Best Ark Server Hosting – Ark: Survival Evolved — Updated by Burbro Editors on April 14th, 2021
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Established in 2014 • 30 Days Money Back Guarantee • Automatic Updates • Get 20% Off with Code: ARKSERVER
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Established in 2012 • No Money Back Guarantee • Switch Locations • Server Config Manager Tool
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Established in 2012 • No Money Back Guarantee • Switch Locations • Server Config Manager Tool
In the ARK: Survival Evolved Game, you’ll get tossed onto an island that’s home to dinosaurs and other wild species. In the game, your goal is to try surviving for as long as possible by creating weapons for fighting off attackers and tools that can help you build a base for protection.
In ARK: Survival Evolved, you’ll be able to choose your character and work your way to becoming one of the top characters in the game. As with any experience-based game, you’ll unlock new tools, weapons, skills and materials as you gain experience and begin to level up.
You can also be kind to these prehistoric animals and work on taming them so that they become your friends. Before you can do this, you’ll need to start by collecting food to feed yourself, clothes to provide protection from the elements and work on finding resources to protect yourself from the outside world.
If you’re looking to start playing ARK: Survival Evolved, then you’ll need to find a hosting server so that you can start playing online with your friends and family. In this article, we’re going to take a look at some of the best ark server hosting providers that you can use to play ARK: Survival Evolved.
Best ARK Server Hosting – Buying Guide
Before we start talking about the features that you’ll want from an ARK server, we should start by taking a look at what an ARK server is and what it can be used for so that you understand why you need a hosting server for ARK: Survival Evolved.
What is ARK Server Hosting?
Ark Server Hosting is a means by which you can host your gameplay online so that your friends and family can join you while you play. When it comes to ARK Server Hosting, you’ll find that there are primarily two ways that you can host your gameplay, such as:
- Dedicated ARK Server Hosting – A dedicated ARK server is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a hosting server that’s dedicated to hosting your gameplay and can provide the best performance and gaming experience for you and your friends. With a dedicated Ark Server, you’ll have a hosting server that’s dedicated to your gameplay, and you won’t be sharing the server with other gamers.
- Virtual Private ARK Server Hosting – You can also use a Virtual Private Server to host your gameplay online. A Virtual Private Server (VPS) is a hosting server that you’ll share with other gamers, which makes it more cost-friendly for you. However, you’ll also be sharing the CPUs and GPUs that the server can provide, which means that you may not have unlimited resources on your server.
- Non-Dedicated Ark Server Hosting – You can also create your server on your PC and host it through your internet connection and allow players to connect to your gameplay through your internet connection. However, the problem with this type of server is that once you turn off the game, then it will end the game for everyone else on your server. This type of server will also be hard on your computer unless you have blazing fast internet and a high-performance PC to run the game.
These are some of the different types of ARK server hosting that you can use to play ARK: Survival Evolved with your friends and family.
Why Do You Need the Best ARK Server Hosting?
If you’re not sure why you need hosting for your ARK: Survival Evolved Gameplay, then we’ll try to help you understand how you can benefit from hosting your gameplay online through an ARK Server Hosting Provider.
When you want to play ARK Survival in the online mode, then you’re going to need to join a server so that you can play online. While there’s an option for you to join open servers that are owned by miscellaneous people, many people choose to use their server to host their gameplay online.
Here are some of the main reasons that people use their own ARK Server.
- Complete Server Control – One of the main reasons that people choose to use their server while playing ARK: Survival Evolved is because they’ll have full control over how they plan. Since they own the server, they’re playing on, and they’ll be able to configure the server settings to meet their preferences and add to their gaming experience.
- Ability to Play 24/7 – When you create your server, then everyone’s game will end when the host decides to power off their console or PC device. If you use server hosting, your friends will be able to log-in and play with you whenever they want to, and you’ll never have to worry about setting up your server and making sure that your friends are connected.
