ARK
How to fix ARK server lag, rubber banding and crashes
ARK is demanding, and lag usually comes from too many creatures, big bases, too many mods or too little RAM. These steps help you find the cause.
Quick checks
- Check the Console tab for error messages near the time of a crash.
- Look at the RAM usage graph in the panel. If it sits near the limit, the server needs more memory or fewer mods.
- Restart the server to clear memory that has built up over time.
Reduce the load
- Clear wild dinos with admincheat DestroyWildDinos. This frees up resources and makes spawns reset.
- Limit tames per tribe and encourage players to cull unused creatures. Large numbers of tamed dinos are a very common cause of lag.
- Remove mods you do not need, especially ones that add many creatures or items.
- Avoid very high rates for harvest, which can make players pile up huge numbers of items.
Schedule restarts
A daily restart in a quiet hour keeps ARK running smoothly. Run SaveWorld before restarting. Ask us on Discord if you want help setting up a schedule.
Update problems
If players see a version mismatch or cannot join after a game update, the server probably needs to be updated or restarted. Update it, then try again.
Crash after a change
- Restore your last backup of GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini.
- Remove recently added mods and add them back in small batches.
- A corrupted save can crash the server on load. Replace it with an earlier backup.
When to upgrade
If the server is still struggling after clean-up, you probably need more RAM. Ascended generally needs far more memory than Evolved, so check the recommended specs for your game.