If you’ve ever tried playing Ark Survival with a single friend on public servers, you know how frustrating it can be to get your base raided by random clans, deal with crippling lag, or wait hours for slots to free up during peak play times. That’s why so many pairs of players look up how to run a 2 person server for Ark Survival – it lets you set your own rules, play at your own pace, and avoid all the chaos of overcrowded public lobbies. I’ve set up half a dozen of these small servers for me and my friends over the years, so I’ve worked out all the kinks from port forwarding headaches to performance tweaks that keep crashes to a minimum. This guide will walk you through every step, no advanced tech experience required to get your server up and running in under an hour.
Step-by-Step to Run a 2 Person Server for Ark Survival
First, you’ll need to decide if you want to host the server on your own PC, or rent a cheap third-party server host. Both options work great for small 2-player servers, and each has its own pros and cons. Self-hosting is completely free, but you’ll need to leave the host PC turned on any time either of you wants to play, and you’ll have to adjust your router settings to let your friend connect. Rented servers usually cost between $5 and $10 a month for a 2-slot Ark server, and they handle all the technical work for you, with guaranteed uptime so you don’t lose progress if your PC crashes.
If you choose to self-host, start by downloading the Ark Dedicated Server tool from the Tools section of your Steam library. Once it’s installed, right click the tool in your library, select Properties, and paste these startup parameters in the Launch Options field: -server -log -MaxPlayers=2 -Port=7777. Next, you’ll need to port forward three ports on your router: 7777, 7778, and 27015. The exact steps for port forwarding vary by router brand, but you can find specific guides for your model online in a few minutes. Always set a server password even if you only plan for two players – that stops random people from finding your server and messing with your world before you even get a chance to build your first base.
If you go the rented server route, the process is even simpler. Pick a reputable game server host, select Ark Survival as your game, choose the 2-player slot plan, and enter your payment info. Most hosts have a one-click setup option for Ark servers, so you just have to set your server name and password in the host’s control panel, then click launch. Your server will be ready to join in 10 to 15 minutes, no extra configuration needed if you want to play vanilla.
Optimal Settings for a Smooth 2 Person Ark Co-op Experience
Public server settings are designed for 50+ players, so you’ll want to tweak yours to fit a 2-person playstyle. The default settings make resource grind and taming take way longer than it needs to when you don’t have a full clan to split work with, so adjusting a few sliders will make your play sessions way more enjoyable. You don’t have to make these changes before you launch, by the way.
Here are the settings I always use for my 2-person servers, balanced to keep the core Ark grind intact without feeling like a chore:
- Player damage resistance: 1.2x to offset the fact you don't have a large clan to back you up if you run into a giga or alpha raptor while exploring alone
- Dino count: 0.8x of default to reduce server load, since you don't need hundreds of dinos spawning across the map for just two players
- Structure decay: Turn it off entirely, or set it to 4x longer so you don't lose your base if you take a week off from playing for work or vacation
- PvE structure damage protection: Enable this if you're playing PvE, so wild dinos can't destroy your base while you're offline and no one is around to defend it
You can also adjust taming speed to 2x to 4x, resource respawn rate to 2x, and XP multiplier to 1.5x to keep progression moving at a satisfying pace. You can adjust all these settings later via the server config file, so don't stress about getting them perfect on your first launch. My friend and I spent the first week of our last server tweaking settings every time we logged on until we found the balance that worked for our playstyle.
Performance Tweaks to Stop Lag and Crashes
Ark is a notoriously resource-heavy game, even for small servers, so a few simple tweaks will keep your server running smooth with almost no lag or crashes. If you’re self-hosting, make sure the PC running the server has at least 8GB of free RAM, and a 4-core CPU that’s less than 5 years old. Never allocate more than 80% of your PC's total RAM to the server if you're running it on the same device you use to play – that will prevent both the server and your game from crashing from lack of memory.
Close any unnecessary background apps while the server is running, especially web browsers with 20+ tabs open, video editing software, or other game launchers. These eat up RAM and CPU power that the server needs to run smooth. If you notice lag spikes happening every time it rains or a storm rolls in, you can disable dynamic weather in the server config to cut down on processing power usage. Disable unnecessary world features like dynamic weather if you notice consistent lag during storms – it barely impacts gameplay and makes a huge difference in performance, especially if you’re running the server on an older PC.
If you’re renting a server, make sure your plan has at least 4GB of RAM allocated for a vanilla server, or 6GB if you plan to add a few mods. Schedule weekly automatic restarts for your server, set for a time when neither of you usually plays, like 3am. Restarts clear out cached data that builds up over time and causes random crashes and lag, and it only takes a few minutes for the server to boot back up. I’ve had servers run for months without a single crash just by sticking to a weekly restart schedule.
Fun Rule Ideas to Make Your 2 Person Server More Enjoyable
The best part of running your own 2 person server is that you don’t have to follow the random rules of public server admins. You can make up whatever rules you want to fit your playstyle, whether you’re playing casual PvE or friendly PVP. My friend and I usually split roles on our servers, where one person focuses on taming and exploring new areas, and the other focuses on building and base defense. That splits the work evenly so neither of us gets stuck doing all the boring grind tasks.
You can also add small challenges to keep things interesting, like requiring both of you to be present to take on any boss, or setting a rule that you can only use tamed dinos that you caught yourself, no trading or borrowing each other’s mounts for tough fights. If you want to add a bit of friendly competition, set a rule that whoever tames the highest level dino each week gets to pick the next area you explore. It adds a fun little challenge without ruining the co-op vibe.
If you want to add mods, stick to 5 or fewer quality of life mods to avoid compatibility issues and crashes. I once added 12 mods to our 2 person server and spent 3 hours troubleshooting why it wouldn’t launch, so start small and add one mod at a time to test if it works. Small map mods are great for 2 person servers, since you don’t have to spend hours traveling across a huge map to meet up with each other if you spawn in different areas.
At the end of the day, learning how to run a 2 person server for Ark Survival is one of the best ways to enjoy the game with a close friend, no matter if you're playing casually or trying to beat all the endgame bosses. You don't need fancy hardware or advanced tech skills to get it running, and the ability to customize every part of your experience makes it way more fun than jumping into random public lobbies. If you run into issues during setup, don't get discouraged – most common problems like port forwarding errors or config file mistakes have simple fixes you can find in official Ark support threads. Once you get your server up and running, you'll wonder why you didn't try setting one up sooner.