How do I change my ARK settings?

ARK keeps most of its gameplay settings in two config files on your server:

• GameUserSettings.ini at /ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/GameUserSettings.ini
• Game.ini at /ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/Game.ini

This tutorial changes a value in GameUserSettings.ini; the steps for Game.ini are identical.

1Stop Your Server

• Log in to your game panel, open your ARK server and press Stop on the Console page.
• This step matters: ARK writes its config files back to disk when it shuts down, so any edit you make while the server is running gets overwritten.

2Open the File

• Click Files in the left menu under FILES.
• Navigate to ShooterGame, then Saved, then Config, then LinuxServer, and click GameUserSettings.ini to open it in the editor.
• New to the file manager? See how to manage your files.

3Edit and Save

• Find the setting you want to change. As an example, OxygenSwimSpeedStatMultiplier= controls how fast you swim.
• Server settings must sit below the [ServerSettings] line. If a setting is not in the file yet, add it there on its own line in the form Option=Value.
• Press Save (or Ctrl+S).

4Start Your Server

• Start your server again. Your new settings are now active.

Good to Know

• The map, server name and passwords are not in these files; they are variables on the Startup page. See how to make yourself admin or how to change the map.
• Mods (ActiveMods) and cluster settings in GameUserSettings.ini are managed for you by the ARK Manager page; use the mod manager instead of editing them by hand.
• The full list of available options is on the ARK wiki. For difficulty specifically, see how to change the difficulty level.

Finished

Your setting is live. If the server was running while you edited and your change vanished, stop the server and make the edit again.