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To run a dedicated ARK: Survival Evolved server on Aberration, install the ASE server files with SteamCMD (app ID 376030), launch ShooterGameServer with the map argument Aberration_P, and expose the same game and query ports through both your firewall and router. The most important edition check is the map name: ASE uses Aberration_P; ARK: Survival Ascended uses Aberration_WP. Mixing them is a common reason a server starts on the wrong map or fails to start.
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Confirm which ARK edition you are running
This procedure is for ARK: Survival Evolved (ASE), not ARK: Survival Ascended (ASA). The dedicated-server files, launch syntax and map identifiers are not interchangeable.
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|---|---|---|
| ARK: Survival Evolved | Aberration_P |
Use the ASE SteamCMD app ID and ASE server executable described below. |
| ARK: Survival Ascended | Aberration_WP |
Do not use this identifier in an ASE installation; ASA requires its own server files and procedure. |
If you are unsure which game your players own, settle that question before installing anything. A client on one edition cannot join a server built for the other edition.
Plan the host before installing
Choose Windows or Linux
Windows is convenient if you already administer a Windows machine and want to use a batch file. Linux is well suited to an always-on host and can run the server as a systemd service so it starts after a reboot. The SteamCMD installation process is conceptually the same on both systems; only paths, shell syntax and service management differ.
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- Start a tribe with hundreds of other players to survive and dominate competing tribes...and ultimately discover ARK's true purpose
- Build a fire or shelter, then craft customizable clothing & armors to help protect against damage and extreme temperatures on your way to unlocking advanced technologies and equipment
- Chop down trees and mine metal and other precious resources to build massive multi-leveled structures composed of complex snap-linked parts
Create a dedicated server directory
Use a directory that is separate from your personal game installation and easy to back up. Examples are C:arkserver on Windows and /home/steam/servers/ark on Linux. Grant the account that will run the server permission to read and write this directory. Avoid storing the installation in a temporary folder or inside a user profile that may be cleaned automatically.
Budget memory and storage
The ARK Official Community Wiki gives an estimate of 3–4 GiB for an Aberration ASE server baseline; no year is specified for that estimate. That figure is an estimate, not a guaranteed minimum. Connected players, the age and size of the save, structures and creatures, configuration choices, and installed mods can all increase memory use. Treat 3–4 GiB as a floor and leave additional headroom for the operating system, SteamCMD and growth of the save.
Keep enough disk space for the server files, the ShooterGame/Saved directory, update downloads and multiple backups. Aberration saves can become important long-running worlds; a backup strategy is more useful than trying to run with the smallest possible disk allocation.
Check the network path
Remote players need an internet-reachable host. A server on the same local network can work without public port forwarding, but players outside that network cannot connect until the router sends the configured ports to the server’s private IP address. Reserve that private IP in the router or configure a static address so forwarding does not silently point to another machine.
Upstream bandwidth matters as the number of connected players grows. Check the host connection’s upload capacity before inviting a large group, especially if the same connection serves video calls, backups or other uploads.
Install the ASE dedicated-server files with SteamCMD
1. Install SteamCMD
Install SteamCMD from the official distribution for your operating system. Place it in a directory that the server administrator can execute and update. On first launch, SteamCMD may update itself before accepting commands.
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2. Select the installation directory and update app 376030
At the SteamCMD prompt, run the following commands, replacing <install_dir> with your chosen directory:
force_install_dir <install_dir>
login anonymous
app_update 376030 validate
exitThe same operation can be issued as one command from a system shell:
steamcmd +force_install_dir <install_dir> +login anonymous +app_update 376030 +quitApp ID 376030 is the ASE dedicated-server package. Run the update command again when a new server version is released. The validate argument checks the installed files and can repair an incomplete download.
3. Verify the executable layout
After a successful update, locate the ShooterGameServer executable inside the installation. Windows normally has an .exe file; Linux has the executable without that extension. Do not launch a client copy of the game by mistake. The server’s first run will create its save and configuration tree under ShooterGame/Saved.
Build the Aberration launch command
The map argument comes first: use Aberration_P for ASE. Follow it with the options you need, including a session name and the game and query ports. Keep the executable path and quoting appropriate to your operating system.
Windows batch file
Create a file such as start-aberration.bat in the server installation directory. A command in the documented form is:
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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. 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
ShooterGameServer.exe Aberration_P?SessionName=YourSessionName?Port=YOUR_GAME_PORT?QueryPort=YOUR_QUERY_PORT?ServerPassword=YOUR_SERVER_PASSWORD?ServerAdminPassword=YOUR_ADMIN_PASSWORD -server -logReplace the session name, passwords and port values with your own settings. Keep the question-mark separators used by ARK’s option syntax. If a value contains characters that your shell treats specially, quote the command or choose a simpler value. Start the batch file from the directory containing the executable, or use its full path.
