ARK: Survival Ascended

ARK: Survival Ascended is in the public launch catalog. It uses UDP for gameplay and TCP for RCON. Swarm Hosts persists the saved world and server configuration under the current Steam install's ShooterGame/Saved directory.

Quick Facts

  • Image: swarmhost/games:arksa-game-runtime-detected-stable-2026.07.12-mschnitzer-1.5.1-r8-cold-volume-rcon-client
  • Persistent data: /home/gameserver/Steam/steamapps/common/ARK Survival Ascended Dedicated Server/ShooterGame/Saved
  • Container identity: UID/GID 25000:25000
  • Default ports: 7777/udp for players and 27020/tcp for RCON
  • Minimum resources: 4 CPU cores and 16 GiB RAM
  • Recommended free disk: at least 25 GiB for the image, current 12.9 GB server payload, updates, and saves
  • CPU compatibility: x86-64-v2 or newer (roughly 2009-era or newer x86-64 CPUs with SSE4.2 and POPCNT)

Launch

  1. Choose ARK: Survival Ascended in the launch flow.
  2. Select a Linux swarm host with at least 4 CPU cores, 16 GiB RAM, and 25 GiB free disk.
  3. Set the session name, map, admin password, optional join password, and player limit.
  4. Leave Use the managed public relay enabled when a relay is available, or prepare direct UDP port forwarding before inviting players.
  5. Launch and watch the deployment logs until ARK reports that the named server has successfully started.

The first boot downloads and verifies the ARKSA dedicated server through anonymous SteamCMD, then initializes GE-Proton. The July 12, 2026 lab run took about 8 minutes from an empty server cache to ARK startup. Allow 10–15 minutes on slower disks or internet connections. Later starts still verify the server files and can take around two minutes before ARK is ready.

The image checks for game updates on every container start. A normal Stop/Start or Restart therefore applies available Steam updates before reopening the server. World saves and GameUserSettings.ini remain in persistent storage.

Connect

Search the in-game Unofficial server browser for the configured session name. Enable the client option that shows player-hosted servers if the session is hidden by the default browser filter. The in-game console can also use:

open <player-host>:<published-udp-port>

ARKSA no longer exposes the old Steam query port. Automated health checks can prove that a UDP packet traversed the Swarm Hosts relay and reached the swarm host, but they cannot obtain a Source-style game-session response. An in-game session observation is the strongest client proof.

With a managed relay, use the relay hostname and published UDP port shown on the deployment. Without a relay, forward the published UDP port from the router to the swarm host and allow it through the host firewall. Direct hosting may be impossible behind carrier-grade NAT unless the ISP provides a public address. Do not describe a direct/NAT deployment as relayed unless the deployment page shows an active relay route.

RCON

RCON listens on the published TCP mapping for container port 27020 and uses the launch form's admin password. Keep that password private and do not share the RCON endpoint publicly. The validated image keeps player and admin passwords out of container startup logs and support evidence.

For a safe readiness check, connect with an ARK-compatible RCON client and run ListPlayers. SaveWorld is a safe persistence check before maintenance.

Mods and maps

The default map is TheIsland_WP. The Mods field accepts comma-separated CurseForge project IDs. Mod downloads increase startup time and disk use, so validate an unmodded server first before adding a large collection.

Troubleshooting

  • Still starting: wait for SteamCMD verification, Proton initialization, and the ARK has successfully started log marker. A running container alone is not server readiness.
  • Server missing from browser: select Unofficial servers, enable the option to show player-hosted servers, confirm the exact session name, and wait a few minutes after the startup marker.
  • Connection timeout: verify the displayed UDP endpoint, relay route or router forwarding, host firewall, and CGNAT status. TCP RCON success does not prove the UDP player path.
  • Permission denied under ShooterGame/Saved: the persistent directory must be owned by UID/GID 25000:25000; current Swarm Hosts agents prepare this automatically from the catalog contract.
  • CPU does not support x86-64-v2: move the deployment to a newer x86-64 swarm host. This is a runtime CPU requirement, not a missing package.
  • Memory pressure or OOM: allocate at least 16 GiB. The unmodded validation server settled near 10.5 GiB after startup, leaving necessary headroom.