I’ve been hosting ARK dedicated servers for over 6 years, running everything from small 10-person private tribe servers to 70-slot public PvP lobbies. One of the most common questions I get from new hosts is how to expand their server’s capacity so more friends or community members can join. If you’re wondering how 2 raise players allowed on dedicated server ark, you don’t need fancy coding skills to pull it off – you just need to follow a few tested steps and avoid common mistakes that crash servers or ruin gameplay for everyone.
Pre-Configuration Checks Before You Adjust Player Count Limits
Too many new hosts jump straight to editing config files without checking if their setup can actually support more players. That’s the fastest way to end up with a laggy, constantly crashing server that no one wants to play on. Before you make any changes, take 10 minutes to run through these critical checks first.
Your server’s hardware is the biggest limiting factor for player count. ARK is a surprisingly resource-heavy game, even years after its full release, and every additional player puts extra strain on your CPU, RAM, and internet connection. You’ll want to confirm you meet these base requirements before making edits:
- Minimum 3.5GHz+ 6-core CPU for 20+ players, 8-core 3.8GHz+ for 50+ players (single-core performance matters more than extra cores for ARK, so prioritize higher clock speeds)
- 16GB base RAM + 2GB extra RAM per 10 additional players beyond the default 10 (add another 4GB minimum if you run more than 10 mods)
- 100Mbps+ upload speed with no data caps for public servers with 30+ concurrent players (each active player uses roughly 1-2Mbps of upload bandwidth during normal gameplay)
If you use a third-party ARK server hosting service, double-check your plan’s terms before making changes. Many budget hosting plans hard-cap player counts at certain numbers, and editing config files won’t override those limits. You’ll need to upgrade your plan first if that’s the case.
You should also do a quick audit of your installed mods. Some large mods, like custom maps or total conversion mods, use far more resources than vanilla ARK. Check the mod’s official page to see if it has known performance issues with high player counts, or if there’s a lightweight version you can use instead for larger lobbies.
How 2 Raise Players Allowed on Dedicated Server ARK via .ini File Edits
Once you confirm your setup can support more players, the actual adjustment process takes less than 5 minutes. If you’ve been worried about messing up config files, you can relax – learning how 2 raise players allowed on dedicated server ark only requires editing two simple configuration files, no advanced tech skills required.
First, locate your server’s GameUserSettings.ini file. If you’re running the server on your own hardware, you’ll find it in the ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer (for Windows hosts) or ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer (for Linux hosts) folder. If you use a third-party host, you’ll find this file in the “Config Files” or “File Manager” section of your host dashboard.
Open the file and search for the line labeled MaxPlayers=. The default value is 10 for vanilla ARK servers. Change this number to your desired player limit, like 30 or 50. Don’t set this number higher than what your hardware can support, even if you’re tempted to leave room for extra players – overloading your server will cause constant crashes.
Next, open your Game.ini file, which is in the same folder as GameUserSettings.ini. Add the following lines at the very bottom of the file, replacing X with your chosen player count:
[Script/Engine.GameSession]
MaxPlayers=X
If you use SteamCMD to launch your server, you’ll also need to add the launch parameter -MaxPlayers=X (again replacing X with your desired count) to your startup script. Many hosts let you add launch parameters directly through your dashboard, so you don’t have to edit the script manually. Save all your changes, then fully restart your server – don’t use a hot reload, as it won’t apply the new player limit properly.
Supporting Setting Adjustments for Stable High-Player Servers
Raising the player count alone isn’t enough to keep your server running smoothly. I learned this the hard way when I first raised my server limit to 30 players a few years back – the server crashed 3 times in the first 2 hours, and half the players complained of unplayable lag. These small supporting tweaks will make a huge difference in performance without ruining the core ARK experience.
First, lower your server’s view distance from the default 12000 to 8000 or 6000. Most players won’t notice the difference in how far they can see, but it cuts down on the amount of terrain the server has to render for every player at once. I saw a 40% drop in CPU usage on my 30-person server after making this one change alone.
Next, set a structure limit per tribe and an auto-kick for AFK players. Structure bloat is one of the biggest causes of lag on high-player servers, so capping each tribe at 2000-3000 structures prevents players from building unnecessarily large bases that drag down performance for everyone. Setting a 15-minute AFK kick also frees up slots for active players, so you don’t have 10 people taking up slots while they’re offline doing chores.
You should also disable non-critical features like dynamic weather events if you’re running more than 40 players. Events like rain or sandstorms put extra strain on the server, and disabling them won’t impact most players’ experience. If you really want to keep weather events, set them to only run when server load is below 70%.
Troubleshooting Common Issues After Raising Player Limits
Even if you follow all the steps perfectly, you might run into small issues when you first launch your updated server. These are the most common problems I’ve run into, and the simple fixes that work every time.
If your server still won’t let more than the default 10 players join, you probably missed one of the edit steps. Double-check that you changed the MaxPlayers value in both GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini, and that you added the launch parameter if you use SteamCMD. If you use a third-party host, confirm that your plan doesn’t have a hard player cap that’s blocking your changes.
If players are complaining of constant rubberbanding or lag, you’re either short on RAM or upload bandwidth. Use your server’s resource monitor to check RAM usage when multiple players are online – if it’s hitting 90% or higher, you need to allocate more RAM or remove some unnecessary mods. If RAM usage is fine, run a speed test to confirm your upload speed is matching what you pay for, and contact your ISP if it’s not.
If your server crashes randomly when more than 20 players are online, you likely have a mod conflict. Some smaller mods weren’t tested for high player counts, and they’ll throw errors when too many people interact with their features at once. Disable mods one by one to find the problematic one, or check the mod’s support page to see if there’s a high-player compatible version available. You should also make sure you’ve enabled anti-cheat protection for public servers – more players means a higher risk of cheaters joining and crashing the server on purpose.
At the end of the day, figuring out how 2 raise players allowed on dedicated server ark is a straightforward process as long as you take the time to prep your setup first. You don’t need to be a tech expert to make the changes, and small tweaks to supporting settings will keep your server running smoothly for dozens of players. Whether you’re hosting a server for a large friend group or a public community, these steps will help you build a stable, fun lobby that players will want to come back to long term.