Setting an admin password is the single most important step in running your own ARK dedicated server. Without it you cannot run a single cheat, ban a griefer, spawn a creature, or fix a stuck base. The good news: it takes about two minutes once you know where the setting lives and how the in-game console expects you to authenticate. This guide walks through the entire process for ARK: Survival Ascended (ASA) — the Unreal Engine 5 remaster that is now the primary product — and notes where the legacy ARK: Survival Evolved (ASE) differs. Most server keys are shared between the two games, so almost everything here applies to both.
The two ways to set an ARK admin password
There are exactly two places ARK reads your admin password from, and they do the same job. You only need one of them, though many hosts and self-hosters set both for redundancy:
- The config-file method — the
ServerAdminPasswordkey insideGameUserSettings.ini. - The command-line method — the
?ServerAdminPassword=launch argument passed when the server executable starts.
Both are verified, supported, and functionally identical. If you run a managed server through a host control panel, the panel almost always writes one of these two for you the moment you type a password into a field. If you self-host from SteamCMD, you’ll set it yourself. We’ll cover both, then show how to actually become admin once the password exists.
Method 1: Set ServerAdminPassword in GameUserSettings.ini
This is the cleanest and most persistent method because the password lives in a file that survives restarts. The key belongs in the [ServerSettings] section of GameUserSettings.ini. On a typical install, that file lives at:
...\ShooterGame\Saved\Config\WindowsServer\GameUserSettings.iniOpen it in a plain-text editor, find (or add) the [ServerSettings] header, and add the line:
[ServerSettings]
ServerAdminPassword=YourStrongPasswordHere
ServerPassword=OptionalJoinPasswordHereA few things matter here. ServerAdminPassword is the cheat/admin password — it is not the same as ServerPassword, which is the optional password players type to join the server. Keep them different. Choose something long and unique; anyone who learns your admin password effectively owns your server, because the cheats it unlocks let them spawn anything, destroy structures, and ban accounts. Save the file and fully restart the server so it re-reads the config. Editing the file while the server is running and then letting it overwrite on shutdown is a classic way to lose your change — set it while the server is stopped.
Method 2: Set it on the command line with ?ServerAdminPassword=
The command-line equivalent is the launch argument ?ServerAdminPassword=. This is appended to the server startup command alongside the other query-string options. A simplified ASA startup command looks like this:
ArkAscendedServer.exe TheIsland_WP?listen?SessionName=MyServer?ServerAdminPassword=YourStrongPasswordHere -server -logNotice the structure: everything joined by ? is a query-style option (the map, listen, SessionName, ServerAdminPassword), and everything starting with - is a dash-style flag (-server, -log, -mods=). That ordering is not cosmetic on ASA — see the gotcha below.
[ASA] The launch-argument parsing gotcha
ARK: Survival Ascended has a verified launch-argument parsing quirk: ?ServerAdminPassword= should be the last of the ?-style arguments, placed before any - dash arguments in your startup command. If you bury the admin password in the middle of the ? chain — or worse, after a dash argument — it can fail to register, and you’ll be left wondering why enablecheats keeps rejecting a password you know is correct. When admin authentication mysteriously fails on ASA, the order of your launch arguments is the first thing to check. The config-file method (Method 1) sidesteps this entirely, which is why it’s the safer default for self-hosters.
Becoming admin in-game: enablecheats
Setting the password does not automatically make you admin — it just defines the secret that grants admin rights. To actually claim those rights once you’re connected and in the world:
- Press Tab to open the in-game console.
- Type
enablecheats YourStrongPasswordHereand press Enter. - The console confirms, and your account now has full admin rights.
enablecheats YourStrongPasswordHereThe password you type after enablecheats must exactly match ServerAdminPassword — it is case-sensitive, and a trailing space will cause it to fail silently. If nothing happens, copy-paste the password rather than retyping it, and double-check you didn’t accidentally include surrounding quotes.
