How do I add Steam Workshop mods to my ARK: Survival Evolved server?

Put each mod’s Steam Workshop ID on the ActiveMods= line in GameUserSettings.ini, under [ServerSettings], separated by commas with no spaces. The server needs its own copy of every mod, and players’ games download them as they connect. Epic players can’t join a modded server.

Find the mod IDs

A mod’s ID is the number at the end of its page address on the ARK Workshop, after ?id=. Note down one for each mod you want.

Add them to your server

1. Download a backup from your Game Panel first.
2. Stop your server from the Game Panel. ARK writes some of its settings back into its ini files when it shuts down, so edits made while it’s running can be lost.
3. In your Game Panel’s file manager, open ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/GameUserSettings.ini (WindowsServer on a Windows machine).
4. Under [ServerSettings], add or change the ActiveMods line, using your own IDs:

ActiveMods=111111111,222222222,333333333

5. Make sure the server can fetch the mods. ARK’s -automanagedmods launch option makes the server download, install and update them itself before it starts. Set it in your server’s settings in the Game Panel.
6. Start your server. The first start takes longer while the mods download.

Load order matters

The mod on the left has the highest priority. If two mods change the same thing, the left-most one wins. When Studio Wildcard added stacked mods, its advice was to make any big rebalancing mod your “base” mod at the front, with mods that only add items behind it.

Modded maps

A Workshop map loads with the -MapModID= launch option and the map’s Workshop ID, in place of an official map name. Set it in your server’s settings in the Game Panel. The ARK wiki says ActiveMods still has to be set alongside it.

How players get the mods

Players don’t need to subscribe to anything first. When someone joins from Steam, their game downloads each of the server’s mods one by one, installs them and then finishes connecting. A long mod list means a long first join, so warn your tribe.

Epic players

Studio Wildcard’s notes say a server running mods only accepts players from Steam, even with crossplay switched on. If some of your group play on the Epic Games Store, keep their server unmodded.

Mods and the Aquatica update

Some Workshop mods stopped working after the Aquatica update in 2025. ARK keeps a preaquatica branch that most Workshop mods still run on, but it can’t run the Aquatica map and every player has to switch their game to the same branch to join. Open a ticket before you move your server to it.

Mods add to the memory your server needs, so if you’re adding a lot, see how much RAM do I need.