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Up to 10 players
Up to10 GBRAM · 10 slots
For up to 10 players.
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The original ARK,
on your rules.
ARK: Survival Evolved, the 2015 original rather than the Ascended remake, on a server in London sized by how many of you play. Run any of the 13 official maps, set your own taming, XP and breeding rates, and add Workshop mods.
- No contracts
- One-click cancel
- Real people on support
Official maps
13
7 of them free to play
ARK: Survival Evolved art © Studio Wildcard. HavoNode isn't affiliated with or endorsed by Studio Wildcard.
ARK plans
Sized for your tribe.
And your map.
Every plan comes with everything further down this page. What changes is the number of player slots and how much RAM the server can use. Tell us how many of you play and whether you'll run mods, and we'll show you where to start.
Start with 30 slots and up to 12 GB for up to 30 players.
Start here
Up to 30 players
Up to12 GBRAM · 30 slots
For up to 30 players, or up to 10 with mods.
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Up to 60 players
Up to16 GBRAM · 60 slots
For up to 60 players, or up to 30 with mods.
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In ARK the map matters as much as the players. The ARK wiki measured an empty Genesis: Part 2 server at 10 to 12.5 GB, and Lost Island and Crystal Isles at 5.5 to 7 GB, so start a size up on those maps. A busy Genesis: Part 2 server can need more than our biggest plan.
These sizes are a guide. Mods, game settings and updates can all change how much RAM a server needs.
Our promises
Lag-free promise
We never overload our machines. If your server lags because of our hardware, we fix it at our cost.
One-click cancel
Cancel from your account whenever you like. It takes one click, and you won’t have to argue with anyone first.
Your backups, your files
Automatic daily backups you can restore or download any time. Your world never gets held hostage.
Help that knows your server
An AI assistant in your Game Panel that reads your server's logs and config files, and changes nothing until you approve it.
Maps
All 13 official maps.
Pick your ARK.
Your server can run any official map, including the paid ones. Players need to own a paid map to play on it; the free ones are open to everyone with the game.
The Island
The original story map: jungle, swamp and snowy northern mountains, with three obelisks.
- Server map
TheIsland- Max wild level
- 120
- Empty server
- 3.5–4.5 GB
The Center
A community-made map turned official, with lava fields and giant redwoods.
- Server map
TheCenter- Max wild level
- 150
- Empty server
- 3–4 GB
Scorched Earth
The desert expansion: heat, sandstorms and wyverns.
- Server map
ScorchedEarth_P- Max wild level
- 120
- Empty server
- 3–4 GB
Ragnarok
A huge Norse-themed map with an active volcano, griffins and ice wyverns.
- Server map
Ragnarok- Max wild level
- 150
- Empty server
- 4–5 GB
Aberration
A damaged ARK: a radiated surface over glowing underground biomes, home to Rock Drakes.
- Server map
Aberration_P- Max wild level
- 120
- Empty server
- 3–4 GB
Extinction
Earth after the Element took it, with a ruined city at its centre.
- Server map
Extinction- Max wild level
- 150
- Empty server
- 3–4 GB
Valguero
Mixed biomes, white cliffs and a trench in the style of Aberration.
- Server map
Valguero_P- Max wild level
- 150
- Empty server
- 3–4 GB
Genesis: Part 1
A simulation of five small biomes, with missions run by HLNA.
- Server map
Genesis- Max wild level
- 150
- Empty server
- 5–6 GB
Crystal Isles
Colourful fantasy islands with crystal wyverns.
- Server map
CrystalIsles- Max wild level
- 150
- Empty server
- 5.5–6.5 GB
Genesis: Part 2
Aboard the colony ship, the last chapter of the story, and by far the heaviest map to run.
- Server map
Gen2- Max wild level
- 120
- Empty server
- 10–12.5 GB
Lost Island
A big jungle map with creatures of its own.