Admin status is session-only — re-run after every relogin
This is the detail that trips up almost every new admin: enablecheats only grants rights for the current session. The moment you disconnect, crash, or the server restarts, your admin status is gone. When you log back in you must open the console and run enablecheats again. There is no “permanent admin” toggle tied to a single login this way — admin is something you re-authenticate into each session. (For genuinely persistent, per-Steam-ID admin without re-typing a password every time, ASA supports an admin allowlist file, which our ARK: Survival Ascended documentation walks through step by step.)
[ASA] The admincheat prefix vs. ASE’s cheat
Once enablecheats is active, the way you actually run admin commands differs slightly between the two games. On ARK: Survival Ascended, admin actions are typically run with the admincheat prefix from the console:
admincheat fly
admincheat god
admincheat ghostThe shorter cheat prefix also works once enablecheats is active (for example cheat fly). The practical reason admincheat exists is that it routes the command through the server with your admin authority, which is what you want on a multiplayer dedicated server. On legacy ASE the cheat prefix is the common form. When in doubt on ASA, reach for admincheat — it’s the verified, reliable choice.
| Step | What you do | Where / how |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Define the password | ServerAdminPassword= | GameUserSettings.ini → [ServerSettings], or ?ServerAdminPassword= on the command line |
| 2. Restart the server | Stop & start so config is re-read | Control panel or your start script |
| 3. Authenticate in-game | enablecheats | Tab console — session-only, re-run after relogin |
| 4. Run admin commands | admincheat [ASA] / cheat | Tab console |
ASA vs. ASE: what’s the same, what’s different
ARK: Survival Ascended is the Unreal Engine 5 remaster that launched in 2023 and is now the primary product; ARK: Survival Evolved is the legacy original. The admin-password workflow itself — ServerAdminPassword in [ServerSettings], enablecheats in the console — is shared. The differences worth knowing as a server owner:
- SteamCMD App IDs. The ASA dedicated server is App ID
2430930(the ASA game itself is2399830). The legacy ASE server is widely documented as376030(game346110). Make sure you’re updating the right one. - Updating the ASA server. Install/update with
app_update 2430930 validatein SteamCMD. - Command prefix. ASA leans on
admincheat; ASE commonly usescheat. - Mods. ASA distributes mods through CurseForge (with an in-game mod browser), not the Steam Workshop that ASE used. On a dedicated server you enable mods by appending
-mods=to the command line (and/or, ActiveMods=in, GameUserSettings.ini); the server auto-downloads them from CurseForge on start. The old ASE-era-automanagedmodsflag is legacy and not the verified ASA method.
steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 2430930 validate +quitIf you’d rather skip SteamCMD, mod folders, and launch-argument ordering entirely, a managed ARK: Survival Ascended hosting plan handles the install, the App ID updates, and the password fields for you through a control panel — you just type a password and click save.
What admin actually unlocks
The whole point of the password is the toolbox it opens. Once you’re authenticated, you can do everything from teleporting and toggling god mode to wiping problem structures and managing players. Two of the most common admin tasks new server owners reach for:
Spawning creatures
With cheats active, you have three distinct spawn commands, and the difference between them matters:
cheat summon— spawns a wild creature at your location at a random level using the short classname, e.g.cheat summon Rex_Character_BP_C.cheat SpawnDino "— spawns a wild creature but lets you choose the level and spawn offsets, using the full blueprint path.cheat gmsummon "— spawns a tamed, rideable creature; the level you pass is the pre-tame level, and the standard taming bonus is applied on top (so a requested 150 lands around ~225)."
cheat summon Rex_Character_BP_C
cheat SpawnDino "Blueprint'/Game/PrimalEarth/Dinos/Rex/Rex_Character_BP.Rex_Character_BP'" 500 0 0 150
cheat gmsummon "Rex_Character_BP_C" 150Each creature has its own class string — pull the exact one from a spawn database rather than guessing. We cover the full workflow, including blueprint paths and tamed-vs-wild behavior, in our guide on how to spawn dinos in your ARK server.
