How to Change ARK Survival Ascended Settings Without Them Resetting

To change ARK: Survival Ascended settings without them resetting, stop the server fully, edit ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/GameUserSettings.ini (rates, under [ServerSettings]) or Game.ini (breeding and stats, under [/script/shootergame.shootergamemode]), save, then start it. The changes apply to your existing world. Two things undo them: editing while the server runs, because it writes its in memory values back on shutdown, and the same key on the launch line (?XPMultiplier=2), which always beats the ini.

What you can change on an existing world

Good news: almost nothing in ARK is baked into the world. Settings live in two text files, and your tames, bases and players live in the save. That is also why the reset problem is so annoying. It is never the world. It is always which copy of a value wins.

Where does each value come from?

An ARK server can get the same setting from three places. When they disagree, this is the order that wins:

So before you edit a file, look at your start line. The ARK wiki's server configuration page lists every option and which file or header it belongs in.

Which file and header?

The folder is ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/ even on Linux hosts, because Survival Ascended only has a Windows server build. The files in ShooterGame/Config/ are defaults and do nothing.

Step 1: Back up first

Copy ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/ and ShooterGame/Saved/SavedArks/. The config folder is tiny, so keep a copy of it before every change and you can always roll back a bad edit.

Step 2: Stop the server fully

Use saveworld in RCON or the console, then stop the server. Do not use restart to apply an edit you made while it was running: the server reads the ini once at startup, keeps the values in memory, and writes them back to GameUserSettings.ini when it shuts down cleanly. A restart therefore saves your old values over your new ones, then reads them back in.

Step 3: Edit under the right header

[ServerSettings]
XPMultiplier=2.0
TamingSpeedMultiplier=3.0
HarvestAmountMultiplier=2.0
DifficultyOffset=1.0
OverrideOfficialDifficulty=5.0

[/script/shootergame.shootergamemode]
MatingIntervalMultiplier=0.5
EggHatchSpeedMultiplier=5.0
BabyMatureSpeedMultiplier=5.0

• Each key once only. Search the file for duplicates before saving.
• Each header once only. Two [ServerSettings] blocks cause one to be ignored.
• No spaces around = and a dot for decimals: 2.0, not 2,0.
• Breeding keys do nothing in GameUserSettings.ini. They only work in Game.ini.

Step 4: Check the launch line

If a value keeps coming back, find it on the start line. Common ones are ?MaxPlayers=, ?ServerPassword=, ?SessionName=, ?ServerAdminPassword=, ?ServerPVE= and the rate multipliers. Either change the value there, or remove it from the launch line and keep it in the ini only.

Step 5: Start and check in game

Start the server, join, and test a value you can feel: tame something, or look at the XP from a kill. After a difficulty change, run cheat DestroyWildDinos once so the wild population respawns at the new levels.

Changing rates without a restart

Settings changed with admin commands while the server runs only affect that session and are gone after the next start. For live events, ARK supports a dynamic config: start the server with -UseDynamicConfig and point ?CustomDynamicConfigUrl="..." at a small text file of rates, which the server reloads while running. It only covers a short list of rates such as taming, harvest, XP and breeding, so keep everything else in the ini.

Common problems

• Rates reset after every restart: you edited while the server was running and it wrote its old values back. Stop, edit, start.
• One value never changes: the launch line sets it. Change it there.
• A breeding setting does nothing: it is in GameUserSettings.ini. Move it to Game.ini under [/script/shootergame.shootergamemode].
• The whole file went back to defaults: a header was broken or deleted, so the server made a fresh file. Restore your backup copy and redo the change.
• Wild dinos still max out at the old level: existing dinos keep their level until they respawn. Run cheat DestroyWildDinos.
• A mod changes it back: some CurseForge mods have their own ini section that overrides stack sizes or rates. Test with the mod removed.

More causes are in ARK Survival Ascended server settings not working.

Changing settings on GamezServers

On a GamezServers ARK: Survival Ascended server, the map, join password, PvE mode, XP multiplier, taming speed, harvest amount, admin password, whitelist and mods are fields in Settings, and they go onto the launch line on every start. That means they beat the same keys in GameUserSettings.ini, so change those in the panel. The panel also writes MaxPlayers and ServerAdminPassword into the ini each start. Everything else you edit in the Files tab after a one click Backup and a Stop, and extra ?Key=Value options go in Extra ? options. For good values, see the best ARK Survival Ascended server settings.

FAQ

Why do my ARK Survival Ascended settings reset every restart?

You edited the ini while the server was running, and it saved its old values on shutdown. Stop the server, edit, and start it again.

Does the launch line override GameUserSettings.ini?

Yes. Any option on the start line after a ? or - wins over the same key in the ini files.

Do I need a new world to change ARK settings?

No. Rates, breeding, difficulty and PvE all apply to your existing save on the next start. Only changing the map loads a different save.

Where do I put breeding settings in ARK Survival Ascended?

In Game.ini under [/script/shootergame.shootergamemode]. They are ignored in GameUserSettings.ini.