Editing ARK Server Configuration

Editing GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini for an ARK: Survival Evolved server.

ARK keeps two separate copies of the game configuration files (example: GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini). One set is the default example that is reset by the game every time you turn it on, so you will want to make sure that you are editing the correct file which is located in the Saved directory. Depending on the platform (Windows or Linux), these files will be located in a different place. Akliz ARK servers use Linux.

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Start Your Server

You must start your ARK server at least once for the configuration files to be generated by the server.

Where to Find GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini

First you will need to navigate to the directory that contains your server files. On Akliz, the base directory for your server is ark-survival-evolved which will contain the ShooterGame directory.

PlatformConfiguration Directory LocationNote
LinuxShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/Akliz uses Linux.
WindowsShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/If you are running a server on your own computer.

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GameUserSettings.ini on Akliz

Using the above table, if you needed to find your GameUserSettings.ini file on your Akliz server, you would find it at this location:
ark-survival-evolved/ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/GameUserSettings.ini

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Important Notes for Editing ARK Config Files

  • Before making any changes to your server's configuration files, stop your server.
  • Copy your changes to a text editor such as NotePad just in case they get reset by the game. Typos, settings that aren't recognized by the game, or settings under an incorrect heading can cause it to get reset.
  • Double check that settings you are adding are under the correct heading. For example, most settings in GameUserSettings.ini go under the [ServerSettings] heading, but could go under a different one.

GameUserSettings.ini Overview

This file gives you the ability to modify most of the game's settings to customize the way you play in your server. There are a lot of options to go over, so we'll share the most commonly used settings here. For a full explanation of all settings found in GameUserSettings.ini, we recommend checking the ARK Wiki which has detailed explanations for every setting that can be changed in the file.

Information in this table comes directly from the ARK Wiki. Most PvE settings have PvP counterparts, so you will need to decide which setting to use based on how you want to play.

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All of these options must be set under the [ServerSettings] heading. Some mods might have their own options and usually require you to add a heading for the mod.

SettingDefaultEffect
alwaysNotifyPlayerJoinedFalsePlayers will always get notified if someone joins the server.
alwaysNotifyPlayerLeftFalsePlayers will always get notified if someone leaves the server.
ShowMapPlayerLocationFalseShow each player their own precise position when they view their map.
serverPVEFalseDisables PvP, enables PvE.
DisableStructureDecayPvEFalseDisable the gradual (7 days) decay of player structures.
DisableDinoDecayPvEFalseDisable the gradual (7 days) decay of dinosaur ownership. Without this set to true, every dinosaur can be claimed by any player.
AllowFlyerCarryPvEFalsePermit flying dinosaurs to pick up other dinosaurs and players when mounted by a player in PvE.
DifficultyOffset0.2Specifies the difficulty level.
ServerPasswordNoneIf specified, players must provide this password to join the server.
ServerAdminPasswordNoneIf specified, players must provide this password (via the in-game console) to gain access to administrator commands on the server.
XPMultiplier1.0Specifies the scaling factor for the experience received by players, tribes and dinosaurs for various actions. The default value 1 provides the same amounts of experience as in the singleplayer experience (and official public servers). Higher values increase XP amounts awarded for various actions; lower values decrease it.
TamingSpeedMultiplier1.0Specifies the scaling factor for dinosaur taming speed. Higher values make taming faster.
HarvestAmountMultiplier1.0Specifies the scaling factor for yields from all harvesting activities (chopping down trees, picking berries, carving carcasses, mining rocks, etc.). Higher values increase the amount of materials harvested with each strike.
HarvestHealthMultiplier1.0Specifies the scaling factor for the "health" of items that can be harvested (trees, rocks, carcasses, etc.). Higher values increase the amount of damage (i.e. "number of strikes") such objects can withstand before being destroyed, which results in higher overall harvest yields.
ResourcesRespawnPeriodMultiplier1.0Specifies the scaling factor for the respawn rate for resource nodes (trees, rocks, bushes, etc.). Lower values cause nodes to respawn more frequently.
DinoCountMultiplier1.0Specifies the scaling factor for dinosaur spawns. Higher values increase the number of dinosaurs spawned throughout the ARK.
AllowCaveBuildingPvEFalseIf set to True, allows building in caves when PvE mode is also enabled.
ItemStackSizeMultiplier1.0Allow increasing or decreasing global item stack size, this means all default stacksizes will be multiplied by the value given.

If you're unsure how to set up the file yourself, ArkForum has helpfully created a tool to Generate GameUserSettings.ini files by just setting the options you want on the form.

Game.ini Overview

This file gives you more fine grained control over some specific settings in the game. For example, you can edit how many points in a specific stat you get per level for a player or your dinos. You can edit how many engrams you get as well. There are a lot of options and many of them are advanced. We will share some common and more simple settings you can change in the table below.

For a full explanation of the settings found in Game.ini, we recommend checking the ARK Wiki which has detailed explanations for every setting that can be changed in the file.