- Server map
LostIsland- Max wild level
- 150
- Empty server
- 5.5–7 GB
Fjordur
A Norse archipelago with portal realms to explore.
- Server map
Fjordur- Max wild level
- 150
- Empty server
- 4–5 GB
Aquatica
An underwater map for ARK's tenth anniversary, with pressure to manage and 21 new creatures to tame. Needs the current game build.
- Server map
Aquatica
These sizes are a guide. Mods, game settings and updates can all change how much RAM a server needs.
Max wild level assumes a difficulty offset of 1.0. Memory figures are the ARK wiki's measurements of an empty server on default settings; players, tames, bases and mods all add to them. Aquatica isn't measured yet.
Rates
1x is official.
The rest is up to you.
Rates are multipliers on ARK's official settings. Pick a setup to see what each one does and where it goes. Breeding settings live in a different file from the rest, and ARK quietly ignores them in the wrong one.
- Official, 1x
- ARK as Studio Wildcard set it, the same as single player. Taming and raising big creatures takes real time.
- Boosted, 2x
- Everything twice as quick. Creatures can mate again in half the time, because a lower mating interval means sooner.
- Fast, 5x
- Progress in evenings rather than weeks, which suits groups with jobs and a few hours a week.
- High, 10x
- For building and breeding without the grind. Expect bases and tame counts to grow fast, and memory with them.
XPXPMultiplier | 1x |
|---|---|
Taming speedTamingSpeedMultiplier | 1x |
Harvest amountHarvestAmountMultiplier | 1x |
Mating interval (lower is sooner)MatingIntervalMultiplier | 1.0 |
Egg hatch speedEggHatchSpeedMultiplier | 1x |
Baby mature speedBabyMatureSpeedMultiplier | 1x |
In GameUserSettings.iniXPMultiplier=1.0 TamingSpeedMultiplier=1.0 HarvestAmountMultiplier=1.0
These setups are examples, not official presets. XP, taming and harvest go in GameUserSettings.ini under [ServerSettings]; the three breeding settings go in Game.ini under [/script/shootergame.shootergamemode].
Open it as a full toolMods
Workshop mods,
and the Aquatica split.
Add Steam Workshop mods to your server's ActiveMods line and Steam players download them as they join. Since the Aquatica update in 2025, ARK: Survival Evolved comes in two versions, and that matters for mods.
Don't load a save the current build has touched on the pre-Aquatica branch: the ARK wiki warns it can corrupt your creatures. Epic players can't use Workshop mods, and modded servers don't show up for them.
Settings
Every setting,
in the right file.
ARK's settings are split across GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini, and a setting in the wrong file is ignored without a word. Both are editable from the panel.
- Map
Set by its server map name, like TheIsland or Ragnarok. Each map keeps its own save, so switching back later picks up where you left off.
Settings
TheIslandRagnarokGen2- XP, taming and harvest
The everyday rates, as multipliers of official. 1.0 is official.
Settings
XPMultiplierTamingSpeedMultiplierHarvestAmountMultiplier- Breeding
These go in Game.ini. For the mating interval, lower means sooner; for hatching and maturing, higher means faster.
Settings
MatingIntervalMultiplierEggHatchSpeedMultiplierBabyMatureSpeedMultiplier- Difficulty
Set the official difficulty to 5.0 and wild creatures go up to level 150 on every map. Existing wild creatures keep their levels until they respawn.
Setting
OverrideOfficialDifficulty- PvE or PvP
Servers are PvP unless you switch PvE on.
Setting
serverPVE- Player limit
70 unless you change it, and it lives in its own section of GameUserSettings.ini, not with the other server settings.
Setting
MaxPlayers- Admin and RCON
Set an admin password, then type enablecheats and the password in the game console to use admin commands. RCON is off until you switch it on, on port 27020.
Settings
ServerAdminPasswordRCONEnabled- Mods
Workshop IDs on one line, separated by commas with no spaces. The mod on the left wins if two clash.
