ARK: Survival Ascended server guide: join, mods, settings and fixes
Updated 31 October 2026 · 3 minute read · ARK: Survival Ascended (PC) · By Exclsv Support
Everything you need to run your ARK: Survival Ascended server in HQ, in one page.
Join
- Open ARK: Survival Ascended and choose Join Game.
- Search for your server’s name.
- Enter the password if you set one.
In a cluster, travel between maps from an obelisk or terminal: upload your character, then choose the other map.
Mods
ARK: Survival Ascended uses CurseForge, not the Workshop. Add mods by project ID on the Mods page; the server downloads them itself when it starts, top loads first, and players get them automatically.
Settings
Open Settings, then Game settings. Each setting has a plain label, one line of help and the game’s own default where HQ knows it. Most changes take effect at the next restart; HQ marks the ones that change straight away. The admin password is in Settings. ARK runs the current build only.
Backups and going back
HQ takes an hourly backup (Automatic backups) and keeps each for up to 48 hours, plus an off-site backup every 6 hours with 7 daily copies. To go back, open Backups, then Automatic backups, pick a time and choose Go back. Your world as it is now is kept, so you can undo it.
If it doesn’t work
A mod failed to download
Check the project ID on CurseForge. Remove the mod from the Mods page if it was taken down.
ARK ran out of memory
A cluster map or many mods needs a bigger size.
It takes a long time to start
ARK can take several minutes to start, longer with many mods. Wait for Online.
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