If you’ve ever tried to play ARK co-op with a friend only to get pulled back with a frustrating tether warning when you wander too far apart, you know how limiting the default 2 player radius can be. Figuring out how to expand 2 player radius in ARK doesn’t just remove that annoying restriction – it lets you explore, build, and take down dinos together without being glued to each other’s side. I’ve spent dozens of hours tweaking settings for both local non-dedicated sessions and private servers to get this right, so I’ll walk you through every method that actually works, no fancy technical skills required. Most adjustments take less than 5 minutes to apply, so you can get back to playing with your friend in no time.
Key Things to Know Before You Expand 2 Player Radius in ARK
First, it’s important to understand why the 2 player radius (officially called a tether limit) exists in the first place. Studio Wildcard added this restriction to prevent performance crashes for players hosting non-dedicated local sessions, where the host’s device runs both their own game and the shared session for all other players. The farther apart players get, the more map area the host has to load at once, which can strain low-end hardware quickly.
There are a few hard rules you should keep in mind before making any adjustments, to avoid wasting time or breaking your game: Non-dedicated local sessions have hard tether limits you can’t fully remove, only expand, even with mods. Dedicated servers have no inherent tether restrictions at all, even for 2 player groups, so they’re the best option if you want total freedom to explore. Expanding the radius too far on low-end host devices will cause frame drops, lag, or even game crashes, so you should always test small adjustments first before cranking settings to maximum.
You’ll also want to confirm what type of session you’re running before you pick a method. If you launch ARK, select “Host/Local”, and have your friend join via your Steam friends list, you’re running a non-dedicated session. If you’re joining a separate server run through Steam’s ARK Dedicated Server tool or a third-party hosting service, you’re on a dedicated server.
Step-by-Step Method to Expand Radius for Local Non-Dedicated ARK Sessions
This is the method most casual 2 player groups will use, since it doesn’t require any extra software or paid services. It works for all PC players, and most of the steps translate to console players too, with a few small differences.
For PC players, start by opening your Steam library, right-clicking ARK: Survival Evolved, and selecting “Properties”. In the “General” tab, find the “Launch Options” text box, and enter ?TetherDistanceMultiplier=X, replacing X with the number you want to multiply the default radius by. The default value is 1.0, which equals a roughly 200 meter radius. A value of 5.0 will give you a 1000 meter radius, which is more than enough for most 2 player groups to explore separate areas near each other without hitting tether limits. Never set the multiplier higher than 10.0 for local sessions, even if you have a high-end PC – I tried setting it to 15 on my RTX 2060 last year, and the game crashed twice in 30 minutes when my friend and I wandered to opposite ends of The Island.
Once you’ve saved your launch options, open ARK and go to the “Host/Local” menu. Select the “Advanced” tab, and find the “Non-Dedicated Host Tether Distance” slider. Drag it to the maximum value to make sure your launch option settings aren’t overridden by in-game defaults. Start your session, and your new radius will be active immediately – your joining friend doesn’t need to make any changes on their end.
For Xbox and PlayStation players, you can adjust the tether distance directly in the in-game host menu under advanced settings, with no extra steps. Console players are limited to a maximum 3x multiplier due to hardware restrictions, so if you need a larger radius, you’ll have to use a dedicated server.
How to Remove 2 Player Radius Limits Entirely With a Dedicated Server
If you play ARK regularly with your friend and don’t want to deal with any tether restrictions at all, a dedicated server is your best bet. You can either host one on your own PC for free, or rent a third-party hosted server for a small monthly fee. Both options completely remove 2 player radius limits, with no hard caps on how far apart you can be.
To host a dedicated server on your own PC, first download the free ARK Dedicated Server tool from the “Tools” section of your Steam library. Once installed, navigate to the server’s configuration files, open GameUserSettings.ini, and find the [ServerSettings] section. Add or edit the line bDisableTether=true, save the file, and restart the server. This will turn off all tether limits permanently for all players on the server. If you host a dedicated server on the same PC you play ARK on, you’ll need at least 16GB of RAM and a 6-core CPU to run both smoothly, since the server uses a lot of background resources.
If you don’t want to leave your PC on 24/7 or don’t have the hardware to run a server, renting a third-party server costs between $5 and $10 a month for a 2-10 player slot, which is more than enough for most small groups. Most hosting providers have a one-click option to disable tether limits in their server dashboard, so you don’t have to edit any configuration files manually.
- No hard tether restrictions, so you and your friend can explore separate areas of the map at the same time with no pullback warnings
- Better performance for all players, since the server runs independently of any player’s game client
- You can keep the server running 24/7, so you don’t have to restart your progress every time the host logs off
Mods That Make 2 Player Radius Adjustments Easier for Custom Servers
If you play modded ARK on PC, there are a few popular mods that make adjusting or removing 2 player radius limits even easier, without having to edit configuration files or mess with launch options. All of these mods are compatible with most popular ARK content mods, including Structures Plus and Dinopedia, so you don’t have to sacrifice your favorite modded features to get a larger radius.
The first mod I recommend for casual 2 player groups is Tether Fix Remastered. This mod is specifically designed to remove or expand tether limits for non-dedicated sessions, with built-in performance optimizations that let you run a larger radius without the lag or crashes you’d get from just adjusting the default multiplier. It adds a simple in-game menu where you can adjust the radius on the fly, no server restarts required, and it’s been updated consistently for years with very few reported bugs.
For modded dedicated servers, Utilities Plus is a great all-in-one mod that adds tether adjustment as one of its many quality-of-life features. It lets server admins change the radius for specific player groups, or turn off tether limits entirely for everyone, all through an in-game admin panel instead of digging through config files. It also adds other useful co-op features like shared building permissions and group resource tracking, which are great for 2 player groups building a base together.
Before you install any mod to adjust your radius, make sure both you and your friend download the exact same mod version, or you won’t be able to join the same session. It’s also a good idea to back up your save file before installing new mods, just in case there’s a rare compatibility issue with other mods you’re running.
At the end of the day, figuring out how to expand 2 player radius in ARK is all about picking the method that fits your setup and playstyle. If you only play for an hour or two a week with a friend, adjusting the launch option multiplier for your local session is more than enough, and takes less than 5 minutes to set up. If you play regularly and want full freedom to explore separate parts of the map without any restrictions, a dedicated server or tether fix mod will give you the best experience with minimal performance issues. Don’t forget to test small adjustments first to avoid crashes, and you’ll be able to enjoy ARK co-op the way it’s meant to be played, no annoying pullbacks required.