- Decide Who Joins – If you join a random server, then you may be in a room with random strangers, and you could get kicked from that server at any point, which means that your progress will be lost. When you’re using your server, then you’ll decide who gets to play with you, and you’ll never have to worry about being kicked from the server that you have built.
- Change Maps and Settings – When you own your server, you’ll be able to change the maps at any time. This is a nice feature to have because you’ll be able to choose a new map once you’re done exploring a particular map. When you use someone else’s server, you’ll have to wait for them to choose a different map before you can begin exploring another world.
- No Lagging for Gameplay – If you decide to host your server on your console or PC, then you’ll find that it will be CPU / GPU intensive on your operating system. This can cause a lot of lag while you’re playing, and the gameplay may be slow. When you use a hosting server, you’ll have little strain on your operating system, which will allow you to have faster gameplay and response time.
There are just some of the benefits that you can expect from using server hosting for your ARK gameplay. While you can use a random server online, you’ll find that the gaming experience is much better when you’re using your server.
How to Choose the Best ARK Server Hosting
Now that you understand what an ARK server is and why you need to host your server so that you can have a better gaming experience while playing ARK: Survival Evolved, it’s time to take a look at some of the features that you’ll want from your ARK server hosting provider.
When you’re looking for the best ark server hosting, you’ll find that there are a lot of hosting providers that you can choose from to host your ARK server. However, this doesn’t mean that they are all worth your time and money or be able to provide the gaming experience that you and your friends deserve.
In this section, we’re going to take a look at some of the features and benefits that you’ll want from your ARK hosting provider. We hope that this ARK Server Buying Guide will help you find the best hosting for ARK: Survival Evolved and quickly help you get your server online so that you can begin exploring various maps with your friends and family.
Here are some things to look for when you’re trying to find the best ark server hosting provider.
1. Device Compatibility
One of the first things that you’ll need to look at when you’re choosing a server hosting provider is the compatibility of their hosting platform with the device that you intend to use when you play ARK: Survival Evolved.
While it may seem obvious that you’ll need to choose a hosting provider that’s compatible with your device, you’ll find that you won’t be able to play with other gaming platforms until crossplay is developed for ARK: Survival Evolved Gameplay.
This means that a PC user won’t be able to play with XBOX users, and XBOX users won’t be able to play with other platforms such as PS4 or PC devices. Before you choose an ARK Server Hosting Provider, you’ll need to identify your device type, which could be:
- A PC Device (Windows / Mac / Linux)
- An XBOX Console
- A PS4 Console
Once you’ve chosen which device you want to use to play ARK, you’ll need to find a hosting provider that’s compatible with your type of device so that you can have optimal gaming experience.
While the ARK: Survival Evolved game may introduce crossplay so that you can play with friends on other gaming platforms, it’s best to choose a hosting provider that’s compatible with your device. This is because their hosting plans will be designed for your operating system and will be optimized to give you a better gaming experience.
2. Server Locations
When you’re choosing a hosting provider for your ARK server, you’ll want to take a look at the location of the hosting provider. This is because the location of the hosting provider will play a role in the speed of your gameplay.
If you’re going to be playing with friends that are local to you, then you’ll want to find a hosting provider that has server locations that are close to your home. This will mean that there’s less travel time between your device and the server, which will result in faster game speeds.
If you’re going to play with friends across the globe, then you’ll want to find a hosting provider that has server locations worldwide. This will allow you and your friends to be relatively close to a server location, which will mean that you’ll all have a fast gaming experience.
While there are hosting providers that have one server location in countries, you’ll want a hosting provider that has multiple server locations so that you and your friends can always have an excellent gaming experience while playing ARK: Survival Evolved.
3. Number of Slots
Once your server is online, you’ll likely want your server to be full of other players so that you’re not playing alone. One of the ways this is determined is by the number of slots that you have on your hosting server.
