How to Connect to Your ARK: Survival Ascended Server

ARK: Survival Ascended does not use the Steam server browser. Unlike ARK: Survival Evolved, an Ascended server never shows up in Steam's Game Servers window, and adding your IP to Steam Favorites does nothing. ASA lists its servers through Epic Online Services (that is also what makes crossplay work), so you join through the in-game server browser by searching for your server's name. This guide shows where to set that name in your DoomHosting panel, how to find the server on PC and console, and a direct-connect fallback for PC players.

Step 1: Give Your Server a Name You Can Find

Your server's name is what you search for in-game, so make it unique before anything else.

1. Open your server in the DoomHosting control panel and go to the Startup tab.
2. Find the Server Name field. New servers ship with a generic default, and hundreds of unrelated servers use the same one, so searching for it in-game is hopeless.
3. Change it to something distinctive, like Dave's Island 5x, and save.
4. Restart the server so the new name takes effect.

Step 2: Wait for the Server to Finish Booting

Survival Ascended maps are large and memory-heavy. After a start or restart, the server loads the full map before it registers itself on the server list, and the first boot of a fresh map can take several minutes. Watch the Console tab in your panel: once the log settles down after the startup lines, the server is ready to be found.

Step 3: Find It in the In-Game Server Browser

This works the same on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox, and crossplay means everyone joins the same server this way.

1. From the main menu, choose Join Game.
2. Set the server filter to Unofficial.
3. Enable Show Player Servers. Rented servers are hidden until this is on, and it is the single most common reason a server "does not exist".
4. If your server has a join password, also enable Show Password Protected Servers.
5. Type your server name (or a distinctive part of it) into the search box and refresh the list if needed.
6. Select your server and press Join. Enter the password if you are asked for one.

After the first join, favorite the server in the browser so it is one click away next time.

PC Only: Direct Connect With the Open Command

PC players can skip the browser and connect straight to the address:

1. Launch ARK: Survival Ascended and press Tab to open the console. If nothing opens, enable console access in the game's settings first.
2. Type open followed by your server IP and game port, then press Enter:

open 123.45.67.89:7777

Your IP and game port are on the connection card on your server's main panel page. If the server has a join password, the game prompts you for it when you connect. Console players cannot use this method, so give them the server name instead.

Why Steam Favorites Does Not Work

Any guide that tells you to add a "query port" address to Steam Favorites is written for ARK: Survival Evolved, the older game. Survival Ascended servers register with Epic Online Services instead of Steam's server directory, so Steam's Game Servers window cannot see them at all, no matter which port you enter. There is also no steam:// quick-connect link. The in-game browser is the way.

Server Not Showing Up?

Work through these in order. They cover almost every failed search:

• Show Player Servers is off. Turn it on, along with the Unofficial filter. This is the big one.
• You never renamed the server. If it still has the generic default name, you cannot pick it out of the list. Rename it in the Startup tab and restart.
• The server is still booting. ASA loads the whole map before it appears on the list. Give it a few minutes and check the Console tab.
• The password filter is hiding it. Password-protected servers only appear when Show Password Protected Servers is enabled.
• Search for less. Type one distinctive word from the name instead of the full thing.
• Mods are still downloading. ASA mods come from CurseForge and download automatically the first time you join. Let the download finish.
• BattlEye mismatch. Servers run BattlEye by default. If you launched your game without BattlEye, you will be rejected on join.

Common Questions

Can PlayStation and Xbox players join my server?

Yes. ARK: Survival Ascended is crossplay, and console players use exactly the same steps: Join Game, Unofficial filter, Show Player Servers, then search the name.

Do my players need the server IP?

No. The in-game browser finds the server by name, so the name is all you share. The IP and game port are only needed for the PC-only open command.

Do I have to install mods by hand?

No. ARK: Survival Ascended uses CurseForge, not the old Steam Workshop, and the mods your server runs download automatically the first time you join.

Where do I set the join password?

In your panel's Startup tab, in the Server Password field. Remember that players then need Show Password Protected Servers enabled to see the server in the browser.

Need a Hand?

Not hosting with us yet? See ARK: Survival Ascended server hosting. Already a customer and still stuck? Our support team is available 24/7 from your panel and can check your server's name and status in a minute.