Setting
ActiveMods
Joining
Get the tribe
on the same ARK.
ARK: Survival Evolved servers are for Steam and Epic players on PC. PlayStation and Xbox players can't join.
On Steam, browse or connect
Find your server under Unofficial in the server browser, or press Tab in game and type open followed by your address.
Epic players need crossplay
Epic players can join a server that runs with crossplay switched on and no mods. Aquatica isn't sold on Epic, so an Aquatica server is Steam only.
Same version, same branch
Everyone has to be on the server's version: the current build, or the pre-Aquatica branch if that's what the server runs.
open 203.0.113.24:7777
An example address. 7777 is ARK's usual game port; yours is in the panel.
Every game server comes with
- DDoS protection
- NVMe storage
- Daily backups you can download
- Free subdomain
- Full file and config access
- Scheduled restarts and updates
- Live console
- Switch games any time
ARK help
Set it up.
Sort it out.
Step-by-step answers for running your ARK: Survival Evolved server, each one checked against the game's own docs.
How do I make myself admin on my ARK: Survival Evolved server?
Set ServerAdminPassword in GameUserSettings.ini, type enablecheats and the password in game, then add your Steam ID to the admin list.How do I change the XP, taming and breeding rates on my ARK: Survival Evolved server?
Stop the server, set XP, taming and harvest multipliers in GameUserSettings.ini and breeding in Game.ini, then start it. 1.0 is official.How do I add Steam Workshop mods to my ARK: Survival Evolved server?
List the mods' Workshop IDs on the ActiveMods line in GameUserSettings.ini, separated by commas. Steam players download them as they join.How do I move my ARK: Survival Evolved world to my HavoNode server?
Stop the old server, copy the map's .ark file and its .arkprofile and .arktribe files into your save folder, and keep the same map and branch.
FAQ
ARK questions,
straight answers.
What people ask before they rent a ARK: Survival Evolved server.
How much RAM does an ARK: Survival Evolved server need?
We recommend up to 10 GB for up to 10 players, up to 12 GB for up to 30 players and up to 16 GB for up to 60 players. Our RAM sizes are a guide, based on player count. What a server really uses also depends on its mods and plugins, its settings (map size, view distance and spawn rates all count), how much its world grows over time, and the game's own updates. If you're planning a modded server, start a size up.
Is this ARK: Survival Evolved or ARK: Survival Ascended?
ARK: Survival Evolved, the 2015 original on Unreal Engine 4. ARK: Survival Ascended is a separate remake with its own servers, maps and mods, and players of one can't join the other.
Which maps can I run, and do players need the DLC?
Any of the 13 official maps. The server doesn't need to own anything, but players need to own a paid map to play on it. The free maps are open to everyone with the game.
Can Steam and Epic players play together?
Yes, on a server running with crossplay switched on. Epic players can't use Workshop mods, so a modded server is Steam only, and Aquatica isn't sold on Epic.
Can PlayStation or Xbox players join?
No. ARK: Survival Evolved servers on PC are for Steam and Epic players only.
How do I add Workshop mods?
Add the mod IDs to the ActiveMods line in GameUserSettings.ini. Steam players download the mods automatically when they join; the first join can time out while they download, and rejoining fixes it.
Current build or pre-Aquatica?
Run the current build if you want the Aquatica map. Choose the pre-Aquatica branch if your favourite mods or ARK Server API plugins stopped working after the 2025 update. Players have to match the server's branch.
Can I link maps into a cluster?
A cluster is several servers, one per map, sharing a cluster ID and a storage folder, so players can carry characters, items and creatures between them. Email us before you plan one.
Can I bring back my old official server?
Studio Wildcard published downloadable saves of the official servers when they closed in 2023. Most of them need around 32 GB of memory or more to load, according to the ARK wiki, which is far beyond our standard plans.
Where are your ARK servers?
In London, close to players across the UK and Europe.