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Use GameUserSettings.ini for most ARK server rules and rates, and use Game.ini for deeper gameplay, breeding, and stat changes. Stop the server before editing, save each value in the section the game expects, then restart. ARK: Survival Evolved and ARK: Survival Ascended use different executables, map names, mod arguments, and player-limit settings, so a setting that works for one is not automatically valid for the other.
What the two ARK configuration files do
ARK separates ordinary server options from gameplay-system overrides. The separation is important because the server can silently ignore a valid-looking key placed in the wrong file or section.
GameUserSettings.ini: server rules and rates
GameUserSettings.ini contains most practical server options. Dedicated-server rules normally belong under the [ServerSettings] section. Examples include experience, taming, harvesting, hunger, night speed, difficulty, map-location visibility, and other session behavior.
The file also contains client-side preferences. A dedicated server ignores those client-only entries; changing them will not alter what other players experience. Do not assume that every line in the file is a server setting simply because it appears in the same document.
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Game.ini: gameplay-system overrides
Game.ini is used for deeper gameplay changes, including engram points, experience per level, stat scaling, item stack sizes, disabled content, custom non-player-character spawns, and breeding multipliers. Gameplay parameters are placed under [/script/shootergame.shootergamemode] in ARK: Survival Evolved examples.
Game.ini is not normally created by a fresh installation. Owners usually create a plain-text file with that exact name in the server’s configuration directory, then add the required header and keys. A file named Game.ini.txt will not be read as Game.ini on Windows if file extensions are hidden.
Where ARK stores the files
Dedicated servers
For both Evolved and Ascended, the directory most guides identify is:
ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/
Some installations and management guides use a different configuration directory, such as a Config/server path. If the expected files are not there, inspect the server’s actual ShooterGame/Saved/Config tree and the startup documentation for that installation. Edit the files the running instance creates, not an unused copy elsewhere.
Steam client installation
For an Ascended Steam client, configuration files are commonly under:
ShooterGameSavedConfigWindows
Some installations also use a WindowsNoEditor variant. Client paths are not interchangeable with dedicated-server paths: changing a local client file does not change a rented or separately hosted server.
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Safe editing procedure
Most reports of settings that “do not save” are caused by editing the wrong instance, editing while the server is running, or putting a key in the wrong file.
- Identify the edition. Confirm whether the instance is Evolved or Ascended, then identify its map, executable, and configuration directory.
- Stop the server completely. Use the server console, service manager, or control-panel stop action and wait until the process has exited.
- Back up both files. Copy
GameUserSettings.iniandGame.inibefore changing them. Keep a dated backup so a bad value can be removed without rebuilding the file. - Open the active files as plain text. Use a text editor that does not add rich-text formatting. Preserve section headers in square brackets.
- Put each key in its required section. Server rates normally go in
GameUserSettings.iniunder[ServerSettings]; breeding and stat overrides normally go inGame.iniunder the game-mode script section. - Save, then start the server. A restart is required for changes to apply. Join only after the server has finished loading the map.
- Verify in game and in the files. Check the observed behavior, then stop the server once more and confirm that the line remains present. If the server rewrites the file without your entry, treat that as evidence that the path, syntax, section, or key is wrong.
Do not edit a running server and expect the change to survive. The process keeps most [ServerSettings] values in memory and can write its in-memory copy back over your edits when it stops.
Common GameUserSettings.ini options
The following values and effects are reported for ARK: Survival Evolved guides. They are starting points, not universal guarantees; check the live server after each restart.
| Key | Typical location | Effect | Documented value or note |
|---|---|---|---|
XPMultiplier |
[ServerSettings] in GameUserSettings.ini |
Scales experience gained from all sources. | Default 1.0; a commonly used custom value is 3.0. |
TamingSpeedMultiplier |
[ServerSettings] |
Changes how quickly creatures are tamed. | Default 1.0; higher values tame faster. |
HarvestAmountMultiplier |
[ServerSettings] |
Scales yields from chopping, gathering berries, harvesting carcasses, and mining. | No single custom value is established; select a value for your server’s progression goals. |
NightTimeSpeedScale |
[ServerSettings] |
Changes the speed of nighttime only. | Use it when nights feel too long; it does not by itself change daytime speed. |
PlayerCharacterFoodDrainMultiplier |
[ServerSettings] |
Controls how quickly players become hungry. | No universal recommended value; test alongside your food production rate. |
OverrideOfficialDifficulty |
[ServerSettings] |
Raises the wild-creature level cap. | 0.0 disables the override. |
Values are multipliers, so a number above 1 generally increases the associated rate and a number below 1 generally slows it. The exact result can also depend on game mode, map, creature, or another related setting.
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Breeding and progression changes belong in Game.ini
Breeding keys are a frequent source of failed configuration because they are copied into GameUserSettings.ini. Put these under [/script/shootergame.shootergamemode] in Game.ini for Evolved-style configuration:
EggHatchSpeedMultiplierchanges incubation speed.BabyMatureSpeedMultiplierchanges how quickly a baby reaches maturity.MatingIntervalMultiplierchanges the wait between mating attempts.
A value that is valid in Game.ini can be silently ignored in GameUserSettings.ini. If a breeding change has no effect, first move it to Game.ini, confirm the header is spelled exactly, stop and restart the server, and test with a new breeding cycle.
