Setting Up ARK Survival Servers on USA VPS: Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Hosting your own ARK: Survival Evolved dedicated server on a USA VPS offers unmatched control, low-latency gameplay for North American players, and the flexibility to customize maps, mods, and settings. Whether you’re taming dinosaurs on The Island or running a modded cluster, a USA VPS in top-tier data centers delivers blazing-fast speeds with 1 Gbps ports and NVMe SSD storage. This guide focuses on ARK: Survival Evolved (native Linux support via Steam app ID 376030), ideal for VPS setups, providing a complete walkthrough from provisioning to launch.

Why Choose USA VPS for ARK Survival Servers?

USA VPS hosting shines for gaming due to ultra-low latency—under 50ms for US players—thanks to prime locations in Tier 3+ data centers. Dedicated KVM virtualization ensures isolated CPU, RAM, and NVMe storage, preventing “noisy neighbor” lag during dino tames or boss fights. Plans scale instantly without downtime, perfect for growing tribes.

ARK servers demand solid specs: minimum 6GB RAM (8GB+ recommended for 10+ players), 2-4 vCPU cores, 30-120GB SSD, and high bandwidth for world saves and player data. Larger clusters (multiple maps) need 12-16GB+ RAM. USA VPS providers like VPS.DO offer ARIN IPs, full root access, and 99.9% uptime SLAs, optimizing for e-commerce-like reliability in gaming.

Key benefits include:

• Lightning-fast North American connections for seamless multiplayer.
• Flexible OS reinstalls (Ubuntu recommended) via SolusVM panels.
• 24/7 support for troubleshooting high-traffic sessions.

Recommended VPS Specifications for ARK

Match your player count and mods to these USA VPS tiers:

These ensure 20 TPS (ticks per second) and minimal rubber-banding. For ARK: Survival Ascended (Windows-only, app ID 2430930), opt for Windows trial plans with similar specs.

Step-by-Step Setup on Ubuntu VPS

1. Provision and Access Your USA VPS

Select a USA VPS plan (e.g., VPS.DO’s scalable KVM options starting at $4/mo with instant setup). Log in via SSH as root: ssh root@your-vps-ip.

2. Update System and Create ARK User

apt update && apt upgrade -y
adduser ark  # Set password, create non-root user for security
usermod -aG sudo ark

Switch: su – ark.

Install dependencies:

sudo apt install software-properties-common apt-transport-https ca-certificates wget nano screen lib32gcc1 libstdc++6:i386 -y

Boost file limits (edit /etc/security/limits.conf):

ark soft nofile 100000
ark hard nofile 100000

Reboot if needed.

3. Install SteamCMD

mkdir ~/steamcmd && cd ~/steamcmd
wget https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz
tar -xvzf steamcmd_linux.tar.gz
./steamcmd.sh

Exit SteamCMD.

4. Download and Install ARK Server

mkdir ~/arkserver && cd ~/arkserver
~/steamcmd/steamcmd.sh +login anonymous +force_install_dir ~/arkserver +app_update 376030 validate +quit

This fetches ~30GB+ files—patience required.

5. Configure Firewall and Ports

ARK needs UDP 7777 (game), 7778 (peer), 27015 (query); TCP 27020 (RCON optional). On UFW:

sudo ufw allow 7777/udp
sudo ufw allow 7778/udp
sudo ufw allow 27015/udp
sudo ufw allow 27020/tcp  # Optional RCON
sudo ufw enable

Verify: ufw status. ARIN IPs ensure clean routing.

6. Customize Server Settings

First run generates configs in ~/arkserver/ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/.

Edit GameUserSettings.ini (nano):

[ServerSettings]
SessionName="My USA VPS ARK Server"
ServerPassword=yourpass
ServerAdminPassword=adminpass
MaxPlayers=20

Tweak rates: OverrideOfficialDifficulty=5.0 for bigger dinos. Save and exit.

7. Launch and Automate with Systemd

Create start script ~/start_ark.sh:

#!/bin/bash
cd ~/arkserver/ShooterGame/Binaries/Linux
./ShooterGameServer TheIsland?listen?SessionName=MyServer?ServerPassword=pass?ServerAdminPassword=admin -server -log

chmod +x ~/start_ark.sh

Systemd service /etc/systemd/system/ark.service:

[Unit]
Description=ARK Server
After=network.target

[Service]
User=ark
WorkingDirectory=/home/ark/arkserver/ShooterGame/Binaries/Linux
ExecStartPre=/home/ark/steamcmd/steamcmd.sh +login anonymous +force_install_dir /home/ark/arkserver +app_update 376030 +quit
ExecStart=/home/ark/start_ark.sh
Restart=always
LimitNOFILE=100000

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable ark
sudo systemctl start ark

Monitor: sudo systemctl status ark or screen -r for logs.

8. Connect and Test

In ARK client: Join ARK > Filters > Unofficial > Search server name or your-vps-ip:27015. Add to favorites for Steam list.

Optimization and Maintenance Tips

• Updates: sudo systemctl stop ark, run SteamCMD update, sudo systemctl start ark.
• Mods: Use Steam Workshop IDs in GameUserSettings.ini: ActiveMods=ModID1,ModID2.
• Backups: Cron job: 0 2 * * * tar -czf /backups/ark-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz ~/arkserver/ShooterGame/Saved.
• Monitoring: SolusVM tracks CPU/RAM; scale via support.
• Performance: NVMe SSDs handle frequent saves; 1 Gbps avoids bandwidth caps.

For low-ping USA VPS with 4-14 cores, 8-40GB RAM, NVMe SSDs, instant scalability, full root access, and 24/7 support—starting at $8/mo with 7-day money-back—check VPS.DO. Deploy now at https://vps.do/usa/ for lag-free ARK adventures.