In case you are a game lover, do you remember your first video game during childhood? Mine was Super Mario. It revolutionized the gaming landscape, where things started becoming more about adventure and exploration and less about achieving high scores. I loved that concept then, and I love it now. I bet many of you would be in my club. This is how video games leave their ever-lasting impression on us. Even if you are alone in your house, no one else to talk to or share your feelings with, you can keep yourself entertained with these games. Video games 🎮 have evolved with time, and now you could play games that are highly advanced in terms of graphics, quality, and the overall gaming experience. The video gaming industry, in fact, has been growing consistently over the last couple of years. According to a report, the global market for video gaming valued $151.06 billion in the previous year and is projected to grow at 12.9% CAGR from 2020-2027. The major factors driving this growth could be technological innovation and proliferation in software and hardware alike. Additionally, growing internet services with their easy access, and the extensive availability of video games over the internet also contribute to the cause. One such popular video game is ARK: Survival Evolved. Let’s unravel this game and why you need a server hosting for this game.
What’s all about the game – ARK: Survival Evolved?
ARK: Survival Evolved is a sandbox game that is open-source and comes with an adventure-styled theme. The game takes you to an island – ARK, home to wild species, and even prehistoric animals like dinosaurs. A player’s goal in the game is to survive for the longest time possible by wielding weapons needed to fight off all the attackers coming your way. You also need to have tools to build the base for your protection. You can select your character in the game and try working your way out to become one of the best players. Similar to other video games, you can unlock new skills, tools, materials, and weapons to level up in the game and gain experience.
Why do you need a server hosting for this game?
ARK is a pretty ambitious game. It needs you to invest significant time in it so you can progress from a new character with just a spear in your hands to a futuristic ranger having pets as deadly as dinosaurs. However, if someone thinks they can jump in, play just for a few minutes or hours, and emerge as a warrior, it would probably be a mistake. In reality, ARK demands a lot of your time, energy, as well as resources before you could tame a top dinosaur or wield incredible power. Without a sturdy server by your side, your speed reduces, and it affects your efforts to level up in the game. This is precisely why you need a decent ARK server hosting solution. These powerful servers are equipped with impressive features to speed up your gameplay without worries. Check out some of the benefits of going for an ARK server hosting.
Full server control
You get to control how you want to proceed with the game since you own the server you are playing on. You can configure the game to enhance your overall experience and set your preferences.
No game-play lags
Without a server hosting, you put a lot of strain on your computer’s operating system, which results in lags. But a server hosting, conversely, puts a lesser strain on the OS. Hence, you can have super-fast response time and game-play.
24/7 game availability
Creating a server on your PC or console limits game availability. Suppose the host powers off their device, and the game ends right there. But, if you use a server hosting, all your friends could stay logged-in and play whenever they like. Plus, you don’t have to set up the server again and again or ensure everyone is connected, which saves you from killing your time and further annoyance.
Decide who will join.
Joining a random server means you play with strangers, plus there is a chance you could be kicked out at any point. Ultimately, your progress in the game hinders. Playing on a hosting server gives you the freedom to decide the players whom you want to play with. You can invite your friends or family to join you in the game and make it more interesting. Next, let’s finally check out some of the best ARK server hosting solutions to play your game with more freedom, flexibility, and thrill.
ScalaCube
By hosting your ARK gaming server from ScalaCube, you will get full control on your server through their control panel using which you can administer, restart, and change options. Besides, you can install or reinstall even the base server application and update it automatically for a newly released version. Install new mods and maps to make the game more adventurous. Assign privileges to players, band, or unban players along with their IP addresses. Manage passwords, access application files through a file manager. They offer a secure environment for your server by mitigating attacks while ensuring a high uptime. Features
Custom launch parametersFree domainSSD driveSteam Workshop modsChange maps and server settingsInstant server deployment
ScalaCube has server locations in North America and Europe, including one in London. Get their ARK server hosting plan starting at just $15/month for ten slots.
