How to Change the Map on Your ARK: Survival Ascended Server

ARK: Survival Ascended gives you a wide selection of maps to play on, from the classic Island to scorching deserts and frozen tundras. If you and your tribe are ready for a change of scenery, you can switch your server to a different map directly from the RiverHosting panel in just a few steps.

This guide walks you through the whole process, including what to expect when the map changes and how to avoid losing progress you want to keep.

Before you start

• Make sure you have an active ARK: Survival Ascended server with RiverHosting. If you do not have one yet, visit riverhosting.com to get started.
• Log in to the RiverHosting panel at panel.riverhosting.com.
• Tell your players ahead of time that the map is changing so they are not caught off guard.
• If you want to save your current world, create a backup first. You can do this from the Backups tab on your server page.

1. Back up your current world

Before switching maps, it is a good idea to take a snapshot of your current save. This means you can restore the old world later if you ever want to return to it.

1. Open the RiverHosting panel and select your ARK: Survival Ascended server.
2. Click Backups in the left-hand menu.
3. Click the button to create a new backup and wait for it to complete.
4. Once the backup shows as finished, you are ready to move on.

2. Stop your server

You should stop the server before making any changes to avoid save corruption or unexpected errors.

1. Go to your server's main page in the RiverHosting panel.
2. Click the Stop button and wait for the server status to show as offline.

3. Change the map from the Map page

ARK: Survival Ascended has a dedicated Map page in the panel that makes switching maps straightforward.

1. In the left-hand menu, click Map.
2. You will see a list of available maps. Common options include:
   • The Island
   • Scorched Earth
   • Aberration
   • The Center
   • Ragnarok
   • Crystal Isles
   • Fjordur
   • Lost Island
3. Select the map you want to switch to.
4. Save your selection using the save or apply button on the page.

4. Start your server and verify the map

Once the map is saved, start the server and confirm it loads the correct map.

1. Click Start on your server's main page.
2. Open the Console tab and watch the startup log. You should see the new map name appear in the output as the server loads.
3. Once the server is fully online, connect to it in-game and confirm you are on the right map.

5. Update your players on how to connect

If the map change also involved any other server settings, or if players are confused about the server address, you can find your connection details on the Network page. This shows the server IP and port your players need to join.

If you have a custom subdomain set up through the Subdomain Manager (for example myark.playriver.net), that address stays the same regardless of which map you are running, so players can continue using it.

Troubleshooting

• The server keeps loading the old map. Double-check that you saved your selection on the Map page before restarting. Go back to Map, confirm the correct option is selected, save again, and restart the server.
• The server crashes on startup after the map change. Some maps require more RAM or processing power. Check the Console tab for error messages. If you see memory-related errors, consider upgrading your server plan from the billing portal at billing.riverhosting.com.
• Players cannot find their characters after the map switch. Characters and tames are tied to the world save for each map. If players had progress on the old map, they will need to create new characters on the new map, or you can explore the Cluster feature if you want to share characters across maps.
• The map I want is not in the list. Some maps may require a mod. If the map is a mod map, you will need to install it via the Mods page first, and then it may appear as an option or need to be configured in the Server Config page.

Need help?

If you run into any issues changing your ARK: Survival Ascended map, the RiverHosting support team is happy to help.