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In Steam, open View > Servers (called Game Servers in some clients), choose Favorites, click Add a Server, enter your ARK server as PUBLIC_IP:QUERY_PORT, select Find Games at This Address, and add the returned server. Then launch ARK: Survival Evolved, open Join ARK, and change the server filter to Favorites.

What you need before adding the server

The Steam Favorites method works when you have two pieces of information from the server owner or hosting control panel:

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  • The address players can reach. Remote players normally need the host’s public IP address. A player on the same local network may need a LAN address instead, depending on how that network is configured.
  • The server’s query port. This is the port Steam uses to ask the server for its name, application ID, and status.

Write the address in one line with a colon between the IP and query port, such as 203.0.113.25:27015. The IP in that example is reserved for documentation; replace it with the address supplied for your server.

Do not assume that the port used by players to enter the game is the port Steam needs for Favorites. ARK servers can have separate game, peer, query, and RCON ports. The configured values on your server are authoritative.

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How to add your ARK server to Steam Favorites

1. Get the public IP and query port

Ask the administrator for the exact reachable IP address and query port, or copy both values from the hosting panel. If the panel lists several ports, specifically identify the one labelled query, Steam query, or similar. Keep the game port as a separate value; you may need it when checking firewall and forwarding rules, but it is not automatically the Favorites port.

2. Open Steam’s server browser

  1. Start the Steam desktop client.
  2. Open View in the top menu.
  3. Choose Servers. Some Steam client versions display this as Game Servers.
  4. Select the Favorites tab.

If you do not see the exact wording, look for the Steam server-browser window rather than ARK’s own server list. The labels have changed between Steam client versions, but the Favorites tab and an add control remain the relevant controls.

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3. Query the address

  1. Click Add a Server. Depending on the client, this may appear as an add or plus control.
  2. Enter the complete value as IP:QUERYPORT, for example 203.0.113.25:27015.
  3. Click Find Games at This Address.

Steam now sends a query to that endpoint. A result means Steam received a response from a game server at the address and port you entered; it does not mean you entered the gameplay port correctly by accident. The query port is what makes this lookup work.

4. Save the returned ARK server

When the ARK server appears in the results, select it and choose Add Selected Game Server to Favorites. Some versions use Add this address to favorites. Confirm that the server is listed in the Favorites tab before closing the window.

A 2015 Steam Community guide describes this action as adding the address both to Steam’s server list and, more importantly, to the in-game list. The exact presentation can vary with client and game updates, so use the in-game check below to confirm the result.

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5. Select Favorites inside ARK

  1. Launch ARK: Survival Evolved through Steam.
  2. Choose Join ARK from the main menu.
  3. Open the server filter or list selector.
  4. Change it to Favorites.
  5. Select the server you saved and join it.

If the server is absent from this filtered list, return to Steam’s server browser and check whether the address still produces a result. That separates a saved-favorite display problem from a reachability or query problem.

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Which port should you use: 7777 or 27015?

Use the query port, not a port number chosen solely because it is a common ARK default. A frequently seen arrangement uses game port 7777 and query port 27015, but administrators can configure different values. If your control panel says the query port is 27018, enter PUBLIC_IP:27018; if it says 27015, enter PUBLIC_IP:27015.

Port information What it is used for What to enter in Steam Favorites
Game port (common example: 7777) Player game traffic for the ARK server Do not substitute it unless the server’s configuration explicitly uses that same number as its query port
Query port (common example: 27015) Steam server-browser queries and status discovery Enter this value after the public IP in IP:QUERYPORT
Query port above the 27019/27020 range A nonstandard query value that Steam may not infer during discovery Supply the configured port explicitly in the address

The ARK dedicated-server setup reference lists game, peer, query, and RCON ports as separate settings. Treat the values shown by your running server as authoritative rather than relying on defaults copied from another installation.

Why doesn’t my ARK server show up in Steam Favorites?

A missing result usually comes from one of four areas: the server is not answering, the address is wrong for your location, the wrong port was entered, or network rules are blocking the query. Check them in this order.

Confirm that the server is online and answering queries

  • Check the hosting panel or machine to make sure the ARK server process is running.
  • Verify that it has finished starting and is accepting connections, rather than still loading a map or restarting.
  • Ask another player or the administrator whether the server is currently reachable. A powered-off or restarting process cannot appear in Favorites regardless of the address format.

Check that you used the right address for your network

Players connecting over the internet generally need the host’s public IP address. A player inside the same LAN may instead need a local address, depending on the router’s loopback and NAT behavior. If a public address fails only for a player on the same network, have that player try the LAN address supplied by the administrator while an external player tests the public address.

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Do not add a private LAN address for remote friends; it is not routable from the internet. Conversely, do not assume that a public address will always loop back correctly from inside the host’s own network.

Recheck the query port, not just the IP

Compare the number in your Steam entry with the server’s current query-port setting. Entering IP:7777 when the query port is 27015 asks Steam to query the game port, which commonly produces no result. If the host changed ports after you saved the favorite, remove the stale entry and add the current IP:QUERYPORT value again.