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The same file is used for other deep overrides such as engram points per level, XP-per-level curves, player or creature stat scaling, item stack sizes, disabling content, and custom NPC spawn definitions. Each feature has its own key syntax; do not paste a key from a different feature into the breeding section without checking its required header.
Settings that do not follow the usual section
SessionName
SessionName belongs under [SessionSettings], not the ordinary [ServerSettings] block. If the server name does not change, check that section before changing capitalization or punctuation.
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For Evolved guides, MaxPlayers is commonly placed under [/Script/Engine.GameSession]. Older guides put it under [ServerSettings], so copied configurations can conflict with newer layouts. Use the section expected by the Evolved build and confirm the effective player limit after restarting.
Ascended handles the limit differently: set it with the -WinLiveMaxPlayers launch parameter rather than relying on an INI entry. A control panel may expose this argument as a startup field instead of showing it inside either file.
ARK: Survival Evolved versus ARK: Survival Ascended
Before troubleshooting a key, establish which game is actually running. The editions are not drop-in compatible.
| Configuration axis | ARK: Survival Evolved | ARK: Survival Ascended |
|---|---|---|
| Dedicated executable | ShooterGameServer.exe |
ArkAscendedServer.exe |
| Example Island map name | TheIsland |
TheIsland_WP |
| Mod loading | Steam Workshop; launch arguments historically use -MapModID. |
CurseForge; launch arguments use -mods=. |
| Maximum players | Use the Evolved configuration section expected by the build. | Use -WinLiveMaxPlayers at launch. |
| Server platform | Runs natively on Windows and Linux. | Requires Windows or a Windows-like environment. |
| Reported edition-specific keys | Not applicable to Ascended-only options. | Community references report keys such as ActiveMapMod and AllowCryoFridgeOnSaddle; the exact Ascended Game.ini header for these was not confirmed. |
Map names matter in startup commands. Using TheIsland when the Ascended installation expects TheIsland_WP, or carrying an Evolved mod argument into Ascended, can make the server launch the wrong map or fail to load content.
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Several Evolved DLC maps listed in older guides—Genesis Part 1, Genesis Part 2, Crystal Isles, Lost Island, and Fjordur—are reported as unavailable on Ascended. Do not infer Ascended availability from an Evolved map list.
Self-hosted files versus a hosted control panel
| Task | Self-hosted server | Hosted control panel |
|---|---|---|
| Find the files | Open the installation’s ShooterGame/Saved/Config path and identify the active subfolder. |
Use the provider’s file manager or configuration editor; confirm which service and edition it controls. |
| Change a server rate | Stop the process, edit GameUserSettings.ini, save, and restart. | Stop the instance, edit the corresponding raw INI or rate field, save, and restart. |
| Set an Ascended player limit | Add -WinLiveMaxPlayers to the startup command. |
Enter the same argument in the launch-parameter field. |
| Recover from a bad edit | Restore the backup or remove the last entry while stopped. | Restore the panel backup or use its reset option, then restart. |
Panels sometimes regenerate files from their own form values. If a manually added line disappears, inspect the panel’s raw-file view and startup settings; a form-level value may be overwriting the file on each launch.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why a setting is not saving or taking effect
The server was running during the edit
Stop it, wait for the process to exit, make the change, and restart. A live instance can overwrite the edited file with its in-memory values.
The wrong file was edited
Move ordinary server rates to GameUserSettings.ini and breeding or stat multipliers to Game.ini. Editing a client copy cannot change a dedicated server.
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Create a plain-text file named exactly Game.ini in the active server configuration folder. Add the required section header before the key. Ensure the operating system is not hiding a second extension.
The section header is wrong
Check spelling, brackets, capitalization, and the slash syntax in [/script/shootergame.shootergamemode]. SessionName and Evolved MaxPlayers use different sections from ordinary server rates.
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Confirm the executable and map naming. On Ascended, test launch arguments such as -WinLiveMaxPlayers and -mods= in the startup configuration rather than assuming an Evolved INI key will work.
The value is valid but the expected default is uncertain
Community guides disagree on some defaults. Check the server after a clean restart instead of treating a guide’s table as authoritative.
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Conflicting defaults you should verify
DifficultyOffset
One guide reports a default of 0.2, associated with approximately level-30 maximum wild creatures; another reports 1.0 and describes a range from 0.0 to 1.0. Because these descriptions conflict, do not use either as a universal baseline. Many owners rely on OverrideOfficialDifficulty instead and then verify the resulting wild levels in game.
ShowMapPlayerLocation
Reference tables disagree about its default, listing either False or True. Set the value explicitly when map-location behavior matters, then test with a player after the restart.
These conflicts are why a backup, a single-change workflow, and an in-game verification step are more reliable than copying a large “recommended settings” block.
Quick Recap
A practical validation checklist
- Confirm Evolved or Ascended before choosing a path, executable, map name, or mod argument.
- Confirm you edited the active server folder rather than a client or obsolete installation.
- Stop the server before every file edit.
- Use
[ServerSettings]for ordinary rates,[SessionSettings]for SessionName, and the documented script sections for deeper overrides. - Keep breeding and stat multipliers in Game.ini.
- Create Game.ini manually when it is absent.
- Use
-WinLiveMaxPlayersfor Ascended’s player limit. - Restart and test one change at a time.
- After stopping again, confirm the server retained the line.
- When a value conflicts across guides, set it explicitly and verify the live result rather than trusting an assumed default.
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