How to Set Up Automatic Restarts on an ARK: Survival Evolved Server

The reliable way to automate an ARK: Survival Evolved server restart is to schedule the same script or service that already starts your server. On Windows, use Task Scheduler to run a wrapper batch file. On Linux, run the server as a systemd service and schedule a timer or cron job. If you use LinuxGSM, schedule its restart command and run monitor frequently enough to recover from crashes.

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A scheduled restart handles planned maintenance; it does not automatically recover from every unexpected process exit unless you add monitoring. For a player-friendly setup, combine a graceful stop, timed RCON warnings, a service restart, and a post-restart health check.

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Choose the restart method that matches your server

Start by identifying how the server is launched today. Automation should call that existing launcher rather than creating a second, competing startup path. Running two launchers can produce duplicate processes, locked save files, confusing logs, and a server that appears to restart while the old process is still running.

Use a calendar restart during a low-traffic period. Add crash monitoring separately, because a daily restart does nothing for a server that exits ten minutes after the scheduled task has run.

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Prepare a safe restart workflow

Keep one authoritative launcher

Locate the batch file, shell script, LinuxGSM script, or service unit that currently starts the ARK process. Your scheduler should invoke that entry point. If you change the executable path, map, mods, or launch arguments later, update the launcher once instead of editing several scheduled jobs.

Separate stopping from starting

A restart must stop the running process cleanly, wait for it to exit, and then start it again. Use an existing stop/save routine if you have one. Do not launch a new process immediately after sending a stop signal; the old process may still be writing the world or releasing its port.

Choose a maintenance window

Pick a time when few players are online and communicate the recurring schedule in your community rules or Discord announcement. The scheduler should use the host machine’s time zone, not a player’s local time. Check daylight-saving changes if the window must remain at a fixed local hour.

Test manually first

Run the exact wrapper or service commands interactively as the account that will run them. Confirm that the world saves, the process exits, the server starts with the expected map and mods, and players can reconnect. A job that works only in an administrator’s interactive desktop session is not ready for unattended execution.

Windows: schedule an ARK restart with Task Scheduler

The ARK Official Community Wiki’s Windows guidance uses Task Scheduler to launch the batch file that starts the server. The same approach works for a restart when the scheduled action calls a wrapper that performs the stop/save operation before invoking the normal launch batch file.

1. Put the launch command in a batch file

Keep the existing start ShooterGame ... command in a stable .bat file. Store it in the server’s intended working directory, alongside any relative-path configuration, mod files, or helper scripts it expects.

Create a second wrapper for maintenance if necessary. Its sequence should be:

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1. Send the planned warning messages, if you use RCON.
2. Run your existing stop/save routine.
3. Wait until the ARK process has exited.
4. Call the normal launch batch file.
5. Write a timestamped log or otherwise make the result visible for troubleshooting.

The wrapper can call the launcher with its full path. Avoid relying on the current directory inherited from Task Scheduler.

2. Create the scheduled task

1. Open Task Scheduler and choose Create Basic Task (or Create Task if you need advanced conditions).
2. Give the task a name such as ARK planned restart and record the maintenance time in its description.
3. Choose a daily or weekly trigger. The ARK wiki also documents When the computer starts for boot-time launching; adapt the trigger to a calendar time for routine maintenance.
4. Choose Start a program as the action.
5. Browse to the restart wrapper, not an unrelated copy of the server executable.
6. Open the action’s properties and set Start in (optional) to the directory containing the batch file when the script depends on that working directory.

The wiki specifically notes that when a batch file simply contains the start ShooterGame ... command, the Start in (optional) value should be the batch-file directory. Without it, relative paths can resolve to a Windows system directory, causing missing configuration, save, or mod paths.

3. Set unattended-run permissions

In the task’s General tab, select an account with permission to read and write the server directory and its save files. Enable the option to run whether or not the user is logged on when the server must restart overnight. Use the highest privileges setting only when a specific operation requires it; grant the service account access to the ARK directory instead of making every scheduled task an administrator.

In Conditions, clear restrictions that would prevent the task from running on a dedicated host, such as an AC-power requirement that does not apply to a server. In Settings, enable a reasonable execution timeout and configure what happens if the task is already running. A restart job should not launch a second copy if a previous run is hung.

4. Verify the result

Use Run in Task Scheduler to test the task immediately. Check Last Run Result, Task Scheduler history, the wrapper log, the ARK server log, and the listening port. Confirm that the old process is gone before the new process starts. Then repeat the test while logged out of Windows to verify that the selected account, working directory, and permissions are sufficient.

