long; it does not by itself change daytime speed. |
PlayerCharacterFoodDrainMultiplier |
[ServerSettings] |
Controls how quickly players become hungry. | Lower or higher values change the rate; the normal baseline is 1.0. |
OverrideOfficialDifficulty |
[ServerSettings] |
Raises the wild dinosaur level cap when set above zero. | 0.0 disables the override. |
Multipliers are not interchangeable. Increasing XPMultiplier does not alter resource yields, and changing NightTimeSpeedScale does not shorten the day. Keep related adjustments together and record why each value was chosen so future changes remain understandable.
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Breeding, progression and stat changes belong in Game.ini
Create or edit Game.ini, then add the game-mode header before gameplay overrides:
[/script/shootergame.shootergamemode]Breeding controls
Three frequently used breeding keys are:
EggHatchSpeedMultiplierchanges how quickly eggs hatch.BabyMatureSpeedMultiplierchanges the time required for a baby to mature.MatingIntervalMultiplierchanges the delay before a creature can mate again.
These are separate timers. Raising hatch speed does not automatically raise maturation speed, and reducing the mating interval does not make either process faster. Put all three in Game.ini; placing them in GameUserSettings.ini causes the server to ignore them.
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The same game-mode section is used for engram-point progression, XP required per level, player and creature stat scaling, stack-size overrides, disabled content and custom non-player-character spawns. Each system has its own key syntax, so copy the exact capitalization and section header required by the version you run. A typo can fail silently; test after a restart and inspect the resulting behavior before adding more overrides.
Difficulty and disputed defaults
Do not treat every value in an online template as authoritative. Two commonly circulated Evolved tables disagree about DifficultyOffset: one lists a default of 0.2 and associates it with an approximate level-30 cap, while another lists 1.0 and describes a range from 0.0 to 1.0. Because those references conflict, the value should be verified against the live server and the version-specific documentation. Many owners use OverrideOfficialDifficulty instead when they need a known wild-level cap.
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The same conflict appears for ShowMapPlayerLocation. One table reports a default of False; another reports True. Check the actual in-game behavior or your server’s current generated configuration before documenting a default for players.
Survival Evolved versus Survival Ascended
Although both games use INI-style configuration, copying an Evolved launch command or map name into Ascended can prevent the server from starting or load the wrong content.
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|---|---|---|
| Dedicated executable | ShooterGameServer.exe |
ArkAscendedServer.exe |
| Typical map name | Names such as TheIsland |
Suffixed names such as TheIsland_WP |
| Mods | Steam Workshop, commonly selected with -MapModID |
CurseForge, loaded with the -mods= launch argument |
| Maximum players | Set in the server configuration in Evolved guides, often under [/Script/Engine.GameSession] |
Set with the -WinLiveMaxPlayers launch parameter, not an INI key |
| Server platform | Native Linux and Windows support | Requires Windows or a Windows-like environment |
Community references also report Ascended-only keys such as ActiveMapMod and AllowCryoFridgeOnSaddle. Their exact Game.ini header was not confirmed in the available material, so do not assume that an Evolved header or placement is valid. Confirm the key for your current Ascended build before deploying it.
Several Evolved DLC maps are listed as unavailable on Ascended, including Genesis Part 1, Genesis Part 2, Crystal Isles, Lost Island and Fjordur. A map argument that works in Evolved therefore may have no Ascended equivalent.
Self-hosted servers and hosted control panels
Self-hosted or dedicated machine
With a self-hosted installation, stop the executable or service, edit the files in the installation’s ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/ tree, and restart the same executable. Keep launch arguments separate from INI entries: map names, mod-loading flags and the Ascended player cap are command-line concerns.
Hosted server panel
Hosting panels commonly expose a text editor, an “advanced settings” form, or both. The labels and file paths vary by provider. Use the panel’s stop control first, edit the raw file when a form does not expose a key, save the file, and then start the server. If the panel regenerates configuration from a form, make the change in that form or it may overwrite your manual edit on the next restart. Download a backup before switching between the form and raw editor.
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Troubleshooting settings that do not save
The value reverts after shutdown
- The server was still running when the file was edited. Stop it, edit again and restart.
- A control panel regenerated the file from saved form values. Update the panel field or disable its automatic overwrite behavior.
- The edit was made in a client file instead of the dedicated-server directory.
The server starts but ignores the setting
- Confirm the key is under the correct section, especially
[/script/shootergame.shootergamemode]for breeding and stat overrides. - Check capitalization, spelling and the filename extension. A file accidentally saved as
Game.ini.txtwill not be read asGame.ini. - Verify that the key belongs to your game. Ascended and Evolved do not share every option.
- Remove duplicate entries while testing. Keep one active definition so you know which value the server reads.
The server will not start
Restore the backup, remove the last block you added, and start again. Then reintroduce one setting at a time. Check executable, map and mod arguments separately; an Evolved map or mod flag is not automatically valid for Ascended.
Quick Recap
A practical configuration checklist
- Identify the game (Evolved or Ascended), map and hosting environment.
- Locate the active server directory by finding the existing
GameUserSettings.ini. - Stop the process and back up both INI files.
- Put rates and ordinary server rules under
[ServerSettings]inGameUserSettings.ini. - Create
Game.iniwhen absent, and put breeding, progression and stat overrides under the game-mode header. - Keep
SessionName, Evolved session/player settings and launch-only options in their required locations. - For Ascended, set the player cap with
-WinLiveMaxPlayersand load CurseForge mods with-mods=. - Save plain-text files, restart, and test the exact behavior you changed.
- If a disputed default matters to your ruleset, verify it on the live server instead of copying an unqualified table.
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