If you’ve ever wanted to dive into ARK: Survival Evolved with just your best friend, no random players griefing your base or stealing your tames, you’ve probably wondered how to host ARK for 2 player. I’ve been there myself: I tried setting up a server three times before I found a method that didn’t lag so bad we couldn’t even tame a dodo, or drop connection every time we moved to a new biome. This guide skips all the overcomplicated third-party host sales pitches and breaks down exactly what works for small, 2-person play sessions, whether you want to run it on your own PC or use a cheap low-pop server slot. We’ll also cover common mistakes that trip up new hosts, so you can spend less time troubleshooting and more time building your base and taming dinosaurs.
How to Host ARK for 2 Player: 3 Low-Cost, Low-Lag Methods to Choose From
The right hosting method for you depends entirely on your play style, hardware, and budget. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but all three options below are tested to work for 2-person sessions without the hassle of setting up a full 10-player public server. Before you pick one, run through this quick checklist to narrow down your choice:
- How often you’ll play: if you only play 2-3 times a week for a few hours, in-game hosting is more than enough
- Your PC specs: you’ll need at least 16GB of RAM and a stable 100Mbps upload speed if you’re running the server and playing on the same machine
- Whether you want the server running when you’re offline: if your friend wants to play while you’re at work, you’ll need a dedicated third-party host
- If you plan to add mods later: some mod collections are too heavy for in-game non-dedicated hosting, so a local or third-party dedicated server works better
In-game non-dedicated hosting is the easiest option by far, no extra software or downloads required. You just launch the game, set up a session, and send your friend your IP to join. The only downside is the default tether limit that pulls your friend back if they wander too far from you, but that’s easy to adjust in settings. Local dedicated server is completely free, no tether limit, and lets you customize every single server setting you can think of. The catch is you have to leave your PC running any time someone wants to play, and it will take up a chunk of your RAM and processing power even when you’re not in the game. 2-slot third-party hosting usually costs less than $5 a month, runs 24/7 without using your hardware, and comes with built-in mod support and automatic backups. It’s the best pick if you play regularly or don’t want to mess with port forwarding and firewall settings.
Step-by-Step Setup for In-Game 2 Player ARK Hosting
If you’re new to hosting, start with the in-game non-dedicated method first. It takes less than 10 minutes to set up, and you can always upgrade later if you need more features. First, make sure both you and your friend are running the exact same game version, and you have identical mod lists if you plan to use mods. Even one mismatched mod will stop your friend from being able to connect, so double check that first. Next, open ARK and click the “Host/Local” button on the main menu.
On the host settings screen, start by setting max players to 2 to stop random people from joining your session. Turn off Battle Eye if you’re not using any anti-cheat protected servers, and set the server password so only your friend can get in. You can adjust difficulty, tame speed, and resource spawn rates here too, depending on how casual or challenging you want your playthrough to be. Most casual players prefer setting tame speed to 2x or 3x so you don’t have to spend an hour waiting for a low-level dino to tame.
Once you save your settings and launch the session, you’ll need to send your friend your IP address so they can join. If you’re both on the same home wifi, use your local IP address, which you can find by typing “ipconfig” in your Windows command prompt, no port forwarding needed. If you’re playing remotely, you’ll need to use your public IP, and port forward ports 7777 and 27015 on your router to your PC’s local IP. If you get a connection timeout error, first check that your Windows firewall is set to allow ARK through both public and private networks, that’s the most common fix for connection issues.
Key Settings to Adjust for Smooth 2 Person ARK Play
Even if you have a great PC, default ARK server settings are built for larger public servers, so you’ll need to tweak a few things to get smooth performance for just 2 players. The first setting to fix is the tether distance, which is the maximum distance your friend can be from you before they’re automatically teleported back. By default it’s set to 500 meters, which is way too small if you want to explore different areas separately. You can increase it to 99999 meters by going to your ARK game user settings file, finding the “tether distance” line, and changing the value, or adding the command line argument -UseDynamicConfig when you launch the server to remove the limit entirely.
Next, adjust performance settings to cut down on lag spikes. Lower the view distance to 3 or 4, you won’t notice a big visual difference, but it cuts the amount of processing power the server uses by almost 40%. Turn off dynamic weather and shadow effects if you’re running the server on the same PC you play on, those two settings cause most of the random lag spikes in small sessions. You can also lower the wild dino spawn rate by 20% to reduce server load, you’ll still have more than enough dinos to tame and fight, but the server won’t have to process as many NPC movements at once.
If you’re using mods, stick to 10 or fewer small mods for non-dedicated hosting. Big mod packs like Primal Fear are way too heavy for non-dedicated servers, and you’ll get constant crashes or 10+ minute load times. Set your auto-save interval to 15 minutes instead of the default 5, so you don’t get a lag spike every few minutes when the server saves your progress. Always test your settings for 10 minutes alone before inviting your friend, so you can fix any kinks before they join.
Common 2 Player ARK Hosting Issues (And How to Fix Them Fast)
Even if you follow every step perfectly, you’ll probably run into a small issue or two the first time you host. The most common problem is your friend getting a “mod mismatch” error when they try to join. This happens when one of you has an outdated mod, or one of you has a mod installed that the other doesn’t. To fix it, go to your Steam ARK mod list, unsubscribe from all mods, then re-subscribe to the exact same list at the same time to make sure you both have the latest versions. You can also use a shared mod collection link to make sure you’re both downloading the same files.
Another common issue is constant lag spikes when you’re both exploring new areas. First, test your upload speed: you need at least 5Mbps of upload speed per player, so 10Mbps minimum for 2 people. If your upload speed is lower than that, lower the view distance and dino count even more, or switch to a third-party host that handles the upload bandwidth for you. If you’re getting lag even with fast internet, check if there’s a background download or stream running on your network, even a Netflix show in the other room can eat up enough bandwidth to cause ARK lag.
The last big issue people run into is save file corruption, which can wipe dozens of hours of progress if you’re not prepared. Backing up your save file once a week only takes 2 minutes, and it’s the only way to get your base and tames back if your PC crashes or the server glitches. You can find your save files in your ARK game folder under “Saved”, just copy the folder to a separate drive or cloud storage once a week. If you’re using a third-party host, turn on automatic daily backups so you don’t have to remember to do it manually.
At the end of the day, figuring out how to host ARK for 2 player doesn’t have to be a headache, and you don’t have to spend a fortune on fancy server hosting to have a good time with a friend. I’ve used all three methods over the years, and for most casual players, the in-game non-dedicated setup works perfectly as long as you adjust the tether and performance settings first. If you end up playing 10+ hours a week together, upgrading to a cheap 2-slot host is worth every penny to avoid hardware strain on your PC. The best part? Once you get the setup done once, you won’t have to mess with it again, and you can jump right into surviving, taming, and building whenever you want.