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All of these options must be set under the [/script/shootergame.shootergamemode] heading. Game.ini is empty by default so you will need to add the heading on its own line above any other settings.

Information in this table comes directly from the ARK Wiki.

SettingDefaultEffect
bAllowUnlimitedRespecsFalseSet to true to allow more than one usage of Mindwipe Tonic without 24 hours cooldown.
GlobalSpoilingTimeMultiplier1.0Scales the spoiling time of perishables globally. Higher values prolong the time.
GlobalItemDecompositionTimeMultiplier1.0Scales the decomposition time of dropped items, loot bags etc. globally. Higher values prolong the time.
GlobalCorpseDecompositionTimeMultiplier1.0Scales the decomposition time of corpses, (player and dinosaur), globally. Higher values prolong the time.
OverrideMaxExperiencePointsPlayer
OverrideMaxExperiencePointsDino
N/A, integerOverrides the Max XP cap of players & dinosaur characters, respectively, by exact specified amount.
ResourceNoReplenishRadiusPlayers
ResourceNoReplenishRadiusStructures
1.0Allow resources to regrow closer or farther away from players & structures. Values higher than 1 increase the distance around players and structures where resources are not allowed to grow back. Values between 0 and 1 will reduce it.
bPvEDisableFriendlyFireFalsePrevent-Friendly-Fire (among tribesmates/tribesdinos/tribesstructures) option for PvE servers.
bDisableFriendlyFireFalsePrevent-Friendly-Fire (among tribesmates/tribesdinos/tribesstructures) option for PvP servers
bUseCorpseLocatorFalseIf set to true, you will see a green light beam at the location of your death.
MatingIntervalMultiplier1.0Higher number increases (on a percentage scale) interval between which dinosaurs can mate
Example: MatingIntervalMultiplier=0.5 would allow dinosaurs to mate 50% sooner.
MatingSpeedMultiplier1.0Higher number increases (by percentage) speed at which dinosaurs mate with each other
Example: MatingSpeedMultiplier=2.0 would cause dinosaurs to complete mating in half the normal time.
EggHatchSpeedMultiplier1.0Higher number decreases (by percentage) time needed for fertilized egg to hatch.
BabyMatureSpeedMultiplier1.0Higher number decreases (by percentage) time needed for baby dino to mature.
BabyFoodConsumptionSpeedMultiplier1.0Lower number decreases (by percentage) the speed that baby dinos eat their food.
CropGrowthSpeedMultiplier1.0Higher number increases (by percentage) speed of crop growth.
LayEggIntervalMultiplier1.0Higher number increases (by percentage) time between eggs spawning / being laid.
PoopIntervalMultiplier1.0Higher number decreases (by percentage) how frequently you can poop.
CropDecaySpeedMultiplier1.0Higher number decrease (by percentage) speed of crop decay in plots.
HairGrowthSpeedMultiplier1.0Higher number increase speed of hair growth.
StructureDamageRepairCooldown180Option for cooldown period on structure repair from the last time damaged. Set to 180 seconds by default, 0 to disable it
DinoHarvestingDamageMultiplier3.2Higher number increases (by percentage) the damage done to a harvestable item/entity by a Dino. The higher number, the faster you collect.
PlayerHarvestingDamageMultiplier1.0Higher number increases (by percentage) the damage done to a harvestable item/entity by a Player. The higher number, the faster you collect.
bDisableLootCratesFalseTrue prevent spawning of Loot crates (artifact creates will still spawn).
BabyImprintingStatScaleMultiplier1.0How much of an effect on stats the Imprinting Quality has. Set it to 0 to effectively disable the system.
BabyImprintAmountMultiplier1.0Multiplier applied to the percentage each imprints provide. For example, if an imprint usually give 10%, setting this multiplier to 0.5 means they would now give 5% each. While setting it to 2.0 means they would now give 20% each, etc.
This multiplier is global, meaning it will affect the imprinting progression of every species.
BabyCuddleIntervalMultiplier1.0How often Babies wanna cuddle. More often means you'll need to cuddle with them more frequently to gain Imprinting Quality.
BabyCuddleGracePeriodMultiplier1.0A multiplier on how long after delaying cuddling with the Baby before Imprinting Quality starts to decrease.
BabyCuddleLoseImprintQualitySpeedMultiplier1.0A multiplier on how fast Imprinting Quality decreases after the grace period if you haven't yet cuddled with the Baby.
FuelConsumptionIntervalMultiplier1.0Define the interval of fuel consumption.
bAutoUnlockAllEngramsFalseUnlocks all Engrams available. Ignores OverrideEngramEntries and OverrideNamedEngramEntries entries.
bAllowFlyerSpeedLevelingFalseSpecifies whether flyer creatures can have their Movement Speed leveled up.
CraftingSkillBonusMultiplier1.0A multiplier to modify the bonus received from upgrading the Crafting Skill.