The short answer
Set your server's map with the startup value, not the display name. Most are the map name
with the spaces removed, but four are not: Aberration is Aberration_P,
Valguero is Valguero_P, Scorched Earth is ScorchedEarth_P and
Genesis 2 is Gen2. The values are case sensitive.
Key points
- Twelve maps, one startup value each. The full table is below.
- Four values do not match their map name. Those are the ones that break servers.
- Every map keeps its own save, so switching is reversible and nothing is deleted.
- Tames and gear do not travel with you. Upload them at an obelisk first.
Every ARK map and its startup value
The startup value is the string the server reads when it boots to decide which world to
load. It goes in the map field of your control panel, or straight into the command line.
Copy it exactly as written below: these are case sensitive, and a lower case
theisland is not the same string as TheIsland.
| Map | Startup value | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Island | TheIsland |
Free | The original map. The default if no map is set. |
| The Center | TheCenter |
Free | Free expansion map with a large floating island. |
| Ragnarok | Ragnarok |
Free | Large free map, popular for community servers. |
| Valguero | Valguero_P |
Free | Free map with mixed biomes and an underground world. |
| Crystal Isles | CrystalIsles |
Free | Free map, heavy on aerial travel. |
| Scorched Earth | ScorchedEarth_P |
DLC | Desert map. Heat and water management are the difficulty. |
| Aberration | Aberration_P |
DLC | Underground map with radiation zones. |
| Extinction | Extinction |
DLC | Ruined Earth with titans and orbital drops. |
| Genesis | Genesis |
DLC | Simulation map split into five biomes. |
| Genesis 2 | Gen2 |
DLC | Ship-based map. Note the short startup value. |
| Lost Island | LostIsland |
Free | Free community map added in 2021. |
| Fjordur | Fjordur |
Free | Free Norse-themed map with three realms. |
Setting the map on your server
On our hosting the map is a field in the control panel rather than something you have to hand-write into a launch script, so the whole job is four steps.
-
Stop the server
Changing the map while the server is running will not take effect, and stopping cleanly avoids a half-written save.
-
Open the startup parameters
In the control panel, go to your ARK service and find the startup parameters section. The map field is the one you want.
-
Paste the startup value
Copy the value from the table above and paste it in. Check there is no trailing space, which is the single most common cause of a server that will not boot after a map change.
-
Save and start
Start the server. The first boot on a new map takes longer than usual because the world has to be generated before anyone can join.
The four values people get wrong
Most ARK maps follow the obvious pattern. These four do not, and between them they account for most of the support tickets that begin with "my server will not start after I changed the map".
Aberration_P- Not
Aberration. The_Psuffix is required. Valguero_P- Not
Valguero. Same suffix rule. ScorchedEarth_P- No space, and the
_Psuffix again. Gen2- Not
Genesis2and notGenesis_2. JustGen2.
If the server does not recognise the value you have given it, you will not always get a clear error. Sometimes it simply loads The Island instead, which looks like your change was ignored rather than rejected. Check the value character by character before assuming the panel is at fault.
Switching maps without losing data
This is the part that worries people most, and the answer is reassuring: each map writes to its own save file. Switching the startup value changes which world the server loads. It does not overwrite or delete the world you were on.
So if you run The Island for a month, switch to CrystalIsles for a weekend event,
then switch back to TheIsland, your bases, tames and progress are exactly where
you left them. The only thing that changes is which world is live.
There are two caveats worth knowing before you rely on that:
- Nobody can reach the old world while a different map is loaded. Switching is not the same as running both.
- A wipe, a fresh install or a server rebuild clears all the saves, not just the active one. If a map matters to you, take a backup rather than trusting that it is safely parked.
Moving tames, gear and survivors between maps
Progress stays with the map, so a switch leaves your creatures behind unless you move them first. ARK's own transfer system handles this: upload what you want to keep before you switch, then download it on the new map.
-
Find an upload point
An obelisk, a supply drop or a Tek transmitter will all do. Interact with it and open the transmission tab.
-
Upload creatures, items and survivors separately
They are three separate lists. Uploading your survivor does not bring your dinos with it, and uploading a dino does not bring the gear in its inventory unless you put it there deliberately.
-
Switch the map, then download
Change the startup value, restart, join the new world and download from any obelisk or transmitter there.
Uploads are not permanent storage. They expire after a period the server config controls, so do not upload a prized creature and then leave the map switch for a fortnight. Move, then switch, then download in one sitting.
Which map to run
If you are picking a map for a community server rather than for yourself, the practical considerations differ from the ones a solo player weighs up.
- Starting out
- The Island. It is the map everyone knows, the one every tutorial assumes, and the lowest barrier for new players joining your server.
- Room to spread out
- Ragnarok or Crystal Isles. Both are large and free, so nobody has to buy a DLC to join you.
- A harder run
- Aberration or Extinction. Radiation and titans respectively. Both change the game enough that experienced players treat them as fresh.
- Playing the story in order
- The Island, Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, Genesis, Genesis 2.
One thing worth weighing for a public server: the free maps have a wider potential player base than the DLC ones, because a player who does not own Aberration cannot join your Aberration server at all. If you are trying to fill a server, that matters more than the map's design.