Linux shell script
Create an executable script, for example start-aberration.sh, in the server directory:
#!/bin/sh
cd /home/steam/servers/ark/ShooterGame/Binaries/Linux
./ShooterGameServer Aberration_P?SessionName=YourSessionName?Port=YOUR_GAME_PORT?QueryPort=YOUR_QUERY_PORT?ServerPassword=YOUR_SERVER_PASSWORD?ServerAdminPassword=YOUR_ADMIN_PASSWORD -server -logAdjust the path to match your installation, then grant execute permission with your distribution’s normal file-permission command. The important parts are the ASE map identifier, the configured ports and the server executable; do not copy ASA-only flags into this command.
Understand the launch options
| Option | Purpose | Operational rule |
|---|---|---|
Aberration_P |
Selects the Aberration map in ASE. | Using Aberration_WP here is an edition mismatch. |
SessionName |
Sets the name players see in the server browser. | Choose a distinctive name and keep it stable so players can recognize the server. |
Port |
Sets the game connection port. | The firewall and router must allow and forward this exact value. |
QueryPort |
Sets the server-query or browser port. | Expose and forward the exact value used in the command; a mismatch can hide the server. |
ServerPassword |
Restricts who can join. | Share it only with the intended players. |
ServerAdminPassword |
Sets the administrator password for server-management commands. | Use a separate, strong secret and do not publish it with the session password. |
Universal port numbers are not established for your installation, so choose values appropriate to your network and document them. What matters is consistency between the launch command, operating-system firewall and router forwarding rules.
Start once and inspect the generated files
Run the server in the foreground first
Start the batch file or shell script manually before configuring automatic startup. Watch the console for errors, allow the process time to finish loading, and confirm that it remains running. The initial launch creates ShooterGame/Saved, which contains the world save and configuration files.
Stop cleanly before editing
Stop the process through its normal shutdown method before changing configuration files. Editing while the server is writing can produce partial or conflicting files. Make a copy of the entire ShooterGame/Saved directory before experimenting with settings, adding mods or applying a major update.
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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
Test a controlled restart
- Stop the server and wait for the process to exit.
- Back up the current
ShooterGame/Saveddirectory. - Make one configuration change at a time.
- Start the server again and verify that the world, player access and chosen map still work.
- If the result is wrong, stop the process and restore the known-good backup.
Open the firewall and forward ports
Operating-system firewall
Create inbound rules for the game port and query port used in the launch command. Apply the rules to the network profile that the host actually uses, and permit the server executable if your firewall supports application-based rules. A rule for a different port, protocol or executable will not make the configured server reachable.
Router forwarding
In the router’s port-forwarding screen, create entries that send the same game and query ports to the host’s reserved private IP address. The external and internal values should match unless you have deliberately designed a translated setup; in that case, the external value must still correspond to what players are told to use.
LAN versus internet testing
Test locally first: confirm that the process is running and that a client on the same network can see or join it. Then test from a different internet connection, such as a mobile hotspot. Some routers do not support hairpin or loopback connections, so a test from inside the same LAN may fail even when remote players can connect.
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If the host is behind carrier-grade NAT or another upstream router that you do not control, ordinary forwarding on your own router may not be sufficient. In that case the machine is not directly reachable from the public internet; use a network arrangement that provides an inbound route or keep the server limited to the LAN.
Make the server start automatically on Linux
A systemd service can update the files before launch and start the server at boot. The following is a pattern, not a copy-and-paste guarantee: adapt the SteamCMD path, installation path, executable path and service user to your distribution.
[Unit]
Description=ARK ASE Aberration server
After=network.target
[Service]
User=steam
WorkingDirectory=/home/steam/servers/ark/ShooterGame/Binaries/Linux
ExecStartPre=/usr/games/steamcmd +force_install_dir /home/steam/servers/ark +login anonymous +app_update 376030 +quit
ExecStart=/home/steam/servers/ark/ShooterGame/Binaries/Linux/ShooterGameServer Aberration_P?SessionName=YourSessionName?Port=YOUR_GAME_PORT?QueryPort=YOUR_QUERY_PORT?ServerPassword=YOUR_SERVER_PASSWORD?ServerAdminPassword=YOUR_ADMIN_PASSWORD -server -log
Restart=on-failure
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.targetSave the unit under your system’s service-directory convention, reload systemd, enable it for boot and start it. Confirm the service status and logs before relying on it. The update step runs before each service start; schedule or trigger restarts deliberately so an update does not interrupt active players. Ensure the service user owns the server directory and can write the save files.
