ARK
ARK server admin commands: how to become admin and run them
Running your own ARK server means you can use admin commands to manage players, save the world and fix problems. Here is how to access them.
Set an admin password
Open GameUserSettings.ini in the Files tab and set ServerAdminPassword=yourpassword under [ServerSettings]. Stop the server before editing, then start it again.
Use commands in game
- Join your server and press the Tab key to open the console.
- Type enablecheats yourpassword and press Enter.
- Type commands, or use admincheat before a command to run it as admin, for example admincheat SaveWorld.
Useful commands
- SaveWorld saves the map right now. Run it before a restart.
- DestroyWildDinos clears wild creatures so they respawn fresh. This is good for fixing missing spawns.
- Broadcast followed by a message sends a message to all players.
- KickPlayer and BanPlayer take a player ID, which you can look up with ListPlayers.
- ListPlayers shows who is online and their IDs.
- SetTimeOfDay changes the in-game time.
Use the command list on the ARK wiki to find the item and creature codes if you want to spawn things.
Use RCON from the panel
If RCON is enabled and the RCON port is open, you can send commands without being in game. Some panels let you type admin commands straight into the Console tab. If this does not work on your server, ask us on Discord to confirm which port RCON uses on your plan.
Troubleshooting
- Wrong password: it is case sensitive. Check the ini file for stray spaces.
- Commands do nothing: make sure you typed enablecheats first, and that you are in the server and not single player.
- Admin vanished after edit: the server may have overwritten the file. Stop the server before editing.