Tuning rates and progression
Admin access is also what lets you confirm your server-tuning changes took effect. The most-edited multipliers all live in GameUserSettings.ini under [ServerSettings], each defaulting to 1.0 where higher means more:
| Key | Effect | Default |
|---|---|---|
HarvestAmountMultiplier | Global gather multiplier — resources per harvest action | 1.0 |
TamingSpeedMultiplier | How quickly creatures tame | 1.0 |
XPMultiplier | Experience gained by players and dinos | 1.0 |
HarvestHealthMultiplier | Durability of resource nodes — higher lets you harvest a node longer before it depletes | 1.0 |
For finer control, Game.ini exposes HarvestResourceItemAmountClassMultipliers, which overrides the global harvest amount for specific resource item classes (the exact per-class syntax depends on the resource string you target). If you mainly want to speed up gathering, see our walkthrough on how to change the gather rate on an ARK server — the keys are shared between ASE and ASA.
Server economy and plugins (a quick reality check)
Admins running social or PvE-economy servers often want a points/shop system. The verified path on ASA is the community ServerAPI / AsaApi plugin framework — a project that extends the official server executable and acts as the loader for native server-side plugins. Vanilla servers cannot run these plugins; you need the framework installed first. The real, verified economy plugin built on it is ArkShop, a points-based system where players earn points through gameplay and spend them on items, dinos, beacons/XP, and custom kits, with player-to-player points trading via commands like /points, /buy, and /trade. ArkShop depends on the Permissions plugin and an ASA API Utils mod.
One honest caveat: cross-cluster trading across separate servers is not something to promise — vendor materials mention cross-map chat, but cross-server trading is unconfirmed, and at least one source describes ArkShop trading as same-server only. Verify before you advertise a “cross-server marketplace.” And if you’ve seen a plugin called “Global Market Plus” referenced for ARK — that name could not be confirmed as an ARK plugin (the only software actually by that name is an unrelated Minecraft plugin), so don’t build your economy plans around it.
Beyond admin: where servers go from here
Once you can run cheats, the natural endgame for an ARK server is Tek Tier — the game’s most advanced technology tier, with endgame structures, armor, and weapons like the Tek Replicator, the full Tek armor suit, the Tek Rifle, and the Tek Railgun. Tek engrams (“Tekgrams”) unlock by defeating bosses across Gamma, Beta, and Alpha difficulties, and Element is the resource that crafts and powers Tek. If your server’s goal is to get players to that finish line, our ARK: Survival Ascended Tek Tier guide covers the full boss-to-Tekgram-to-Element loop.
Frequently asked questions
Where exactly does the ARK admin password go?
It goes in the ServerAdminPassword key under the [ServerSettings] section of GameUserSettings.ini, or as the launch argument ?ServerAdminPassword=. Either one works; you don’t need both, though setting both is harmless.
Why does enablecheats say the password is wrong when I know it’s right?
The password is case-sensitive and breaks on trailing spaces, so retype or paste it carefully. On ARK: Survival Ascended, also check your launch-argument order — ?ServerAdminPassword= must be the last ?-style argument, placed before any - dash arguments, or it may not register at all. Setting it in GameUserSettings.ini instead avoids this bug.
Do I have to re-enter enablecheats every time I log in?
Yes. enablecheats grants admin rights for the current session only. After any disconnect, crash, or server restart you must open the Tab console and run enablecheats again. For persistent admin without retyping, use ASA’s admin allowlist instead.
What’s the difference between admincheat and cheat?
On ARK: Survival Ascended, admin commands are typically run with the admincheat prefix (e.g. admincheat fly), which routes the command through the server with your admin authority. The shorter cheat prefix also works once enablecheats is active. Legacy ASE commonly uses cheat.
Is the admin password the same as the join password?
No. ServerAdminPassword unlocks cheats and admin powers; ServerPassword is the optional password players type to join the server. Keep them different, and keep your admin password private — anyone who has it can spawn, destroy, and ban on your server.
Which SteamCMD App ID is the ASA dedicated server?
The ARK: Survival Ascended dedicated server is App ID 2430930 (the game client is 2399830). Update it with app_update 2430930 validate. The legacy ASE server is widely documented as App ID 376030.
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