Linux: run ARK under systemd

On Linux, systemd gives the server a named service, explicit working directory, dedicated account, and a place to define stop and restart behavior. The ARK Official Community Wiki’s example uses an ark-dedicated.service unit with SteamCMD preparation, a full ShooterGameServer path, WorkingDirectory, an interrupt signal for stopping, and a dedicated User and Group. Most popular Linux distributions, including Ubuntu, Debian, and Enterprise Linux, support systemd.

Use an explicit service definition

A production unit should make these elements unambiguous:

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• Executable: the full path to ShooterGameServer, rather than a path that depends on PATH.
• Working directory: the server’s binary or installation directory. The wiki says this option is required to fix issues such as mod downloads when -automanagedmods is used.
• Stop behavior: an orderly signal such as ExecStop=/bin/kill -s INT $MAINPID, followed by enough time for the process to exit.
• Account: a dedicated, unprivileged user and group. Do not run a game server as root.
• Startup preparation: an ExecStartPre action if your installation needs SteamCMD to update or validate files before launch.

Place the unit in the systemd service directory used by your distribution, then reload systemd after every edit. The essential administrative commands are:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable ark-dedicated
sudo systemctl start ark-dedicated
sudo systemctl stop ark-dedicated
sudo systemctl status ark-dedicated

enable controls boot-time activation; start launches the service now. They are separate operations, so verify both when configuring a new host.

Add automatic recovery for unexpected exits

A calendar timer is not the same as crash recovery. Configure the service’s failure policy according to your tolerance for automatic recovery, and inspect the journal after a restart loop. If the process exits because of a broken mod, full disk, invalid argument, or failed update, repeatedly starting it can hide the underlying fault. Use a back-off or rate limit and investigate the first failure rather than allowing unlimited rapid launches.

Schedule a Linux systemd restart

Systemd timer

A systemd timer is a natural companion to a systemd service. Create a separate timer unit whose activation invokes a small maintenance service. That maintenance service should stop ark-dedicated, wait for a clean exit, and start it again. Keeping the timer separate means the main service remains responsible for the process while the maintenance unit owns the calendar event.

After creating or changing the units:

1. Run sudo systemctl daemon-reload.
2. Enable the timer with sudo systemctl enable --now ark-restart.timer (using your actual timer name).
3. Inspect the schedule with systemctl list-timers.
4. Test the maintenance service manually before waiting for the first scheduled run.
5. Review journalctl -u ark-dedicated and the maintenance unit’s journal after the test.

Use the service’s full unit name in the stop and start actions. Do not call a shell alias that exists only in your interactive profile.

Cron

Cron can run a stop/start wrapper at a specified minute and hour. LinuxGSM’s boot and automation documentation describes cron as a way to run commands at a set time or on reboot. If you use cron, specify absolute paths, redirect output to a log, and run the entry as the dedicated server account. Cron has a smaller environment than an interactive shell, so commands that depend on a profile, relative path, or exported variable may fail silently.

A cron entry should call one tested wrapper, for example:

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30 5 * * * /home/ark/bin/maintenance-restart.sh >> /home/ark/logs/restart-cron.log 2>&1

Replace the paths and time with your installation’s values. The example expresses a recurring schedule; it is not a universal recommended restart hour.

LinuxGSM: combine scheduled restarts with monitoring

LinuxGSM provides an ARK-specific server integration and a command-oriented workflow. Its restart operation is:

./gameserver restart

LinuxGSM defines restart as stopping the game server and then starting it again. Your actual script may be named arkserver or another name, so use the filename created during installation. Run the command from the LinuxGSM installation directory and as the dedicated server user.

Schedule the planned restart

Use cron or another scheduler to invoke the LinuxGSM script at a low-traffic time:

1. Change to the LinuxGSM directory or call the script with its absolute path.
2. Run the script’s restart command.
3. Log standard output and errors.
4. Check that the process returns to a running state and that players can reconnect.

LinuxGSM’s basic usage documentation also lists cron automation for timed restarts, crash checks, updates, and backups. Keep updates as a deliberate separate step unless you have tested an update-before-restart workflow on your exact mod set.