If you’re trying to create a small server for a private group of friends, then you’ll probably only want a server with 10-20 slots. However, if you’re hoping to find players in your world whenever you log into the game, then you’ll want to buy an ARK server that has over 20 slots so that you can allow more players into your server and have an active Gameroom.
When you’re choosing the best ARK server hosting, you’ll want to take a look at the price that you’ll be paying per slot. Most hosting providers will charge you on the price per slot, which means that you’ll want to consider how many player slots you’ll want before you purchase hosting for your server.
You’ll find that many hosting providers will make it cheaper for you to buy more slots on your server. They’ll usually give some price reduction per slot as long as you purchase more slots for your server.
4. Server Latency (PING)
When you’re choosing an ARK Server hosting provider, you’ll want to make sure that their hosting speeds are fast so that you won’t experience any lags due to slow server speeds. If your hosting provider is slow, then you may experience a ‘high ping,’ and your game will have slow response time and become choppy.
If you’re having server latency issues, then it is usually related to the distance between your house and the server locations that you use to host your game. Fortunately, there are hosting providers that offer low ping rates so that you can always have fast gaming experience.
While your hosting provider can cause your gaming experience to be slow, other factors can cause your server to have a high ping, such as:
- Your Internet Speed and Connection
- Inadequate Bandwidth
- Quality of Your Hosting Provider
- ARK Server Gaming Configurations
- Geographical Location of Your Server
- Hosting Server Speeds
As you can see, there are many reasons that your gaming experience could be slow. However, you’ll want to choose a fast hosting provider so that you can ensure that the lagging isn’t because of your hosting provider.
5. Automatic Server Back-Ups
If you’re looking for the best Ark Server Hosting Company, then you’ll want to find a hosting provider that offers automated back-ups or makes it easy for you to perform a manual backup of your gaming server.
As with your phone, laptop or cloud storage, you’ll want to run periodic backups on your server so that your progress doesn’t get wiped out. Imagine waking up and the months of progress have been wiped out because your server crashed and you failed to save the progress.
Thankfully, many hosting providers will take the time to backup your server on a daily or weekly basis so that you’ll never lose a lot of progress if the server goes down. If the server does fail, then you can restore your server to a previously saved state and continue gaming as though nothing happened.
6. Automatic Server Updates
You’ll also want to look for a hosting provider that runs automatic updates on your server so that you won’t have to run a manual update on your server. This is a nice feature that will save you a lot of time when it comes to game time.
When the game developers are upgrading your game, you’ll find that they choose an inactive part of the day to install your update. This time is usually between 2-5 am because it will affect fewer people’s game time and cause less frustration.
If you have manual updates enabled, then this means that you’ll have to install the update as soon as you start up the game to play. When your hosting provider has automatic updates, those same updates will be installed as soon as the developer is finished, and your game will be ready to go as soon as you log into your server.
7. DLC + MODS
When you’re playing ARK: Survival Evolved, you’ll likely want to download other maps so that you’re not always playing The Island. If you want to be able to access other maps for your game or use other Downloadable Content (DLCs), then you’ll need to choose a hosting provider that allows you to do so.
Some hosting providers make it easy for you to select other maps, and some hosting companies will even provide a drop-down menu that allows you to choose which map you’d like to play.
One of the main reasons that people choose to use their own ARK server is because you’ll have full control over your server and be able to modify your server with the settings and configurations that you want. While it can cost extra to add extra mods to your server, some hosting companies have a one-click install that allows you to install different mods for your ARK server easily.
If you think that you’ll want to install mods on your ARK server or use Downloadable Content (DLCs) to improve the gameplay, then you’ll want to choose a hosting provider that makes it easy for you to access these features.
8. Easy-To-Use Control Panel
If you’re going to be setting up the hosting for your ARK server, you’ll want to make sure that the control panel is easy to use so that you don’t get confused with what you’re doing or frustrated with your hosting account.
