Managing your ARK: Survival Ascended server like a pro starts with mastering admin commands and RCON. This step-by-step guide walks you through the complete setup process inside Pterodactyl Panel — from setting your admin password to connecting via RCON tools — so you can control your server remotely with confidence.
What Is RCON and Why Does It Matter?
RCON (Remote Console) lets you run commands on your ARK: Survival Ascended server remotely — without launching the game or joining the server manually. Via RCON, you can kick and ban players, broadcast messages, save the world, and automate scheduled tasks. It is the backbone of professional server administration in Pterodactyl-hosted environments.
Step 1 — Set Your Admin Password in GameUserSettings.ini
In your Pterodactyl Panel, navigate to the File Manager tab and open the file located at:
ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/GameUserSettings.ini
Under the [ServerSettings] section, add or update the following lines:
ServerAdminPassword=YourStrongPasswordHere
RCONEnabled=True
RCONPort=27020
Make sure to use a strong, unique password — avoid common words or simple sequences. Save the file and do not close the panel yet.
Step 2 — Enable RCON in the Startup Command
In Pterodactyl, head to the Startup tab of your ARK: Survival Ascended server. Verify that your startup command includes the following parameters:
?RCONEnabled=True?RCONPort={{RCON_PORT}}?ServerAdminPassword=”{{ARK_ADMIN_PASSWORD}}”
The official Pterodactyl egg for ARK: Survival Ascended already includes these variables in the startup string. Confirm that the RCON_PORT and ARK_ADMIN_PASSWORD environment variables are correctly filled in under the Variables section of your server configuration.
Step 3 — Allocate and Note Your RCON Port
In the Pterodactyl Panel, go to your server’s Ports section and ensure an RCON port is allocated (commonly 27020 or 37015). This port is used exclusively for remote console access and must be open to allow external RCON tools to connect. Take note of both the server IP and the RCON port — you will need them in the next step. Do not include the game port in the RCON host field, as this will prevent a successful connection.
Step 4 — Restart Your Server
Once all configuration changes are saved, restart your ARK: Survival Ascended server from the Pterodactyl console. The new RCON and admin password settings will take effect after a full restart. Monitor the server log output in the console tab to confirm that RCON is initializing correctly — look for lines indicating the server is waiting for an RCON connection.
Step 5 — Connect with an RCON Tool
To send admin commands remotely, you need an RCON client. Popular options for ARK: Survival Ascended include:
• ARKon — A widely used Windows RCON tool. Configure it with your server IP, RCON port, and admin password under its Settings tab.
• mcrcon — A command-line RCON client useful for scripting and automated tasks.
• BattleMetrics RCON — A web-based platform offering advanced features like tribe tracking, scheduled commands, and admin permission management.
Once connected, you can execute any supported command directly from your chosen tool.
Authenticating as Admin In-Game
If you prefer to use admin commands from within the game itself, connect to your server and open the in-game console by double-tapping Tab. Type the following command to authenticate:
enablecheats YourStrongPasswordHere
Upon success, you will see a confirmation message and will be able to execute all cheat and admin commands. Note that the admin password is case-sensitive — ensure it exactly matches what is set in your GameUserSettings.ini.
Whitelisting Permanent Admins via EOS ID
ARK: Survival Ascended uses Epic Online Services (EOS). You can permanently whitelist trusted administrators using their 32-character EOS ID, allowing them to use admin commands without entering a password each session.
1. Find the player’s EOS ID by typing whoami in the expanded console while connected to the server.
2. Create the file ShooterGame/Saved/AllowedCheaterAccountIDs.txt in your server’s file manager.
3. Add each admin’s EOS ID on a separate line.
4. Save the file and restart the server.
Whitelisted players will have full admin access automatically on every login.
Essential ARK: Survival Ascended Admin Commands
Once authenticated, here are key admin commands to manage your server:
• cheat ListPlayers — Displays all connected players and their EOS IDs.
• cheat Broadcast [message] — Sends a server-wide message to all players.
• cheat BanPlayer [PlayerID] — Bans a player and prevents them from reconnecting.
• cheat KickPlayer [PlayerID] — Kicks a player from the server.
• cheat SaveWorld — Manually saves the current game world.
• cheat DestroyWildDinos — Removes all wild dinos to force a fresh spawn.
• cheat AddExperience [amount] — Adds experience points to your character.
Enabling Admin Logging for Server Security
To keep your server secure and accountable, enable admin command logging by adding the following line to your GameUserSettings.ini under [ServerSettings]:
ServerAdminLogging=True
This records all admin commands executed on the server, helping you detect and prevent abuse. Additionally, limit the number of admins to only trusted individuals, and always perform a server save (cheat saveworld) before making major changes. For destructive commands like DestroyWildDinos, test them on a private local instance first.
Troubleshooting Common RCON & Admin Issues
• RCON won’t connect: Verify the RCON port is correctly allocated in Pterodactyl and that RCONEnabled=True is set in both the startup command and GameUserSettings.ini.
• Admin password not working: Ensure there are no extra spaces or special characters in the ServerAdminPassword line. The password is case-sensitive.
• Settings reset after restart: If the password resets, remove it from the startup batch command and set it only inside GameUserSettings.ini to prevent the startup string from overwriting the config file.
• Linux server path issues: On Linux-based Pterodactyl nodes, the config path may use LinuxServer instead of WindowsServer in the directory structure. Double-check your file path accordingly.