Windows automatic startup
On Windows, use a service wrapper or Task Scheduler to run the batch file after boot. Configure a restart action for unexpected exits and verify that the task runs under an account with access to the installation and save directories. Test by rebooting during a maintenance window, then check that the process starts with Aberration_P and that the expected ports are listening.
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Apply server updates deliberately
Repeat the SteamCMD update command when a new server version is released. Before a major update, stop the server and retain a known-good save backup. After updating, start without changing several variables at once; confirm the world loads before adding other changes.
Account for mod compatibility
Mods can alter memory use and may lag behind a server update. Keep a record of installed mods and their versions, and test compatibility before bringing the updated world back to players. If a mod prevents startup or corrupts a save, stop the process and restore the backup rather than repeatedly launching into the damaged state.
Use more than one backup
- Keep a recent backup made while the server was stopped.
- Retain older restore points so a problem discovered days later is recoverable.
- Store at least one copy outside the server machine.
- Periodically test that a backup can actually be restored to a separate test directory.
Self-hosting versus managed hosting
Running the server yourself gives direct control, but it also makes you responsible for installation, networking, updates and recovery. A managed service can remove much of that administration, but its exact support for ASE, Aberration, mods and backups must be checked before purchase.
| Decision factor | Self-hosted server | Managed server |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | No universal figure; you supply or repurpose hardware, electricity and internet service. | A recurring fee is typical, but the amount depends on the service and plan. |
| INI and mod control | Full access to the files and launch command. | Depends on the provider’s panel, permitted mods and edition support. |
| Backups and restore | You design, store and test the backups. | Check backup frequency, retention and whether you can download and restore saves yourself. |
| Latency | Depends on your location, ISP routing and upstream capacity. | Depends on the provider’s available region and network path to players. |
| Firewall and ports | You configure the host firewall, router forwarding and private-IP reservation. | The provider generally handles the public endpoint, but you still need to verify which ports and query behavior are supported. |
| Updates | You run SteamCMD and manage restart timing. | Automatic updates may be available; confirm how they handle mods and rollback. |
| Edition and map | You choose the exact ASE files and Aberration_P launch argument. |
Confirm that the service supports ASE, not only ASA, and offers Aberration for that edition. |
| Support | You troubleshoot the operating system, network and save files. | Support scope varies; establish whether server-level and game-level problems are covered. |
Troubleshoot the problems that matter most
The server loads the wrong map or will not load Aberration
Check the edition first. An ASE server must contain Aberration_P in the launch command; Aberration_WP is the ASA identifier. Confirm that the script you are actually running is the one you edited, then inspect the console output for path or executable errors.
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- Confirm that the server process is running and listening on the configured game and query ports.
- Check the operating-system firewall rules for those exact ports.
- Check router forwarding and make sure it targets the host’s current private IP.
- Verify that the router’s public connection is not behind an upstream NAT you cannot configure.
- Test from a genuinely external connection rather than relying only on a same-LAN browser.
Players see the server but time out
Compare every port value in the launch command with the firewall and router entries. A typo in either Port or QueryPort can produce partial visibility or failed joins. Also check upstream capacity: a connection that works for one player may become unreliable as more players connect or as other devices upload data.
SteamCMD reports an update problem
Stop the server, rerun the documented SteamCMD command with app_update 376030 validate, and read the command output for permission or disk-space errors. Do not delete the save directory as a first response. Preserve a backup, then check whether a mod or a newly updated server binary requires a rollback plan.
A reboot leaves the server offline
On Linux, inspect the systemd unit’s status and logs, especially the ExecStartPre update, WorkingDirectory and executable path. On Windows, confirm that the scheduled task or service runs under an account that can access the installation. Start the script manually once under that same account to expose path and permission problems.
Operational checklist
- Edition confirmed as ASE and map argument set to
Aberration_P. - SteamCMD installed and app ID
376030updated successfully. - Server directory has sufficient disk space and a writable service account.
- Memory plan starts above the estimated 3–4 GiB baseline and leaves headroom.
- Session name, game port, query port and passwords are recorded securely.
- Firewall rules match the launch command.
- Router forwarding targets a reserved private IP and matches both ports.
- First launch created
ShooterGame/Savedand a clean backup exists. - Local and external connection tests have both been completed.
- Automatic startup, update timing and backup restoration have been tested.
Bottom line
For an ASE Aberration server, install app 376030 with SteamCMD, launch ShooterGameServer using Aberration_P, and make the firewall and router agree with the command’s game and query ports. Start with a manual run, back up the newly created ShooterGame/Saved directory, then automate updates and restarts only after players can connect reliably. The 3–4 GiB estimate is a baseline; plan additional memory for the actual player count, save, configuration and mods.
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