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For an ARK: Survival Ascended server, increase EggHatchSpeedMultiplier to shorten fertilized-egg incubation and live-birth pregnancy, and increase BabyMatureSpeedMultiplier to make babies grow faster. A value of 1.0 is the default; larger values are faster. Most current ASA setup guides place both keys in Game.ini under [/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameMode], although one widely circulated guide places them in GameUserSettings.ini under [ServerSettings]. Because an incorrect file is usually ignored without an error, verify the location your host and server build actually read.
Which settings control breeding speed?
ASA separates breeding into several timers. Incubation and maturation use upward multipliers: raise the number to make the process faster. Mating, cuddle, and some other recurring timers work differently: lowering their interval multipliers shortens the wait. Changing only one part of the cycle can produce an unplayable imprint schedule, so decide how the settings will work together before editing.
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| Setting | Controls | How to speed it up | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
EggHatchSpeedMultiplier |
Fertilized-egg incubation; it also accelerates pregnancy for species that give live birth. | Increase the value. | 1.0 |
BabyMatureSpeedMultiplier |
How quickly a baby progresses to adulthood. | Increase the value. | 1.0 |
BabyCuddleIntervalMultiplier |
The time between imprinting requests. | Decrease the value when necessary. | Not stated for ASA in the available documentation. |
MatingIntervalMultiplier |
The cooldown before a creature can mate again. | Decrease the value to shorten the cooldown. | Not stated for ASA in the available documentation. |
The two primary keys are independent. Raising hatch speed does not make a hatched baby mature faster, and raising maturation does not change how long an egg takes to hatch.
Choose the configuration file before editing
Why Game.ini is the usual location
The ARK Official Community Wiki describes Game.ini as the file for advanced server modifications. Multiple ASA breeding guides put the two breeding keys in that file beneath the ShooterGameMode section. On a dedicated server, common paths are:
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ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/for a Windows server installation.ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/for a Linux server installation.
Your provider may use a different root directory or expose the file through a web panel instead of a file browser. The folder name matters: edit the configuration directory used by the running instance, not a local client copy.
Why some guides say GameUserSettings.ini
One guide places the same keys in GameUserSettings.ini beneath [ServerSettings]. That conflicts with the more common Game.ini instructions. The conflict may reflect a hosting panel’s translation layer, a different server build, or a guide written for another ARK configuration convention. Do not assume that one placement works everywhere. If a correctly formatted value has no effect, test the other documented location after confirming that your host supports it.
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Back up and stop first
Stop the server before changing either file. A running instance can keep many server-setting values in memory and write them back when it shuts down, potentially overwriting your edit. Download or copy the original file so you can restore it, and record the previous values in a separate note.
Set incubation and maturation multipliers
- Stop the ASA server completely. Wait until the hosting panel reports it offline and no server process remains.
- Open the active configuration directory. Use the WindowsServer or LinuxServer path that your installation reads, or open the provider’s Game.ini editor.
- Open or create
Game.ini. If the host does not create the file automatically, create a plain-text file with exactly that filename. Do not save it asGame.ini.txt. - Add the section header once. Use
[/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameMode]. If the header already exists, add the keys below the existing header instead of creating conflicting duplicate sections. - Add the two key-value lines. For example:
[/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameMode]
EggHatchSpeedMultiplier=10.0
BabyMatureSpeedMultiplier=10.0- Save as unformatted text. Avoid smart quotes, spaces around the equals sign, and comments copied from a word processor.
- Start the server and allow it to finish loading. Join the same server and perform a controlled test with a newly fertilized egg or baby.
- Check the result in-game. Existing timers may not visibly recalculate in every situation; use a new breeding event to confirm that the setting was accepted.
The example uses 10.0 for both values only to demonstrate syntax. It is not a universal recommendation. One current guide suggests maturation values from 10 to 30 and egg-hatching values of 10 or more, while another example uses EggHatchSpeedMultiplier=15.0 and BabyMatureSpeedMultiplier=10.0. Treat those as configuration examples, not verified balance targets for every map, creature, or server population.
Pick values without breaking imprinting
Understand what a multiplier means
At 1.0, the server uses its normal timing. Increasing a speed multiplier tells the game to advance that process faster; the exact real-world duration still depends on the creature and the server’s other rules. A value of 10 is commonly described as roughly ten times the default speed, but the available ASA material does not provide a complete, authoritative timing table for every species.
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Plan cuddle intervals with maturation
Fast maturation can cause a baby to become an adult before enough cuddle requests occur for a full imprint. If you raise BabyMatureSpeedMultiplier, evaluate BabyCuddleIntervalMultiplier at the same time. Lowering the cuddle interval makes requests arrive more frequently. Leaving the interval unchanged while greatly accelerating growth can make 100% imprinting impossible, regardless of how carefully you attend the baby.
Make a small test first: use a low-risk breeding pair, note the first cuddle request, and check whether the next request arrives before the baby reaches adulthood. If the final request would occur too late, reduce the cuddle interval multiplier, lower maturation speed, or accept a lower imprint target. Do not assume that a single multiplier pair works equally well for every creature, because growth and imprint schedules differ.
Do not confuse mating cooldown with growth
MatingIntervalMultiplier controls the delay before another mating cycle; it does not accelerate egg incubation or baby growth. Because this is an interval, reducing it speeds up repeat breeding. Keep it separate from the two primary speed multipliers when troubleshooting.
