How to install mods on an ARK server

Which method you need

The three methods are not alternatives you pick by taste. They are a ladder you climb only as far as you need to.

Method 1: Workshop installer

Start here. Works for the large majority of mods and needs no file handling at all.

Method 2: ActiveMods

Use when you would rather have the server fetch mods itself on restart, or when you are editing configs anyway.

Method 3: manual upload

The fallback for mods the Workshop installer cannot download. More work, but it always works, because you are supplying the files yourself.

Method 1: the Steam Workshop installer

1. Stop your server

   Always turn the server off before installing mods. Writing mod files underneath a running server is how you get a corrupt install rather than a working one.

2. Open the Steam Workshop installer

   It is in your server's control panel. This is the tool that talks to the Workshop on your behalf.

3. Search for and download the mods you want

   Filter for the mod by name or ID, then click Download on each one you want installed.

4. Restart and let it finish

   The server will pause while it unpacks. This is the stage people mistake for a crash.

To deactivate a mod later, either click Uninstall in the Workshop installer, or edit GameUserSettings.ini and remove that mod ID from the ActiveMods= line.

Method 2: the ActiveMods method

This approach hands the mod list to the server directly and lets it manage the downloads on restart.

1. Add the mod IDs to ActiveMods

   Open GameUserSettings.ini and put the IDs on the ActiveMods line, comma separated with no spaces.

   ActiveMods=439927654,342653673

2. Restart your server

   The server pauses temporarily, typically 10 to 15 minutes, while it downloads the mods you listed. Leave it alone during this window.

Method 3: manual upload for mods that will not download

Some mods will not come down through the Workshop installer. When that happens you fetch the files with your own game client and upload them yourself.

Getting the mod files

1. Subscribe to the mod on Steam

   Find it in the Steam Workshop and subscribe as you would for single player.

2. Launch ARK to the main menu, then close it

   Reaching the main menu is what makes the client install and unpack the mod. You do not need to load a world.

3. Locate the files and zip them together

   Go to:

   Steam\steamapps\common\ARK\ShooterGame\Content\Mods\

   You are looking for a folder named after the mod ID, for example 46754636, and a matching .mod file beside it. Zip both together. Missing the .mod file is the single most common reason a manual install does not work.

Uploading to your server

1. Turn the server off

   Log in to your control panel and stop the service before touching any files.

2. Upload the ZIP into the Mods folder

   In the file manager, navigate to ShooterGame\Content\Mods and upload your archive there.

3. Extract it and check the structure

   Unzip in place, then confirm the result looks like this, with the mod ID as a folder directly inside Mods:

   ShooterGame\Content\Mods\439927654

   A common mistake is extracting one level too deep, leaving Mods\myzip\439927654, which the server will not find.

4. Activate the mod

   Open GameUserSettings.ini and add the ID to the ActiveMods= line.

   ActiveMods=439927654,342653673

5. Restart the server

   Startup will take longer than usual while the mods load. That is expected.

Stacking multiple mods

To run several mods together, list their IDs on the same line separated by commas:

ActiveMods=439927654,342653673,567893421

Order is not cosmetic. The mod at the top of the list takes priority, and the ones after it add items or override settings where they overlap. If two mods both change the same creature or recipe, the first one listed is the one that wins.

Test the combination before you put it in front of your players. A stack that loads is not the same as a stack that behaves, and conflicts often only surface once someone tries to craft the thing both mods touched.

Total conversion mods

A total conversion replaces the game rather than extending it, so it is loaded through its own parameter rather than through ActiveMods.

1. Upload the mod

   Use the manual upload method above to get the files onto the server.

2. Activate it in the command line manager

   Create a new command line with the argument:

   -TotalConversionMod=547377246

   Then set the map to TheIsland, or whichever map the conversion expects.

3. Save and restart

   The conversion loads on boot in place of the standard game.

Map mods

1. Upload the map mod

   Manual upload method again, same as above.

2. Set it in the command line manager

   Choose the Custom Map option. Put the mod's map name in the first box and its ID in the second.

3. Save and restart

   First boot on a new map takes noticeably longer while the world generates.

When mods will not load

Server crashes on boot

Usually a mod ID in ActiveMods whose files are not actually present, or two mods that conflict. Remove the most recently added ID and restart to confirm which.

Mod appears installed but does nothing

Check the ID is on the ActiveMods line and not just downloaded. Downloading and activating are two separate steps.

Startup never finishes

Almost always a mod download still in progress. Give it the full 15 minutes before intervening.

Mod worked, then broke after a game update

The mod needs updating for the new game version. Check the Workshop page for the mod's own update status rather than reinstalling it repeatedly.

Habits that save time:

• Back up your configuration files before changing them, so reverting is a copy and paste rather than a rebuild.
• Read the mod's own Workshop description for compatibility notes before you install. Most conflicts are documented there.
• Watch performance as you add mods. Load times and server strain both climb with the number of mods, and the point where it stops being worth it arrives sooner than most people expect.