Also check the punctuation: there is one colon between the address and port, with no spaces. An IPv4 example is 198.51.100.42:27015; use the actual address supplied for your server.

Verify firewall and router forwarding

The server must be reachable through any firewall on the host and any router between the internet and the machine. The ARK setup guidance says both UDP and TCP local ports must be forwarded for the server to appear on lists. Check rules for the configured game and query ports, not only the common defaults.

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  • Confirm that the router forwards the configured ports to the machine running ARK.
  • Confirm that the host operating system firewall allows the relevant UDP and TCP traffic.
  • Make sure the forwarding target is still the same machine if its local address was assigned dynamically.
  • If the server is behind more than one router, check forwarding at each NAT boundary.

A server can be running normally and still be invisible if the query port is blocked. Opening only the gameplay port does not guarantee that Steam can discover the server.

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Use Steam’s browser even when ARK’s list is incomplete

If the server does not appear while browsing inside ARK, query the address directly in Steam’s server browser using the workflow above. Direct querying can reveal a server that is not currently returned by the in-game list and gives you a separate place to verify whether the endpoint answers.

Use the Steam master-server check for diagnosis

The ARK setup reference provides a Steam Web API endpoint that reports servers found at an address:

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https://api.steampowered.com/ISteamApps/GetServersAtAddress/v0001?addr=<IP>

Replace <IP> with the server’s IP address. A successful response includes the server address, application ID 346110 (ARK: Survival Evolved), game port, and related fields. This is a diagnostic check: it tells you what the Steam master-server service can see at that address, but it does not repair a firewall, router, server-process, or port-configuration problem.

Interpret the result alongside your local test:

  • If the API reports the ARK application and a game port, Steam’s master-server service can see an ARK endpoint at that IP. Recheck the query-port value entered in the client and the saved favorite.
  • If it returns no ARK server, investigate the running process, public address, query-port configuration, and UDP/TCP forwarding before trying to save the favorite again.
  • If the API works for an external address but a LAN player cannot connect, test the LAN/public-address distinction and the router’s loopback behavior.
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Steam Favorites versus other ways to find the server

These methods solve different problems. Steam Favorites is the documented IP-and-query-port workflow for the Steam edition. ARK’s in-game search is convenient when the server is already discoverable by its normal browser filters. A direct console or IP connection is a separate route where the platform and current client support it.

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Discovery method Information or action required What it helps you verify Platform note
Steam Favorites Public or reachable IP plus query port in IP:QUERYPORT; query with Find Games at This Address Whether Steam can query the endpoint and save it for the ARK Favorites filter Documented for the Steam version
ARK in-game server search Open Join ARK and use its server browser and filters Whether ARK’s current list returns the server during normal browsing List visibility depends on the game’s discovery behavior
Direct console/IP connection Use the platform’s currently supported in-game console or direct-connect procedure Whether a direct connection works even when a browser list is incomplete Support and commands vary by platform and client version

For most Steam players, Favorites is the practical choice because the saved address can be selected from ARK’s own Favorites filter after the Steam query succeeds.

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Steam and Epic versions do not use the same workflow

The procedure in this guide is for ARK purchased and launched through Steam. The Epic Games Store version has different connection behavior. A Host Havoc support guide updated June 10, 2026, says the Epic version does not currently provide the same direct IP/port join method and describes using ARK’s in-game console instead.

Do not apply Steam’s View > Servers Favorites steps to Epic and assume the result will be identical. If you use Epic, check the current ARK client instructions for the console-based route and confirm that the command and cross-platform support still match your version. Platform behavior can change with client updates.

A clean troubleshooting sequence

When you need to resolve a failure quickly, follow this order so each test isolates one variable:

  1. Ask for the current public IP and query port rather than copying an old bookmark.
  2. Confirm the server process is online and fully started.
  3. Enter IP:QUERYPORT in Steam’s Favorites tab and run Find Games at This Address.
  4. If there is no result, make sure you did not enter the game port in place of the query port.
  5. Check router forwarding and host-firewall rules for both UDP and TCP on the configured game and query ports.
  6. Use the Steam master-server check with the IP to see whether an ARK endpoint is visible externally.
  7. After Steam returns the server, add the selected result to Favorites and select Favorites under ARK’s Join ARK screen.
  8. For a LAN-only player, repeat the test with the appropriate local address if the public address is not reachable from inside the network.

This sequence prevents a common mistake: changing filters inside ARK when Steam has never successfully queried the server in the first place.

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What to remember

  • The Steam path is View > Servers/Game Servers > Favorites > Add a Server.
  • The address format is PUBLIC_IP:QUERY_PORT.
  • 7777 is a common game-port example; 27015 is a common query-port example. Use the configured query value, not a default guessed from another server.
  • After saving the result in Steam, choose Favorites in ARK’s Join ARK browser.
  • A missing server points first to availability, address selection, wrong query port, firewall, or port-forwarding rules.
  • Steam and Epic versions have different direct-connection workflows.

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