How to Move an ARK Survival Ascended Server to a New Host

To move an ARK: Survival Ascended server to a new host, run SaveWorld, stop it, and download ShooterGame/Saved/SavedArks/<map>/, for example SavedArks/TheIsland_WP/, which holds TheIsland_WP.ark plus every .arkprofile (player) and .arktribe (tribe) file. Also take GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini from ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/. Upload them to the same paths, start the new server on the same map name with the same CurseForge mods, and your dinos, bases and survivors carry over.

What you can and cannot move

Before you start

• Match the map name. Write down the exact map the old server launches, such as TheIsland_WP or Ragnarok_WP, or a mod map's name.
• Write down the mod IDs from the -mods= part of the old launch line, in order.
• Get everything out of cluster storage if the old server was in a cluster and the new one will not be (see the trap below).
• Stop the old server cleanly so it writes the latest save.

What goes where

Hosts that run the Linux build use Config/LinuxServer/ instead of WindowsServer/. Files with a date in the name next to the .ark are ARK's own rolling backups. Keep them in your local copy, but the server only needs the main .ark.

Step 1: Save and stop the old server

Run SaveWorld in the RCON console (or cheat SaveWorld in game as admin), wait for "World Saved", then stop the server. Never copy the .ark from a running server.

Step 2: Download the files

Download the whole map folder inside SavedArks, the two ini files and the admin list. Use the old host's file manager, a backup download or SFTP with FileZilla or WinSCP. Late game .ark files on busy maps get large, so zip the folder on the server first if you can.

Step 3: Set up the new server

1. Create the server with the same map and start it once so it builds its folders. Then stop it.
2. Add the same CurseForge mod IDs, comma separated with no spaces, so they download before your world loads.
3. Rename the new server's own SavedArks/<map> folder to <map>-old, so nothing mixes.

Step 4: Upload and start

Upload your map folder into ShooterGame/Saved/SavedArks/ and the ini files into the config folder, with the server stopped. Start it, wait until it shows up under Unofficial with Show Player Servers on, join and check your tribe and dinos.

The trap: obelisk uploads are not in the save

In a cluster, anything a player uploads at an obelisk, terminal or supply drop (their character, dinos, items) leaves the map's .ark and goes into the cluster folder. Copy only SavedArks and every one of those uploads is gone. Players then log in to find the dino they parked "safely" in upload storage has vanished.

Before the move, ask everyone to download their characters, dinos and items back into a map, then save and stop. If you will run a cluster on the new host, copy the cluster folder too and start every map with the same -clusterid. The ARK Wiki server configuration page covers the cluster launch options.

The other trap: mods must be there first

If the world loads without a mod it uses, ARK removes that mod's dinos, structures and items, then saves the result. Add every mod ID before the first start. For a mod map, the map name in the launch line must be the mod map's name and its mod ID must be in the list, or the server loads a fresh copy of a different map.

Common problems

• Fresh map, nobody's dinos: the map name the new server launches does not match the folder and .ark you uploaded, or the files are one folder too deep.
• Players must create a new survivor: the .arkprofile files did not come across, or they are in a different folder from the .ark.
• Rates reset after start: the ini was edited while the server ran, or the host's panel settings overwrite those keys. Stop, edit, start.
• Server stuck loading after the move: a mod ID is wrong, removed or not updated for the current patch. Check the log for the failing mod.
• Admins lost rights: copy AllowedCheaterAccountIDs.txt, which uses 32 character EOS IDs, not Steam IDs.

Moving your ARK server to GamezServers

On an ARK: Survival Ascended server from GamezServers, set Map and CurseForge mod IDs first, press Stop, then upload your map folder into ShooterGame/Saved/SavedArks/ and your ini files into ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/ from Files or over the SFTP login in Settings. Our servers run the Windows build, so it is WindowsServer. XP, taming and harvest settings in the panel replace those keys in the ini. Clusters are not offered yet: each server runs one map, so have players download everything from obelisks before moving. Press Backup before you start. For mods, see how to install mods on an ARK Survival Ascended server.

FAQ

Where are ARK Survival Ascended server saves stored?

In ShooterGame/Saved/SavedArks/<map>/, for example SavedArks/TheIsland_WP/, with the .ark, .arkprofile and .arktribe files together.

Will my tribe keep its dinos after moving?

Yes, if the map's .ark and .arktribe files move and the new server loads the same map with the same mods.

Can I move a cluster to a new host?

Yes, by moving every map's SavedArks folder plus the cluster folder, and starting each map with the same cluster ID on a host that offers clusters.

Do I need to copy the mod files?

No. Add the same CurseForge project IDs on the new server and it downloads them before the world loads.