Ark Ascended Server Manager is a free tool developed by Brads Digital Tools that makes creating and managing your server simple and straight forward.
To make things easy, you can follow along in whichever way works best for you:
Lets get started and get your server up and running!
Before getting started, there is one important prerequisite:
Ark Ascended Server Manager (ASAM) requires .NET 8.0 to run.
if you don’t already have .NET 8.0 installed, you can download it directly from Microsoft’s official website.
Time to download ASAM
Once .NET 8.0 is installed, download ARK Ascended Server Manager using one of the following options
Once the download is complete, extract the files to your preferred location on your computer.
⚠️ Important: Do not extract the software into a OneDrive folder. Doing so can cause permission issues that may prevent the server manager from running correctly.
After you have extracted you can go ahead and launch ASAM.EXE
Creating your first server profile in ASAM is quick and straight forward.
Start by navigating to the Dashboard section inside ASAM.
Once you’re on the Dashboard, click the “Add Server” button.
A new window will appear. Here, you ca give your server profile a name.
For example: “The Island”
Choose something descriptive so you can easily identify it later.
Next, select your game server.
At the moment, the only available option is:
After filling in the required details, click “Create Server”
If everything was successful, you’ll see a confirmation message letting you know the profile has been created and saved.
You should now see your newly created server listed on the Dashboard
Now that your server profile has been created, the next step is to download the actual ARK: Survival Ascended server files.
From the Dashboard, click the ⚙️ Cog icon next to your server profile.
This will open the Configuration Window.
Inside the Configuration Window, click the “Download ASA” button to begin downloading the game server files.
After clicking “Download ASA,” a progress/update window will appear.
The download may take some time depending on your internet speed. Once the process is complete, you’ll see a confirmation dialog letting you know the server has finished downloading.
✅ That’s it!
You’ve successfully downloaded the game server files. At this point, you could technically launch the server using the default settings — but we’ll configure everything properly in the next steps.
Before launching your server, you’ll want to adjust a few important settings so you can find it in-game and manage it properly.
We’ll begin under the “Server” tab in the “Name and Passwords” section.
This is the name that will appear in the in-game server browser.
Make sure you choose something unique and recognizable, especially if you plan to run multiple servers.
Example:
Brad’s Ark – The Island
TryTech PvE Server
The Island Survival
By default, the passwords are not randomly generated, so you should change them.
⚠️ Important:
If you don’t want random players joining, set a Server Password.
If you want your server to be public, you can leave this field blank.
It’s also recommended to set a secure Admin Password for server management.
Next, navigate to the Networking section.
Here you’ll see the Game Port.
The default port ASAM uses is:
If you are only running one server, you can leave this as is.
However, if you plan to run multiple servers, each one must use a different port number.
Example:
The Island → 7778
The Centre → 7779
Scorched Earth → 7780
Each server must have its own unique port.
Now move to the RCON section.
This section is extremely important because ASAM uses RCON to properly save the server before shutting it down.
✅ Make sure RCON is enabled.
The default RCON port is:
Just like with the Game Port, if you’re running multiple servers, each server must use a different RCON port.
Example:
The Island → 27020
The Centre → 27021
Scorched Earth → 27022
Once these settings are configured, your server will be properly identified, secured, and ready for safe management.
⚠️ Note: Make sure you click “Save Changes” in the top left corner of the configuration window to save!
We’re at the final stretch! 🎉
Before launching your server for the first time, there’s one important thing to check.
If you want players outside of your local network to join your server, you’ll need to configure port forwarding on your router.
You can follow this general port forwarding guide here:
https://www.noip.com/support/knowledgebase/general-port-forwarding-guide
⚠️ Before you begin, make sure you note the following:
Your Game Port uses UDP
Your RCON Port uses TCP
You’ll need to forward both ports correctly for everything to work properly.
If you’re only playing locally (same network), port forwarding is not required.
Once port forwarding is complete:
1️⃣ Go back to the Dashboard inside ASAM
2️⃣ Click the green “Start” button
Your server will now begin launching.
The first time you launch the server, Windows Defender Firewall will likely display a security prompt.
⚠️ It is very important that you click “Allow Access.”
If you do not allow access, Windows will block incoming and outgoing connections, which will prevent other players from joining your server.
✅ Once the server finishes starting, you should be able to find it in the in-game browser (or join via IP if configured using the open command “open <IP>:<PORT>).
Congratulations — your ARK: Survival Ascended dedicated server is now live! 🎮