How to Install Mods on Your ARK Server

How mods work on an ARK server

ARK: Survival Evolved pulls mods from the Steam Workshop. Two things have to be in place:

1. The mod files have to sit in the server's Mods folder.
2. The mod ID has to be listed in ActiveMods in GameUserSettings.ini.

Miss either one and nothing happens - with no error message.

Your players do not have to do anything. When they join a modded ARK server, their client automatically subscribes to the server's mods and downloads them through Steam. They can pre-download to avoid the wait, but it is not a requirement.

---

Step 1 - Find the mod ID

Open the mod page in the Steam Workshop and look at the address:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=731604991

The number after ?id= is the mod ID.

Check that the mod is for ARK: Survival Evolved (Steam app 346110). Mods for ARK: Survival Ascended live on CurseForge and will not work here.

---

Step 2 - Get the files onto the server

The most reliable method is to upload them yourself:

1. Subscribe to the mod in Steam on a computer that owns ARK.
2. Launch ARK once. Steam downloads the mod in compressed form, and it is the game that extracts it.
3. Go to Steam/steamapps/common/ARK/ShooterGame/Content/Mods/.
4. Take both the 731604991 folder and the 731604991.mod file.
5. Upload both to ShooterGame/Content/Mods/ on the server under Files in the Potionhost control panel.

The .mod file is constantly forgotten. Without it the server does not see the mod at all, no matter that the folder is there.

Do not take the files from steamapps/workshop/content/346110/ - they are compressed there and cannot be used directly.

The Epic Games version of ARK does not support mods and cannot be used as a source.

---

Step 3 - Activate the mods

Open ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/GameUserSettings.ini and add this under [ServerSettings]:

ActiveMods=731604991,898049820,793605978

The rules are strict:

• The exact spelling ActiveMods - capital A, capital M
• Comma-separated IDs, no spaces
• No trailing comma
• All on one line
• The line must sit under [ServerSettings]

Restart the server afterwards.

---

Load order matters

The IDs are loaded in the order they appear - and the first mod has the highest priority. If two mods touch the same thing (the same items, dinos, engrams or structures), the one listed first wins.

A workable rule of thumb:

1. Total conversions and map mods
2. Frameworks and mods other mods depend on
3. Large overhauls (structures, stacking)
4. Small tweaks

If the mod's Workshop description says anything about placement, follow it - the author's instruction beats any rule of thumb.

---

Automatic mod downloads

If you want the server to fetch mods itself, start it with the -automanagedmods flag. That requires two files to be filled in:

# GameUserSettings.ini
[ServerSettings]
ActiveMods=680481868,682394267

# Game.ini
[ModInstaller]
ModIDS=680481868
ModIDS=682394267

Note that ModIDS takes one ID per line - unlike ActiveMods, where they share a line.

The method is convenient but fragile on Linux, and a failed mod update can stop the server from starting. We recommend manual upload unless you specifically need the automation.

---

Using a map mod

A map mod needs two things: the map name, and the mod ID.

The map name is the first argument on the server command line - not a flag:

Ragnarok?listen?SessionName=My server

The mod ID is set with -MapModID=731604991 in the startup parameters.

The map name has to match the .umap file inside the mod - it is usually stated on the mod's Workshop page. And the mod files still have to be in ShooterGame/Content/Mods/.

---

After an ARK update

When ARK updates, mod authors have to republish their mods against the new version. Expect that:

• the server and every player must end up on the same mod version
• a player with a newer mod version than the server cannot join
• an abandoned mod that never gets updated blocks the server indefinitely

If you run -automanagedmods, mods only update at server startup - so a restart is required.

Always back up ShooterGame/Saved/SavedArks/ before adding or removing mods. Removing a mod whose items, dinos or structures are already placed in the world can damage the save.

---

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
No mods load	ActiveMods misspelled or placed outside [ServerSettings]	Fix the spelling and placement
No mods load	Spaces or a trailing comma in the list	Clean up the line
The server shows 0 mods after upload	The .mod file is missing	Upload it alongside the folder
Mod Version Mismatch on join	Player and server are on different mod versions	Wait until both have updated
The server hangs during startup	A large mod is still downloading, or an ID does not exist	Check the IDs and give it time
The server crashes after adding several mods	Two mods are incompatible	Test them one at a time
The map mod does not load	Wrong map name, or the mod files are missing	Check the .umap name and Content/Mods/
The mod does nothing	The ID is from ASA or another game	Take the ID from the ARK: Survival Evolved workshop
The world is damaged after removing a mod	The mod's entities were placed in the world	Restore from backup

---

A note on ARK: Survival Ascended

ASA does not use the Steam Workshop. Mods come from CurseForge through the game's own system, the IDs are CurseForge project IDs, and they are set with -mods=ID1,ID2 instead of ActiveMods. Mods for ARK: Survival Evolved cannot be used in ASA.

Unsure whether a mod fits your server? Send us the Workshop link in a ticket and we will take a look.