Host a ARK: Survival Evolved Dedicated Server

As a man or woman stranded, naked, freezing, and starving on the unforgiving shores of a mysterious island called ARK, use your skill and cunning to kill or tame and ride the plethora of leviathan dinosaurs and other primeval creatures roaming the land. Hunt, harvest resources, craft items, grow crops, research technologies, and build shelters to withstand the elements and store valuables, all while teaming up with (or preying upon) hundreds of other players to survive, dominate... and escape!

Skip the Setup — Deploy Now or read the full guide below

Requirements Setup Guide Installation

Hardware Requirements

Here's what you need to run a ARK: Survival Evolved dedicated server.

Economy

Small private server, 1-10 players

CPU3 cores

RAM8 GB

Storage30 GB SSD

Standard

Community server, 10-30 players with mods

CPU3.5 cores

RAM12 GB

Storage30 GB SSD

Pro

Large public server, 30-70 players, heavy mods

CPU4.5 cores

RAM16 GB

Storage30 GB SSD

Start hosting from your own computer

Run a ARK: Survival Evolved server on your desktop, laptop, VPS, or dedicated machine — GameCP automates Docker setup, resource allocation, and ARK: Survival Evolved configuration instantly. Automatic port forwarding means your friends can connect without touching your router. Start local, scale to a VPS when you're ready.

Get Started FreeNo credit card required

Setup in 4 Steps

Skip the manual SteamCMD installation, port forwarding, and systemd configuration. Install on your own computer and start hosting instantly.

Step 01

Create a GameCP Account

GameCP gives you a full control panel with Docker containerization, file management, automatic port forwarding, and automatic updates — all built in.

Step 02

Connect Your Hardware

Install GameCP on your own desktop, laptop, VPS, or dedicated machine. One-line install — no SSH expertise needed.

GameCP installs Docker, configures networking, and sets up automatic port forwarding so your friends can connect instantly. Start hosting from your own PC and scale to a VPS later. Supports Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Step 03

Deploy ARK: Survival Evolved

Select "ARK: Survival Evolved" from the template library and hit deploy. GameCP handles SteamCMD (App ID: 376030), ports, startup commands, and all configuration automatically.

Uses the games:source image. Everything is configured out of the box. ~30 GB storage.

Step 04

Start Playing

Hit start and share your server address. Automatic port forwarding handles the rest — no router config needed.

GameCP provides live SOURCE console access from your browser. Your friends connect using the address GameCP gives you.

The Manual Way vs. GameCP

Manual Setup

✗ Install SteamCMD manually
✗ Configure 3+ firewall ports and router settings
✗ Write systemd service files
✗ SSH into server to edit configs
✗ Requires a VPS or dedicated server
✗ 30-60 minutes if experienced

With GameCP

One-click SteamCMD install
Automatic port forwarding — no router config
Host from your own PC, VPS, or dedicated server
Docker container with auto-restart
Visual config editor in browser
Under 5 minutes total

Under the Hood

The full manual process to host a ARK: Survival Evolved dedicated server on a VPS. Or install GameCP on your own computer and skip all of this.

Step 1

Configure & Prepare

Set your server settings, then install Docker, SteamCMD, and pull the ARK: Survival Evolved container image.

Server ConfigurationEdit values to update all commands

Server NameServer name displayed in the server browser

Session NameServer name displayed in the ARK server browser. D...

Server MapThe map the server will run

Server PasswordPassword required for players to join the server. ...

Admin PasswordPassword for RCON console and in-game admin comman...

Mod IDsComma-separated list of Steam Workshop Mod IDs (e....

Auto UpdateAutomatically update the server on startup.

Workshop Auto-DownloadAutomatically download and update workshop mods li...

BattlEye Anti-CheatEnable BattlEye anti-cheat protection. Disable for...

Additional ArgumentsAdditional launch parameters (e.g. -crossplay -exc...

Beta BranchInstall a specific beta branch. Requires a reinsta...

terminal

# Update system and install Docker
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y docker.io
sudo systemctl enable --now docker

# Create game server directory
sudo mkdir -p /opt/gameserver

# Install SteamCMD
sudo mkdir -p /opt/steamcmd
curl -sqL "https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz" | sudo tar zxvf - -C /opt/steamcmd

# Server configuration
export SESSION_NAME="${SERVER_NAME}"
export SERVER_MAP="TheIsland"
export AUTO_UPDATE="1"
export WORKSHOP_UPDATE="1"
export BATTLE_EYE="1"

# Pull the container image
docker pull ghcr.io/ptero-eggs/games:source

Step 2

Install Server Files via SteamCMD

Download the ARK: Survival Evolved dedicated server using Steam App ID 376030.

terminal

# Download ARK: Survival Evolved server files (App ID: 376030)
/opt/steamcmd/steamcmd.sh \
  +force_install_dir /opt/gameserver \
  +login anonymous \
  +app_update 376030 validate \
  +quit

Step 3

Open Firewall Ports

ARK: Survival Evolved requires 3 ports to be open for game traffic and queries.

terminal

sudo ufw allow 27015/udp
sudo ufw allow 7777/both
sudo ufw allow 27020/tcp

27015/UDP(PORT)7777/BOTH(GAME_PORT)27020/TCP(RCON_PORT)

Step 4

Launch the Server

Start the ARK: Survival Evolved server using the configuration from Step 1.

