Fits your load
VPS Pro
6 vCPU, 12 GB DDR5, 120 GB NVMe, 8 TB traffic
₹5,340$56.49/mo
Deploy ProAbout ProARK: Survival Evolved server requirements
What a ARK: Survival Evolved server needs in CPU, memory, disk and bandwidth, by player count. Change the numbers for your own server; the sources are listed below.
What it needs
- CPU
- 2 coresSingle-thread heavy: clock speed matters more than core count.
- Memory
- 10 GB
- NVMe storage
- 30 GB
- Traffic per month
- 1.1 TB
- Busiest upload
- 9.8 Mbit/s
On Clouduxe
Room to grow
VDS FusionCore
4 dedicated cores, 16 GB DDR5, 200 GB NVMe, 10 TB traffic
₹9,940$104.49/mo
- 4 dedicated cores instead of 6 shared vCPU: the game's main thread gets cores no other customer uses.
- 4 GB more memory, 80 GB more NVMe.
- Headroom for busy evenings, more players, and the mods and updates you add later.
By player count. Without mods (steam workshop); each step up in the calculator adds memory, disk and sometimes a core.
| Players | CPU | Memory | NVMe | Traffic a month | Fits your load | Room to grow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 2 cores | 9 GB | 30 GB | 556 GB | VPS Pro | VDS FusionCore |
| 20 | 2 cores | 10 GB | 30 GB | 1.1 TB | VPS Pro | VDS FusionCore |
| 30 | 3 cores | 11 GB | 30 GB | 1.7 TB | VPS Pro | VDS FusionCore |
| 50 | 3 cores | 13 GB | 30 GB | 2.8 TB | VPS Elite | VDS FusionCore |
| 70 | 4 cores | 15 GB | 30 GB | 3.9 TB | VPS Elite | VDS FusionCore |
| 100 | 5 cores | 18 GB | 30 GB | 5.6 TB | VDS OmniCore | VDS PrimeCore |
Traffic assumes 35% of the player cap online on average across the month; change it under Assumptions in the calculator.
Where the numbers come from. Published figures first, then how the calculator turns them into a model.
Published requirements
The Island (empty server) uses 3.5-4.5 GiB, and with each player connected the memory requirements may rise by an average of 50-150MiB. CPU: 2 logical cores per instance (more grant diminishing advantage, and the workload will never scale beyond 4 cores). Each ARK: Survival Evolved server installation takes around 18 GiB of drive space. Each connected player may require up to 60KiB/s of bandwidth, shared across upstream and downstream.
at least 6GB of RAM available to it (probably at least 8 total in the system)... 16GB RAM or more in the system [recommended]... at minimum 2 (virtual) CPU cores available to the server... any decent mid to high range quad-core CPU, so long as it has good single-thread performance [for about 6 players]... 5Mbps upload speed to manage about 8-10 players.
What are the minimum specs needed for a dedicated server? - Survive The Ark (official ARK forums)
How the model is built
- Memory
- 8 GB plus 100 MB per player. Base 8GB matches the official community wiki's measured empty-Island figure (3.5-4.5 GiB for the server process) plus OS/buffer overhead, and lines up with the official ARK forums' minimum guidance of 'at least 8 total [RAM] in the system.' perPlayerMB=100 is the midpoint of the wiki's own stated range of 50-150MiB per connected player.
- CPU
- 2 cores, one more for every 25 players. The official wiki recommends 2 logical cores per instance and states the workload 'will never scale beyond 4 cores', so playersPerExtraCore=25 keeps the model near the 2-core floor for small servers and approaches 4 cores only near the top of the supported player range.
- Disk
- 18 GB for the server plus 12 GB for saves and backups, on SSD or NVMe. installGB is the official wiki's exact figure ('around 18 GiB' for the ASE server installation). growthGB covers save files, tribe/tribute logs, backups and mods that accumulate over a server's life.
- Bandwidth
- 490 kbit/s of upload per player. The official wiki states each connected player may need 'up to 60 KiB/s of bandwidth, shared across upstream and downstream'; 60 KiB/s x 8.192 = ~490 kbps.
- Mods (Steam Workshop)
- Memory times 1.3 for some and 1.8 for heavy; a heavy load also adds a core.
Studio Wildcard has not published a formal minimum-spec sheet for ASE dedicated servers; figures come from the official community wiki's measured baselines and from experienced admins on the official ARK forums, not a single developer spec table. Modded servers vary widely depending on which Workshop items are loaded.
Before you set it up. The ports it listens on and what the guides say drives its load.
Ports
| Port | Protocol | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| 7777 | UDP | game |
| 27015 | UDP | query |
| 27020 | TCP | rcon (optional) |
Game server hosting: every game we size, the protection each one gets, and the plan for it.
DDoS protection is on every Clouduxe plan. How Prism protects ARK: Survival Evolved servers.
What drives the load
- The loaded map is the main RAM driver, not player count; an empty Island map already uses 3.5-4.5 GiB.
- ARK's server tick never scales usefully beyond 4 cores, so pick a CPU for clock speed and single-thread performance, not core count.
- Steam Workshop mods (structures, creatures, maps) add RAM and CPU load on top of the vanilla figures, sometimes substantially.
- Tribe logs, tributes and backups accumulate on disk over a server's life; budget extra space beyond the base install.
ARK: Survival Evolved server questions
How much RAM does a ARK: Survival Evolved server need?
About 9 GB for 10 players and 18 GB for 100, before mods (steam workshop). Base 8GB matches the official community wiki's measured empty-Island figure (3.5-4.5 GiB for the server process) plus OS/buffer overhead, and lines up with the official ARK forums' minimum guidance of 'at least 8 total [RAM] in the system.' perPlayerMB=100 is the midpoint of the wiki's own stated range of 50-150MiB per connected player.
How many CPU cores does a ARK: Survival Evolved server need?
2 for 10 players, 5 for 100. The server is single-thread heavy, so the clock speed of one core matters more than how many cores it has. The official wiki recommends 2 logical cores per instance and states the workload 'will never scale beyond 4 cores', so playersPerExtraCore=25 keeps the model near the 2-core floor for small servers and approaches 4 cores only near the top of the supported player range.
How much bandwidth does a ARK: Survival Evolved server use?
About 490 kbit/s of upload per connected player, so 9.8 Mbit/s with 20 players online and about 1.1 TB a month if 35% of that cap is online on average. The official wiki states each connected player may need 'up to 60 KiB/s of bandwidth, shared across upstream and downstream'; 60 KiB/s x 8.192 = ~490 kbps.
Which Clouduxe plan should I pick for ARK: Survival Evolved?
For 20 players, VPS Pro fits the load and VDS FusionCore leaves room to grow. Every plan includes DDoS protection: 17 Tbps of upstream mitigation plus Clouduxe Prism on the server.
Other games. The same calculator, sized from each game's own documentation.
All calculatorsHost ARK: Survival Evolved on VPS Pro.
Sized for 20 players, with DDoS protection included. Or talk to us about a bigger server.