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ARK Server Hosting ARK: Survival Evolved - maps, mods & custom rates

Rent an ARK server and found your tribe: all the well-known maps from The Island to Fjordur, Steam Workshop mods via their mod IDs, freely adjustable XP, taming and harvesting rates and full control over GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini. Plus low ping from our location in Germany and DDoS protection up to 250 Gbit/⁠s.

Survival Evolved All official maps Steam Workshop mods Custom rates & breeding DDoS protection 250 Gbit/⁠s
MainHoster.de ARK: Survival Evolved server

Prepaid

ARK: Survival Evolved

  • All official maps
  • Steam Workshop mods
  • Freely adjustable rates
  • Located in Germany
  • DDoS protection 250 Gbit/⁠s
  • Instant provisioning

starting at €9.99 / month

View plans

Our ARK plans

ARKS

For small tribes

€9.99 / month

  • 8 GB DDR4 RAM
  • 40 GB NVMe storage
  • Recommended: ~10 players, The Island
  • Vanilla on one map
  • All official maps
  • DDoS protection 250 Gbit/⁠s
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ARKM

For regular groups

€13.99 / month

  • 12 GB DDR4 RAM
  • 60 GB NVMe storage
  • Recommended: ~25 players, Workshop mods
  • Custom rates & breeding
  • All official maps
  • DDoS protection 250 Gbit/⁠s
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Most popular

ARKL

For modded servers

€17.99 / month

  • 16 GB DDR4 RAM
  • 90 GB NVMe storage
  • Recommended: ~50 players, DLC maps
  • Workshop mods & DLC maps
  • All official maps
  • DDoS protection 250 Gbit/⁠s
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ARKXL

For large communities

€25.99 / month

  • 24 GB DDR4 RAM
  • 140 GB NVMe storage
  • Recommended: 70+ players, Genesis 2
  • Maximum mod and dino load
  • All official maps
  • DDoS protection 250 Gbit/⁠s
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Features ARK SARK MARK LARK XL
RAM8 GB DDR412 GB DDR416 GB DDR424 GB DDR4
Storage40 GB NVMe SSD60 GB NVMe SSD90 GB NVMe SSD140 GB NVMe SSD
Recommended for~10 players, The Island~25 players, Workshop mods~50 players, DLC maps70+ players, Genesis 2
All official maps Included Included Included Included
Steam Workshop mods Included Included Included Included
Free choice of rates & breeding Included Included Included Included
Fixed server address (IP:Port) Included Included Included Included
Config editor (INI files) Included Included Included Included
Admin commands & RCON Included Included Included Included
Web file manager & SFTP access Included Included Included Included
Sub-users / admin access Included Included Included Included
Task scheduler (restarts) Included Included Included Included
Automatic updates Included Included Included Included
Uplink1 Gbit/⁠s1 Gbit/⁠s1 Gbit/⁠s1 Gbit/⁠s
TrafficUnmetered (fair use)Unmetered (fair use)Unmetered (fair use)Unmetered (fair use)
DDoS protection (250 Gbit/⁠s) Included Included Included Included
Provisioning120 seconds120 seconds120 seconds120 seconds
Network availability99.9 %99.9 %99.9 %99.9 %
Price (month)€9.99€13.99€17.99€25.99
OrderOrderOrderOrder

Maps: from The Island to Fjordur

ARK thrives on its maps - and they differ not only in looks but also in the resources they need. Small, compact maps are the ideal start; sprawling maps with many biomes put considerably more load on the server. You set the map in the configuration and can change it at any time; each map keeps its own save.

Map Description Recommended plan
The IslandThe original map and the classic start - manageable, balanced, well documented.ARK S / M
Scorched EarthDesert map with heat, sandstorms and its own creatures - considerably tougher than The Island.ARK M
RagnarokHuge free community map with very varied biomes - a long-time favorite for groups.ARK M / L
AberrationUnderground map with radiation, climbing sections and its own creatures - demanding and densely built.ARK L
Large mapsSprawling maps like Valguero, Crystal Isles, Lost Island or Fjordur - lots of space, lots of creatures.ARK L / XL

Besides the maps listed here, The Center, Extinction, Genesis and Lost Island are available too. Once mods come into play, the rule of thumb is: plan one level bigger. Prices per plan are on What does an ARK server cost?.

Two INI files, countless possibilities

Hardly any game can be reshaped as far as ARK - and practically all of it lives in two files. GameUserSettings.ini holds the big levers: server name and password, admin password, the multipliers for experience, taming speed and harvesting, day and night length and the active mods.

It gets more detailed in Game.ini: breeding and maturation times, the behavior of individual creatures, engram points per level and experience curves. If you want to build a server for players with a day job, change a few lines here - and months of grinding turn into an adventure for a few evenings.

