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The documented settings below apply to Survival Evolved (ASE). They should not be assumed to work identically in ARK: Survival Ascended without checking that game’s current server documentation.
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What RCON does on an ARK server
RCON is a remote administration connection for a dedicated server. Once enabled, an RCON client can communicate with the server without requiring you to be in the game. It is useful when you administer a server from another machine, run a hosted instance, or need to monitor and manage a server while it is not convenient to launch the game.
RCON is optional and disabled by default in the ARK Official Community Wiki configuration reference. Enabling the switch alone is not enough: the same reference requires an RCON port and an administrator password. The connection also depends on network reachability, so a correctly edited configuration can still appear broken if the TCP port is blocked or mapped to the wrong server.
Scope: Survival Evolved, not automatically Survival Ascended
The documented configuration in this guide is for ARK: Survival Evolved dedicated servers. File names, control-panel labels, ports and configuration behavior can differ between ASE, Survival Ascended, operating systems and hosting companies. If you run Survival Ascended, use its current dedicated-server documentation rather than copying these values without verification.
Likewise, a provider’s panel workflow is not a universal ARK procedure. The file and setting names are the portable part; the way you allocate a public port, restart the instance and reach the file depends on where the server runs.
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| Setting | Value or format | Purpose and qualification |
|---|---|---|
RCONEnabled |
True |
Enables RCON. The documented default is False. |
RCONPort |
An integer TCP port, commonly 27020 |
Port on which the server accepts RCON connections. Use the port actually assigned to this instance. |
ServerAdminPassword |
Your administrator password | The password used by the documented RCON access path. Keep it private and unique to this server. |
The ARK Official Community Wiki states: “If True, enables RCON, needs RCONPort=<TCP_PORT> and ServerAdminPassword=<admin_password> to work.” The same reference lists 27020 as the default RCON port. A host may assign another port, so the number in your configuration, firewall rule and RCON client must match.
Before you edit anything
- Confirm that the server is a dedicated ASE server, not a single-player or non-dedicated session.
- Identify the operating system and hosting provider so you can find the correct
GameUserSettings.inifile. - Decide whether the RCON port will be the default
27020or another unused TCP port assigned by your host. - Have the server’s reachable address ready. A private LAN address works only for clients that can route to that network; remote administrators normally need the provider’s public address or your router’s public address.
- Plan a maintenance restart. Changes in the file do not take effect until the server process reloads its configuration.
Self-hosted setup: edit the configuration
1. Stop or prepare the server for maintenance
Back up the existing configuration before changing it. If your server manager provides a stop command, stopping first avoids having the running process overwrite a file while you edit it. If you edit while the server is running, save a copy and still perform a full restart afterward.
2. Locate the correct GameUserSettings.ini
The location varies by operating system and installation method. The documented Linux example is ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/GameUserSettings.ini. Windows installations and managed hosts use different paths. Do not create a second file in a similarly named directory: the server may continue reading the original file and appear not to accept your changes.
If you are unsure which file is active, use the server manager’s configuration-file link or inspect the launch profile and save directory used by that instance. On a machine hosting several servers, verify the instance-specific directory before editing.
3. Edit the [ServerSettings] section
Open the file as plain text and find the [ServerSettings] header. Add the following entries beneath that header, or change existing entries rather than creating conflicting duplicates:
[ServerSettings]
ServerAdminPassword=replace-with-a-strong-unique-password
RCONEnabled=True
RCONPort=27020Replace the password and port with the values for your server. Keep the spelling, capitalization and equals signs exactly as shown. A Boolean value of True enables the feature; leaving the setting at False, using a different spelling, or placing it outside the intended section can prevent RCON from starting.
The provider documentation used for this procedure shows an alphanumeric example password for its panel workflow. That example is not a general security standard. Use a long, unique administrator password, do not reuse a personal account password, and do not publish it in screenshots, tickets or chat logs.
4. Save without changing the file type
Save the file as GameUserSettings.ini, not as a rich-text document or a second file such as GameUserSettings.ini.txt. Preserve the existing section structure. If a control panel regenerates configuration files, make the change in the panel’s editor or apply it after the panel’s template has been saved.
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Self-hosted firewall rule
RCON uses TCP. Allow inbound TCP traffic on the selected RCON port in the operating-system firewall. If you selected the default, the rule is for TCP 27020; if you selected another value, substitute that value. An inbound UDP rule does not satisfy the documented RCON requirement.
Router forwarding
When the server is behind a home or office router, forward the same TCP port from the public interface to the server’s private IP address. Reserve the server’s private address if possible so a DHCP change does not send the rule to another device. The ARK dedicated-server setup reference notes that manual forwarding may be needed because the server does not support UPnP or other automatic port-forwarding protocols.
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Do not confuse RCON with the game, peer or query ports. The setup reference lists game traffic as UDP 7777, peer traffic as UDP 7778, and Steam query traffic as UDP 27015. Those ports serve different functions; opening them does not replace the RCON TCP rule.
Provider-managed networking
A managed host may expose a public port allocation, private port, or mapping screen instead of asking you to edit a router. Use the TCP protocol and copy the allocated RCON port into RCONPort. If the panel displays both an external and internal number, follow its mapping and use the externally reachable number in the RCON client unless the provider explicitly says otherwise.
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Restart and connect with an RCON client
- Save the configuration and firewall or panel changes.
- Restart the dedicated server. A restart is required for the server process to load
RCONEnabled,RCONPortand the password. - Open an RCON client. The material reviewed for this guide does not endorse a particular client, so choose one that supports ASE’s RCON protocol and current operating system.
