Survival Ascended fixed most of what made joining a private ARK server tedious. The in-game browser is genuinely usable now, console players can sit on the same server as PC players, and mods install themselves. What it did not fix is the moment your server is running, you type its name into the list, and nothing comes back. This guide covers the three ways in, how crossplay changes who can reach you, and the mod behaviour that accounts for most failed first joins.
What you need before you start
- Your server showing as running in the game panel
- The connection details from your server's Overview page
- ARK: Survival Ascended on PC, Xbox or PlayStation
Method 1: Find it in the server list
The route for most players, and the only route on console.
- Launch the game and choose Join ARK
- Set the session filter to Unofficial
- Type your server name into the name filter
- Press Refresh
Give it a moment. The unofficial list is large, and a server that has only just started will not be listed until it has fully come up and registered itself, which takes longer than the panel showing green suggests.
Two settings hide servers from you more often than people expect. Untick Hide Full Servers, and check the crossplay filter is not excluding your server's platform. If you have just started the server and it still is not there, the map is probably still loading. Watch the Console tab in the panel and refresh once it settles.
Method 2: The console command
The fastest route on PC, and the one that works when the browser is being unhelpful.
- At the main menu, press Tab to open the console
- Type
openfollowed by the address and port from your connection card, soopen 203.0.113.10:7777 - Press Enter
This uses the address exactly as the panel shows it. There is no confirmation, and a typo simply does nothing, so paste rather than retype where you can.
Method 3: Steam favorites
Worth setting up once if you play regularly, because it survives restarts and skips the browser entirely.
The catch is that Steam does not find ARK servers on the port you play on. It looks for a status reply on a separate query port, and the game port never answers that. Your panel shows the right one in the Add to Steam favorites block under the connection card.
- In Steam, open View, then Servers, then the Favorites tab
- Click Add a Server and paste the query address
- Launch the game, choose Join ARK, and set the filter to Favorites
If Steam reports nothing at that address, you used the game port. Take the address from the Add to Steam favorites block instead.
Crossplay, and who can actually reach you
Survival Ascended lets PC, Xbox and PlayStation players share an unofficial server, which is the biggest practical change from the older game. Everyone uses the in-game list.
Console players have no console command and no Steam favorites, so the server name is the only handle they have. Name it something distinctive. Anything generic is effectively unfindable in the unofficial list, and your console friends will be refreshing for a long time.
Crossplay is controlled server side, so if a platform cannot see your server at all, that is a server setting rather than something wrong on their machine.
Mods install themselves, until they don't
Survival Ascended distributes mods through CurseForge rather than the Steam Workshop, and the game fetches whatever your server runs when you connect. You do not subscribe to anything in advance.
That means your first join to a modded server is slow. The game downloads the mod set before it loads the map, and on a heavy list that is a long stare at a loading screen. It is not frozen.
When it does go wrong, it usually looks like one of these: the loading screen sits on the same mod forever, or you are returned to the main menu without an error. Both point at a partial or corrupted download rather than a server problem. Clearing the downloaded mod files on your machine and reconnecting forces a clean fetch, and this fixes the large majority of "I cannot get in but everyone else can" reports.
First join
You get a fresh survivor on each server, so expect to be level one on the beach regardless of what you have elsewhere. That character stays with that server.
Troubleshooting
The server is not in the list. Check three things in order: the server has finished starting in the panel, Hide Full Servers is unticked, and the crossplay filter includes your platform. Then refresh again.
Connection timeout. Almost always a server still loading its map. Survival Ascended is slower to start than the old game, especially with mods, and it answers nothing until it is ready.
The loading screen never finishes on a modded server. A stuck mod download. Clear the downloaded mods locally and reconnect.
Kicked back to the menu with no message. Same cause as above. Mod files on your side do not match what the server is running.
Console players cannot find it, PC players can. The name filter is all they have. Confirm the exact server name and that crossplay for their platform is enabled on the server.
Steam favorites shows nothing. You added the game port. Use the query address from the panel.
Everyone was fine yesterday and now nobody can join. Check whether the game updated. Clients on a newer build than the server cannot connect, and the fix is restarting the server so it updates too.
Frequently asked questions
Which address do I share? The connection address from the panel for anyone using the console command. The query address for anyone adding it to Steam favorites. Console players need the server name, not an address.
Do my friends need to own anything extra? No. They need the game. The server is ours to run.
Can I move my Survival Evolved character over? No. The two games keep entirely separate characters and saves.
Does the server keep running when I log out? Yes. It runs whether or not anyone is connected.
Why is my first join so much slower than everyone else's? They already have the mod set downloaded. Your first connection fetches all of it.
Can I turn crossplay off? Yes, it is a server setting, and you might want to if you would rather keep the server to one platform.
Server still not showing up for you? Contact support with your server name and we will check what it is reporting from our side. Not running a server yet? See our ARK: Survival Ascended server hosting plans.