Create the startup script

terminal

# Create the startup script
cat > /opt/gameserver/start.sh << 'EOF'
#!/bin/bash

# Graceful shutdown function
rmv() {
echo 'Saving world and shutting down...'
rcon -t rcon -a 127.0.0.1:27020 -p saveworld 2>/dev/null
rcon -t rcon -a 127.0.0.1:27020 -p DoExit 2>/dev/null
wait 2>/dev/null
echo 'Server closed.'
exit 0
}
trap rmv 15 2

# Build optional flags
OPTIONAL_FLAGS=''
[ -z "" ] || OPTIONAL_FLAGS="?GameModIds="
[ "1" == "1" ] || OPTIONAL_FLAGS=" -NoBattlEye"

OPTIONAL_ARGS=''
[ -z "" ] || OPTIONAL_ARGS=" -automanagedmods"

# Start the ARK server
cd ShooterGame/Binaries/Linux && ./ShooterGameServer TheIsland?listen?SessionName=""?ServerPassword=?ServerAdminPassword=?Port=?RCONPort=27020?QueryPort=27015?RCONEnabled=True?MaxPlayers= -server -log &
ARK_PID=$!

# Wait for RCON to become available
until rcon -t rcon -a 127.0.0.1:27020 -p 2>/dev/null; do
echo 'waiting for rcon connection...'
sleep 5
done

# RCON connected, relay console input
echo 'RCON connected.'
wait
EOF
chmod +x /opt/gameserver/start.sh

Run the container

terminal

docker run -d \
  --name ark-survival-evolved-server \
  -p 27015:27015/udp \
  -p 7777:7777/both \
  -p 27020:27020/tcp \
  -e SESSION_NAME="${SERVER_NAME}" \
  -e SERVER_MAP="TheIsland" \
  -e AUTO_UPDATE="1" \
  -e WORKSHOP_UPDATE="1" \
  -e BATTLE_EYE="1" \
  -v /opt/gameserver:/opt/gameserver \
  -w /opt/gameserver \
  ghcr.io/ptero-eggs/games:source \
  ./start.sh

Or skip all of this

GameCP automates every step above: Docker, SteamCMD, port forwarding, startup, and config. Install on your own PC and deploy a ARK: Survival Evolved server in under 5 minutes.

Deploy with GameCP

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Explore ARK: Survival Evolved on GameCP

Host ARK: Survival Evolved from your own computer. Automatic port forwarding. Zero config.

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Host a ARK: Survival Evolved Dedicated Server

# Update system and install Docker sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y docker.io sudo systemctl enable --now docker # Create game server directory sudo mkdir -p /opt/gameserver # Install SteamCMD sudo mkdir -p /opt/steamcmd curl -sqL "https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz" | sudo tar zxvf - -C /opt/steamcmd # Server configuration export SESSION_NAME="${SERVER_NAME}" export SERVER_MAP="TheIsland" export AUTO_UPDATE="1" export WORKSHOP_UPDATE="1" export BATTLE_EYE="1" # Pull the container image docker pull ghcr.io/ptero-eggs/games:source

# Create the startup script cat > /opt/gameserver/start.sh << 'EOF' #!/bin/bash # Graceful shutdown function rmv() { echo 'Saving world and shutting down...' rcon -t rcon -a 127.0.0.1:27020 -p saveworld 2>/dev/null rcon -t rcon -a 127.0.0.1:27020 -p DoExit 2>/dev/null wait 2>/dev/null echo 'Server closed.' exit 0 } trap rmv 15 2 # Build optional flags OPTIONAL_FLAGS='' [ -z "" ] || OPTIONAL_FLAGS="?GameModIds=" [ "1" == "1" ] || OPTIONAL_FLAGS=" -NoBattlEye" OPTIONAL_ARGS='' [ -z "" ] || OPTIONAL_ARGS=" -automanagedmods" # Start the ARK server cd ShooterGame/Binaries/Linux && ./ShooterGameServer TheIsland?listen?SessionName=""?ServerPassword=?ServerAdminPassword=?Port=?RCONPort=27020?QueryPort=27015?RCONEnabled=True?MaxPlayers= -server -log & ARK_PID=$! # Wait for RCON to become available until rcon -t rcon -a 127.0.0.1:27020 -p 2>/dev/null; do echo 'waiting for rcon connection...' sleep 5 done # RCON connected, relay console input echo 'RCON connected.' wait EOF chmod +x /opt/gameserver/start.sh

docker run -d \ --name ark-survival-evolved-server \ -p 27015:27015/udp \ -p 7777:7777/both \ -p 27020:27020/tcp \ -e SESSION_NAME="${SERVER_NAME}" \ -e SERVER_MAP="TheIsland" \ -e AUTO_UPDATE="1" \ -e WORKSHOP_UPDATE="1" \ -e BATTLE_EYE="1" \ -v /opt/gameserver:/opt/gameserver \ -w /opt/gameserver \ ghcr.io/ptero-eggs/games:source \ ./start.sh