Host-panel procedure
Commercial control panels often rename files, merge settings into forms, or regenerate configuration files. Use this workflow when you cannot see the normal folder:
- Stop the server from the panel, not merely disconnect from the game.
- Look for an “Expert settings,” “Raw configuration,” “Files,” or “Configuration” area. Labels vary by provider.
- Find the editor specifically labeled
Game.ini. If only a general server-settings editor exists, check whether it writes toGameUserSettings.ini. - Insert the section header and keys exactly as shown, preserving existing unrelated settings.
- Save, restart, and verify the generated file after startup. Some panels rewrite formatting or discard unsupported keys.
- If the values still do nothing, ask the host whether ASA permits custom
Game.inicreation on your plan and whether the panel writes to the WindowsServer or LinuxServer configuration path.
A Steam community report described Game.ini values that had no effect on a hosted server, but the cause was not established. The report is a warning to verify the provider’s implementation, not proof that a particular host or panel is defective.
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Troubleshoot “EggHatchSpeedMultiplier not working”
The key is in the wrong file
This is the first check because the documentation is inconsistent. Confirm the active file path, then test the alternative location only after making a backup. Use one placement at a time so you can tell which file the server recognizes.
The section header is wrong or duplicated
The commonly documented header is [/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameMode]. A missing bracket, a typo in ShooterGame, or placing the key under an unrelated section can cause it to be ignored. Keep one clean section and remove duplicate test entries before restarting.
The server was not fully stopped
If you edited while the process was running, the shutdown flush may have restored the old value. Stop, edit, save, and start again. Confirm the file’s modified time after shutdown and after startup to see whether the panel rewrote it.
You edited the wrong installation or platform folder
Dedicated servers can have multiple copies of a configuration tree after an update or migration. Search the server’s own installation for both WindowsServer and LinuxServer, and use the directory referenced by the launch configuration or provider documentation. A client-side Game.ini does not configure a remote server.
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The host removed an unsupported line
Some panels validate settings and silently omit unknown keys. Reopen the file after a restart. If the line disappeared, use the panel’s raw-file editor or request confirmation that custom ShooterGameMode settings are allowed.
You tested an existing event
Use a newly fertilized egg or newly born baby after the restart. Record the displayed timer before changing anything, then compare a fresh event under the new configuration. This avoids mistaking an already-running timer for a failed setting.
Single-player values are not a dedicated-server baseline
Some calculators and creature-breeding pages publish very high multipliers for single-player ASA. One such page is approximately 1,900 days old and is not a multiplayer-server reference. Single-player settings can include different assumptions, local pause behavior, or convenience targets. Do not copy those numbers directly to a rented or self-hosted server without testing imprint timing and server load.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.A practical testing checklist
- Write down the original values before editing.
- Stop the server and verify that it is offline.
- Use the active WindowsServer or LinuxServer configuration directory.
- Confirm the exact key spelling and capitalization.
- Place the keys beneath the documented ShooterGameMode header unless your host explicitly requires the ServerSettings file.
- Restart fully and inspect the file for panel overwrites.
- Test a fresh egg, pregnancy, or baby rather than relying on an old timer.
- Measure whether cuddle requests occur before maturity at the chosen growth speed.
- Change one variable at a time when diagnosing a failure.
- Keep a dated copy of the working configuration so an update or migration can be rolled back.
Recommended decision framework
If you mainly want faster eggs
Raise EggHatchSpeedMultiplier while leaving maturation unchanged. Include live-birth species in your test because the same key also affects pregnancy.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsIf you mainly want shorter baby care
Raise BabyMatureSpeedMultiplier, then check cuddle timing before applying it to valuable creatures. Adjust BabyCuddleIntervalMultiplier downward only as much as needed for the imprint schedule.
If you want a complete accelerated breeding loop
Set hatch and maturation independently, decide whether repeat mating needs a shorter cooldown, and model cuddle timing before publishing the values to all players. A fast hatch rate does not compensate for a maturation value that prevents full imprinting.
If nothing changes
Stop editing the numbers and verify the file, section, path, restart sequence, and host permissions in that order. Configuration placement is more likely to be the problem than the choice between 10 and 15.
What is and is not officially settled
As of October 14, 2026, publicly circulated ASA instructions agree on the names and purposes of EggHatchSpeedMultiplier and BabyMatureSpeedMultiplier, but they do not agree consistently on whether the keys belong in Game.ini or GameUserSettings.ini. The ARK Official Community Wiki identifies Game.ini as the advanced-modification file, while a separate guide uses the ServerSettings file. No official Studio Wildcard changelog or authoritative timing table was available to resolve that discrepancy for every ASA build. Treat the file location as a server-specific compatibility check, and validate the result in-game after each change.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does EggHatchSpeedMultiplier affect live births?
Yes. The setting covers fertilized-egg incubation and pregnancy for creatures that give live birth, so test a pregnancy as well as an egg if your server breeds both types.
Why did my baby reach adulthood before the final imprint?
The maturation multiplier was increased without making cuddle requests frequent enough. Lower BabyCuddleIntervalMultiplier, reduce maturation speed, or accept a lower imprint target after testing the creature’s schedule.
Should I put the settings in Game.ini or GameUserSettings.ini?
Most ASA guides use Game.ini under the ShooterGameMode header, but one guide uses GameUserSettings.ini under ServerSettings. Check which file your host and server build read, and verify with a fresh breeding event.
Can I change these values while the server is online?
Stop the server first. Running instances may retain settings in memory and write old values back during shutdown, erasing an online edit.
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