ARK: Survival Evolved Updated April 22, 2026

How to Connect to Your ARK Server

Three ways to join your ARK: Survival Evolved dedicated server — Steam Favorites, the Epic Games console command, and the Epic server browser. Covers crossplay setup and password limitations on Epic.

ARKconnectsteamepic gamescrossplayjoinserver

Steam Favorites is the most reliable way to connect — no server browser lag, no filtering:

  1. Open your AMP or WISP panel and copy your server's IP and port
  2. Launch the Steam desktop client
  3. Go to View → Game Servers in the top menu
  4. Click the Favorites tab, then the Add Server button
  5. Paste your server's IP:PORT (e.g. 45.35.100.5:7777) and click Add This Address to Favorites
  6. Hit Refresh — your server populates the list
  7. Double-click it to connect (or right-click → Connect)

Method 2: Epic Games — Direct Connect (Console Command)

This is the go-to for Epic players. Make sure crossplay is enabled in your server settings first — find this in the Configuration section of your panel.

  1. Launch ARK and load into any singleplayer session to get into a live game session
  2. Press TAB to open the console
  3. Enter:
open YOUR_EPIC_IP:YOUR_EPIC_PORT

Your panel shows a separate Epic Games connection address — use that one, not the Steam port. Hit Enter and ARK will connect.

Epic + password: Epic's direct-connect method doesn't support server passwords. If your server has a password, remove it first or have Epic players use Method 3.

Method 3: Epic Games — Server Browser

Slower and less reliable, but it works for public servers without passwords:

  1. Launch ARK through Epic and click Join ARK from the main menu
  2. Set the Session Filter to Unofficial PC Sessions
  3. In the Name Filter, type your server's name
  4. Wait for the list to load — this can take a minute — find your server and click Join

The community list can be painfully slow. If your server doesn't appear after 60 seconds, hit Refresh or switch to Method 1.

Troubleshooting

Symptom Fix
Server not appearing in Steam favorites Verify the server is online in your panel; check that UDP ports 7777 and 27015 are open
"Failed to connect" on Epic direct connect Confirm crossplay is enabled in server settings; verify the Epic port (not the Steam port)
Server appears offline in browser Server may still be starting — wait 2–3 minutes after a reboot
Can't connect with Epic + password Remove the server password temporarily; Epic direct connect doesn't support passwords
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