ARK: Survival Ascended Dedicated Server Hosting 2026

ARK: Survival Ascended is the Unreal Engine 5 remake of ARK: Survival Evolved. It looks stunning — and it absolutely hammers server resources. This guide covers what you actually need to run an ASA server without it melting.

ASA vs ASE: What Changed for Servers

ARK: Survival Ascended is not just a graphical upgrade. The UE5 engine brings fundamental changes to server operation:

• RAM usage is 2–3× higher than ASE for the same player count
• Mods now go through CurseForge instead of Steam Workshop
• World saves are larger due to new object systems
• Performance per player requires more CPU headroom

If you're coming from ASE, your old configs and mods do not transfer directly.

RAM Requirements for ARK: Survival Ascended

ASA is one of the most RAM-hungry games available for dedicated hosting. Do not underspec this:

Players	Setup	Recommended RAM
2–6	Vanilla, single map	12 GB
6–20	Vanilla, single map	16 GB
20+	Modded	20–24 GB
Cluster (multiple maps)	Per map	12–16 GB each

12 GB is the practical minimum. Anything less and you'll see constant out-of-memory kills. The UE5 streaming system alone uses several gigabytes before any players connect.

CurseForge Mods on ASA Servers

ASA uses CurseForge for mods, not Steam Workshop. On a dedicated server:

1. Download mods from CurseForge to your local game client
2. Copy the mod files to your server's ShooterGame/Content/Mods/ directory
3. Add mod IDs to your GameUserSettings.ini under ActiveMods=
4. Restart the server

Popular ASA mods in 2026:

• Structures Plus (S+) — Building QoL, essential for most servers
• Dino Storage v2 — Soul orbs for dino management
• Super Structures — Alternative to S+, more features
• ECO's RP Decor — Decoration items for RP servers

ASA Server Configuration Essentials

Key settings in GameUserSettings.ini:

[ServerSettings]
ServerPassword=yourpassword
MaxPlayers=20
DifficultyOffset=1.0
XPMultiplier=2.0
TamingSpeedMultiplier=3.0
HarvestAmountMultiplier=2.0

For performance, these help:

[/Script/Engine.GameSession]
MaxPlayers=20

And in your startup command:

-NoBattlEye -noundermeshkilling -noantispeedhack

Cluster Setup

A cluster lets players transfer characters, dinos, and items between maps. Each map needs its own server instance, and all instances need to share a cluster directory.

For a basic Island + Scorched Earth cluster:

• 2 server processes
• 12–16 GB RAM each
• Shared ShooterGame/Saved/clusters/ directory (or cluster ID)

Renzom ARK: Survival Ascended Hosting

Renzom offers ASA servers from €31.80/month on EU hardware. Given ASA's requirements, we set the minimum at 12 GB RAM — anything less and we'd be doing you a disservice.

What's included:

• EU network (Falkenstein, Germany) — low ping for European players
• Full file manager access for mod installation
• Easy GameUserSettings.ini editing in the panel
• Daily restart scheduling

Configure your ASA server →

Summary

ARK: Survival Ascended is a resource-hungry game that needs proper hardware. Budget 12–16 GB RAM minimum, use a European host for good ping, and don't be surprised when the server costs more than ASE did — the UE5 engine simply demands more.

Start your ARK: Survival Ascended server on Renzom →