- Enter the server’s reachable address, the configured TCP port and the exact administrator password.
- Connect only after the server has completed startup. If the client reports a timeout, troubleshoot network reachability first; if it reports authentication failure, verify the password and the file that was edited.
No particular client, command set or successful connection test is established by the cited documentation. Client interfaces differ, but every client still needs the same three connection values: address, TCP port and password.
Provider example: Akliz Command Center
Akliz’s ASE instructions illustrate a managed-host workflow. Customers first open an RCON port with TCP in Command Center, then edit GameUserSettings.ini under [ServerSettings], set RCONEnabled=True, ensure ServerAdminPassword exists, set RCONPort to the allocated port and restart the server.
Those clicks and port-mapping options are Akliz-specific. Other hosts may use different labels, automatically create the firewall rule, expose only a proxy address, or require a support request. The Akliz article also describes its example administrator password as the RCON password; do not assume every provider uses the same account arrangement. Retain the portable settings, but follow your own host’s current panel instructions for allocation and restart.
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Every server instance needs a distinct RCON port. If two processes listen on the same port, one cannot bind successfully and the other may receive the traffic. Assign a separate port in each instance’s own GameUserSettings.ini, then create a matching firewall and forwarding or panel mapping for each one.
| Instance | Example RCON port | Required consistency |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | TCP 27020 |
RCONPort=27020, firewall rule and client all use 27020 |
| 2 | TCP 27021 |
Use 27021 in that instance’s file and network mapping |
| 3 | TCP 27022 |
Use 27022 in that instance’s file and network mapping |
The setup reference gives 27020, 27021 and 27022 as successive examples and separately shows 32330 as another possible RCON port. These are examples, not a requirement to use a particular range. Check that a chosen port is unused and permitted by your host and router.
Security and exposure decisions
Protect the administrator password
The administrator password grants privileged server access through the documented RCON path. Store it in a password manager, limit who receives it, and rotate it if it appears in a log, screenshot or shared configuration. Do not place it in public startup scripts or commit it to a public repository.
Limit who can reach the port
If only a few administrators need RCON, restrict the firewall rule to their trusted source addresses where your operating system, router or provider supports source filtering. Otherwise, expose only the required TCP port and avoid opening broad port ranges. The evidence establishes the technical requirement for TCP reachability, not a universal security policy, so choose restrictions appropriate to your network.
Separate administration from gameplay ports
Keep the RCON rule distinct from the UDP rules used for game, peer and query traffic. This makes audits and troubleshooting easier and prevents the mistaken assumption that a working game connection proves RCON is reachable.
Verification checklist
Use this sequence after every change:
- Confirm the server is ASE and that you edited the active instance’s
GameUserSettings.ini. - Confirm the entries appear under
[ServerSettings]:RCONEnabled=True, a validRCONPort, andServerAdminPassword. - Confirm the selected port is TCP, not UDP, in the operating-system firewall, router rule and provider panel.
- Confirm no other instance on the host is using the same RCON port.
- Restart the server and wait for it to finish starting.
- Enter the same address, port and password in the RCON client.
This checklist follows the documented dependencies. It is not a claim that every RCON client reports errors in the same way.
Troubleshooting by symptom
The client times out or cannot reach the server
- Check that the server actually restarted after the file was saved.
- Verify that
RCONEnabled=Trueis in the active file and section. - Compare the client port with
RCONPortand the provider’s allocated external port. - Confirm that the firewall rule is inbound TCP. A UDP-only rule will not work for RCON.
- On a self-hosted network, verify router forwarding to the server’s current private IP.
- On a managed host, confirm that the RCON port was opened or mapped in the control panel.
The client connects but rejects the password
- Re-enter the exact value of
ServerAdminPassword, including capitalization and punctuation. - Check that you edited the configuration for the instance you are contacting.
- Restart again after changing the password.
- Ensure the client is not automatically supplying an old saved credential.
One of several servers works and another does not
- Inspect each instance’s file separately; do not assume a shared configuration applies to all servers.
- Look for a port collision. Assign unique ports such as 27020, 27021 and 27022.
- Match every instance’s port to its own firewall rule and public-to-private mapping.
- Confirm that the client address points to the intended instance, especially when all instances share one public IP.
Settings seem to disappear after a restart
Some panels regenerate files from templates. Check whether the host requires changes through its configuration editor, whether the wrong operating-system directory was edited, or whether a save operation replaced your manual changes. The documented Linux path is an example, not a universal location.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Opening UDP 27020 instead of TCP 27020.
- Changing
RCONPortwithout changing the firewall, router or hosting-panel mapping. - Using the default port on multiple instances.
- Editing a similarly named file that the running server does not read.
- Forgetting the restart.
- Sharing the administrator password or treating a provider’s sample password as a recommended standard.
- Assuming ASE instructions automatically apply to Survival Ascended.
What to recheck after updates or migration
When you move the server to another operating system, host or control panel, re-identify the active configuration path and confirm whether the provider assigns a new public port. Recreate the TCP firewall and forwarding rules, test each instance separately, and replace any password that was exposed during the migration. When ARK server software or documentation changes, verify that the current ASE configuration reference still lists the same keys and defaults before relying on an old template.
The official community-wiki excerpts used for these settings did not expose a publication or update date in the retrieved material. That means the default port and file conventions should be checked against the current page and your server build when you perform a new installation. The technical dependency remains straightforward: the server must enable RCON, listen on the configured TCP port, accept the configured administrator password and be reachable through the network path used by the client.
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