The control panel is an important part of gaming experience and is where you’ll be able to enable admin cheats, alter files, back-up the progress in your worlds, and install mods or DLCs on your server. This is why your control panel must be easy-to-use and intuitive.
Some of the larger companies, such as ArkServers.io, are known for their control panels that are easy to use and customizable. They have some of the best control panels that you’ll be able to find from any ARK server hosts.
9. Customer Support
One of the things that you’ll want to look at when you’re choosing a hosting provider for your Ark server is the customer support of the company. If the customer support is slow, then you may find that it’s difficult to get your questions answered and get the help that you need to get your game online.
You’ll also want to look at the knowledge of the support staff and how much they know about their products and services when the support staff doesn’t understand how the game works or the services that they can provide as a solution then it’ll be frustrating for you to deal with a support staff that doesn’t know what’s going on or how to solve your problems.
When you’re choosing the best ark server host, you may even want to check to see if they have a support system that meets your preferences. If you prefer live chat support, phone, or also an email ticket support, you’ll want to look for a company that has the right support staff for you.
10. Server Migrations
Server Migrations are another area that you’ll want to look at when you’re choosing a hosting provider for your ARK Server. This is a helpful feature that can save you a lot of time down the road.
Typically, there are two reasons why their server needs to be migrated, such as:
- Changing Hosting Plans – If you’ve been on a Virtual Private Server, and you’d like to upgrade your plan to the dedicated server, then you’ll need a hosting migration. On the other hand, if you find that a dedicated server is too much for the number of people that play on your server, then you can use the migration service to switch your hosting plan without losing progress in the game.
- Switching Hosting Providers – When you’ve used the same host for a long time, then you may not realize if your hosting provider is offering poor quality service. If you’re looking to change your hosting provider, then you’ll need a migration so that you can avoid a loss of data or progress in your game.
While you could migrate your hosting, I wouldn’t recommend it. This process can be quite complicated and tricky unless you know what you’re doing and is best left to the support staff. If you can find a hosting provider that offers free hosting migrations, then you’ll want to give them strong considerations as your hosting provider.
Best ARK Server Hosting – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
While we were writing this review of the best ARK server hosting, we found that there were a lot of questions being asked about the ARK: Survival Evolved game. In this section, we’re going to try to answer some of the frequently asked questions about ARK Server Hosting and the ARK Gameplay.
Here are some of the FAQs about ARK: Survival Evolved:
Can You Play ARK While Offline?
Yes. You won’t require an internet connection to play ARK: Survival Evolved. If you want to get in some practice, then you can always use the offline game mode to play against the computer. While it will be much more challenging to play in the online mode, you’ll still be able to keep your skills sharp by using the offline mode in ARK: Survival Evolved.
Do Dedicated ARK Servers Cost Money?
Yes. It will cost money for you to rent a dedicated hosting server so that you can play ARK: Survival Evolved. While the price will vary per slot, you should be able to get a decent server for around $20 per month.
If you have a large group of friends that will be playing on your Dedicated Ark Server, then you’ll need to purchase more slots, which will mean that you’re paying more per month.
Is ARK a Good Single Player Game?
You’ll have no problems playing ARK: Survival Evolved on your own. There are so many things that you can do in the game that it can be fun to play by yourself. However, it can always add another element of fun to the game when you invite your friends to play with you and join your ARK server.
What Is The Point of ARK Survival Evolved?
Ark Survival Evolved has been described as playing Minecraft, except you’ll be getting better graphics and more intense gameplay. The purpose of the game is to survive for a long time by scavenging for food, clothes, weapons and tools. You can also build skills and train dinosaurs and wild species.
Summary – Best Ark Server Hosting 2020
We hope that this article has helped you find the best hosting for the Ark Survival Evolved game. If you’re not sure which hosting provider is the best for your needs, then you can always use our buying guide to find the features that you may want from your hosting provider and then choose a game host that has the features that you need.