You edit both files directly in the config editor of our web interface or via the web file manager and SFTP. After a restart the new values take effect.

Popular settings

  • Experience, harvesting and taming
  • Breeding, hatching and maturation times
  • Day and night length
  • Tribe size and building limits
  • PvE or PvP with your own rules

Everything your ARK server can do

All official maps

From The Island to Ragnarok and Aberration all the way to Fjordur - choose a map, restart the server, keep playing. Each map keeps its own save.

Steam Workshop mods

Add mods via their Workshop IDs - from structure packs to map mods and complete overhauls. The server downloads them automatically.

Custom rates

Freely adjust experience, taming speed, harvesting and breeding - from the vanilla experience to a server that works alongside a day job.

Config editor

Edit GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini directly in the web interface - no download needed, with every value in one place.

Admin commands & RCON

With the admin password you unlock admin rights in the game; via RCON you send commands from outside, such as announcements before a restart.

Web file manager & SFTP

Full access to save, configuration and mods: in the browser via the file manager or with an SFTP client - also for moving existing worlds.

Task scheduler

Schedule fixed restart times: for a game that builds up memory over hours, that is the easiest way to keep performance stable for good.

Automatic updates

After a game update, your server is updated automatically - you do not have to deal with SteamCMD yourself.

DDoS protection

Our DDoS protection filters attacks of up to 250 Gbit/⁠s - for public PvP servers, experience shows that is not a theoretical issue.

Performance for lots of dinos

High single-thread performance and fast NVMe SSDs keep the server smooth even as bases grow and the number of tamed creatures rises.

Made in Germany

Your ARK server runs in our data center near Frankfurt am Main - low latency for players across Europe.

Provisioning

After you order, your ARK server is ready in around 120 seconds - choose a map, set your rates, found your tribe.

ARK at a glance

  • Edition: Survival Evolved
  • Config: GameUserSettings.ini
  • Fine-tuning: Game.ini
  • Default port: 7777
  • Mods: Workshop IDs
  • Management: admin commands & RCON

Before you order

More game servers

Payment methods

PayPal logo Paysafecard logo Bank transfer logo Credit card, Google Pay and Apple Pay - payment via Stripe

PayPal, bank transfer, credit card, Google Pay & Apple Pay are free of charge, Paysafecard carries a 15 % fee. Everything is prepaid credit - all payment methods.

Frequently asked questions - ARK: Survival Evolved

This page is about ARK: Survival Evolved - the original edition with the well-known maps from The Island to Fjordur, a huge library of Steam Workshop mods and much more moderate resource needs than the remastered version. The configuration files and the entire process described on this page refer to Survival Evolved.

All official maps are available: The Island, The Center, Scorched Earth, Ragnarok, Aberration, Extinction, Valguero, Genesis, Crystal Isles, Lost Island and Fjordur. You set the map in the server configuration and can change it later. Good to know: each map has its own save - switching maps therefore starts a new world, and the old one stays saved.

The well-known multipliers for experience, taming speed and harvesting are in GameUserSettings.ini and can be adjusted freely - from vanilla values to a fast after-work server. Finer settings like breeding, hatching and maturation times or tweaking individual creatures are in Game.ini. You edit both files directly in the config editor of our web interface or via FTP.

ARK mods are added via their numeric Workshop ID: you enter the IDs in the server configuration, and the server downloads the mods and enables them on the next start. Order matters when mods overwrite each other - map and core mods go first. All players download the same mods automatically via Steam when they connect.

You set the player count yourself - we do not sell slots. In practice, it is not the players that limit the server but what they leave behind: tamed creatures, buildings and storage boxes. A tribe with hundreds of dinos and a built-out base puts more load on the server than additional players who just play along.

ARK is one of the most demanding games we offer. The requirement grows with three things: map size, the number of tamed creatures and structures, and the mod list. A fresh server on The Island gets by with comparatively little; a large map with mods and a world that has grown for months needs many times that. If in doubt, choose one level bigger - you can upgrade at any time and your save is kept.

Yes. With the admin password in the server configuration you unlock admin rights in the game and use the well-known admin commands. RCON is also available to send commands from outside - such as announcements before a restart. You can find the credentials and ports in the web interface.

Yes. The save of a map consists of the world file plus the related player and tribe data. You upload the complete save folder via the web file manager in your browser or via SFTP and then restart the server. That way you move an existing world to us without starting over.

Automatic backups are not part of the plan - instead you have full control: you back up your save and config files yourself at any time via SFTP or the web file manager in your browser. With ARK in particular, your own backup before every bigger mod update is worth it.

After a successful order, our automated system activates your server in around 120 seconds. Then you choose map and rates, add mods if you like and invite your tribe.