Add crash monitoring

Schedule the monitor command more frequently than the planned restart:

./gameserver monitor

LinuxGSM recommends monitor for checking the server and restarting it after a crash. A typical division of responsibility is:

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• restart runs once during the maintenance window.
• monitor runs often enough to detect an unexpected exit without creating noisy overlapping jobs.
• update runs only when you intend to apply server files or mod changes.
• backup runs according to your data-retention plan.
• console is used for interactive administration when required.

Do not schedule several independent monitor jobs. One monitor process, one dedicated account, and one known working directory make failures easier to diagnose.

Warn players before the restart

A hard process kill can strand players and risk losing recent progress. If your server exposes RCON and your installed client supports broadcast commands, send warnings before the stop operation. A LinuxGSM project issue documents an extension that broadcasts at 15, 5, and 1 minute before a restart, then runs the restart workflow. Treat that sequence as an extension example, not as a built-in ARK scheduling option documented by the official wiki.

A practical warning sequence

1. At 15 minutes, broadcast the planned restart time and expected downtime.
2. At 5 minutes, broadcast again and save the world using your established administrative procedure.
3. At 1 minute, send the final warning and tell players to move to safety.
4. Stop the server gracefully and wait for process exit.
5. Start the service or LinuxGSM server.
6. Verify that the server answers and that players can reconnect before declaring maintenance complete.

Adapt the commands to the RCON client, credentials, permissions, and ARK server version installed on your host. Store credentials with file permissions that prevent other users from reading them. If RCON is unavailable or unreliable, use an in-game administrator message, a console announcement, or a community notification instead of pretending that a broadcast was delivered.

Security and reliability checklist

• Run the Linux service or LinuxGSM script as a dedicated unprivileged account.
• Use full executable and script paths in systemd and cron jobs.
• Set WorkingDirectory explicitly for systemd and use an explicit directory in wrappers.
• Reload systemd after editing a unit.
• Give the scheduled account access to saves, configuration, mods, logs, and the executable, but not unnecessary system files.
• Keep stop and start operations in one tested workflow.
• Prevent overlapping runs with a scheduler setting, a lock, or the service manager’s state checks.
• Keep restart, server, and RCON logs long enough to investigate failed maintenance.
• Back up saves before experimenting with new update or mod automation.
• Test after a reboot and while no administrator is logged in.

Troubleshoot a restart that fails

The task runs, but the server does not start

On Windows, inspect Start in (optional) first. A missing working directory is the common difference between an interactive batch run and a scheduled run. Confirm that the account can read the launcher, write saves, and access every relative path. On Linux, check the full executable path, WorkingDirectory, ownership, and the service journal.

The new process starts before the old one exits

Extend the stop-and-wait portion of the wrapper or maintenance unit. Confirm process exit explicitly rather than relying on a fixed short delay. Check for a stale process holding the game port and inspect the server log for save or shutdown errors.

Mods fail to download or load

Set the Linux systemd working directory to the server’s binary directory, as the ARK wiki recommends, particularly when using -automanagedmods. For Windows, set the scheduled task’s optional start directory to the batch-file directory. Verify that the unattended account has network access and write permission to the mod location.

LinuxGSM monitor keeps restarting the server

Read the first failure in the LinuxGSM and ARK logs before changing the schedule. A broken update, invalid launch argument, full disk, or mod failure can make automatic recovery loop. Stop the monitor temporarily, correct the underlying fault, run a manual start, and then re-enable monitoring.

Players receive no warnings

Confirm that RCON is enabled, the endpoint and credentials are correct, and the installed RCON client accepts the broadcast syntax for your server version. Log the result of each warning command. A scheduled restart should still proceed safely if a warning fails; do not leave the server running indefinitely because an optional notification step timed out.

Which setup should you use?

The important design choice is not the scheduler brand. It is keeping one launch definition, one graceful stop path, an explicit working directory, and a way to observe both planned and unplanned exits.

Final verification before relying on automation

1. Record the exact service, batch file, or LinuxGSM script that is authoritative.
2. Run the stop and start workflow manually as the unattended account.
3. Confirm a recent save exists and the old process exits cleanly.
4. Run the scheduled job immediately from the scheduler interface.
5. Check logs, process state, listening port, mod status, and player reconnection.
6. Test the crash-recovery path separately by using a controlled stop or failure procedure appropriate to your host.
7. Document the maintenance time, expected downtime, rollback steps, and the account that owns the server files.

Once those checks pass, schedule the recurring restart during low activity and keep crash monitoring on its own cadence. This arrangement gives planned maintenance a predictable window without confusing it with recovery from an unexpected crash.

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