ARK: Survival Evolved server RAM: how much do you need?
Survival Evolved is lighter than Ascended, but it has the same underlying behaviour: memory rises as tribes build and does not fall again.
Recommendation
You need a server with at least
8GB
- Engine / Base OS:
- 6 GB
- Player Overhead:
- +2.0 GB
- Estimated Raw Usage:
- 8 GB
- Suggested cores:
- 4
- Disk to allow:
- 40 GB+
Single-thread bound. Large tribe bases hurt tick time more than player count does.
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What uses the memory in ARK: Survival Evolved
The engine and map account for the starting figure; everything beyond that is build-up. Each placed structure and each tame is a persistent entity kept in the save and in memory, so a server's usage depends on how long it has been live much more than on how many people are playing. Heavier maps and modded configurations add several gigabytes to the base map before the first player joins.
ARK: Survival Evolved server RAM by player count
The calculator above, run for 4 common sizes. Each figure is rounded up to a plan size people actually sell.
| Players | The Island (Base) | Light Mods (1-30) | Heavy Mods / Gen2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | 8 GB | 12 GB | 16 GB |
| 20 | 8 GB | 12 GB | 16 GB |
| 35 | 12 GB | 12 GB | 24 GB |
| 70 | 16 GB | 16 GB | 24 GB |
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Where people get it wrong
Planning around a new map. What counts is the requirement after three months of tribes building, and the dependable way to cap it is a structure or tame limit — more memory only delays the problem.
Mods and clusters
Steam Workshop mods are listed in ActiveMods under [ServerSettings], and each adds memory and startup time; large map mods and creature packs cost the most. A cluster multiplies everything: every map is a separate server process with its own world in memory, so three maps need roughly three times the memory of one, not a little more.
Linux needs a higher file limit
The Survival Evolved server opens a very large number of files at once, more than a stock Linux install allows a single process. Setup guides raise the system-wide limit with fs.file-max (100000 or more) and the per-user nofile limits in limits.conf. Without that, a server can crash on startup or partway through loading in a way that looks like running out of memory, when memory is not the problem at all.