HostHavoc
The premium gaming servers provided by HostHavoc help you make the most of your game and level up fast. It lets you choose any map, mod, as well as free clusters, making your game-play smooth. HostHavoc supports DLC that includes Extinction, Ragnarok, Scorched Earth, Aberration, and more. You can swap maps anytime in seconds. They uphold and maintain network availability of up to 99.9% through in-house infrastructure using industry-leading data centers with reliable uplinks. They provide high security of your servers from Source Engine query intrusion and UDP floods. If you prefer self-managing your servers, they offer a file manager and FTP access so you can restore or backup your saved data and API plugins manually. HostHavoc provides its gamers with the ability to configure the command line of your server’s launch. Their interface also features multiple parameters specific to ARK servers. You don’t have to wait for hours to get a reply from technical support because their response time is quite fast – less than 15 minutes approximately. They have data centers located in 11 global locations, including three continents – Australia, Europe, and North America.
Survival Servers
Survival Servers is a famous name among ARK hosting. It offers all the essential features you need to keep playing your game without any interruption. You get instant set up for your server, whether you want to play on your PC or a PS4 console. Their in-house custom management panel lets you configure as well as customize the ARK game. If you use a PC, you can install supported maps/mods, switch locations, change settings, conversion mods, Steam workshop content with just some clicks. Every change you make gets updated automatically as well. You get full FTP access, the latest mod versions, and automated server restarts. You can add cluster game servers to transfer between multiple worlds. Survival Servers empowers you with SSD drives and dual-CPU Xeon processors. For security, you get DDoS protection and server pass-locking. You have the flexibility of installing plugins and mods easily and access third-party tools. Their global network includes several hosting locations, including Seattle, Dallas, Los Angeles, and New York, in the US, in addition to France and Germany. Survival Servers offers multiple mods like:
Scorched EarthRagnarokThe CenterAberrationPrimitive PlusExtinctionGenesisValgueroCrystal Isles
GTXGaming
Providing ARK server hosting for 10 years, when the game was released for the first time, GTXGaming is a reliable option for you. They have developed their control panel to offer powerful features and functionality to make your gaming experience a joyous ride. You can change settings quickly with drop-downs and simple trick-to-enable menus. GTXGaming uses new Dell systems every year by replacing the old ones to offer you the latest and up-to-date technology powering your servers. They are generous when it comes to server specifications to provide high-quality speed, dedicated cores, and memory. As a result, you can enjoy unmatched game performance despite installing lots of plugins. They host 3000+ servers for ARK Survival Evolved worldwide, with data centers located in 16 cities in 4 continents for wider coverage. GTXGaming leverages enterprise-grade hardware with an extensive range of Intel CPUs, including robust E3 processors, the latest i7 or i9, and even AMD Ryzens. Worry no more about security, as your servers will always be protected from DDoS attacks. You can switch games to play another game, and they support all ARK DLCs and implement them after release. They offer an exclusive mod updater that automatically detects newly available mod updates by sending your server a message and performing the installation seamlessly.   Link as many as servers together, host more mods or maps and navigate between them using your gears and dinos. You can generate a random map by using their out-of-the-box random generator. Install Steam workshops with their effortless tool and install them to your server directly with simple clicks. GTXGaming supports all ARK maps in addition to making them available when a new version releases. Install Beyond-API from the mod manager and request DLL access from the Client area by generating a support ticket. When your server restarts, they will auto-save a clone backup of your server to their offsite backup systems, including your saved folders and API plugins that you may have installed.
Indifferent Broccoli
Indifferent Broccoli is a server hosting company for gamers with a creative personalities. Their quirky brand is backed by quality hardware (i.e. minimal lag), a custom-built control panel, and top-notch customer service. They’ll ensure your adventure taming dinos in ARK will be smooth. A key strength of Indifferent Broccoli is its customer-first focus. Their support team is friendly and quick to respond. You can reach them via Discord or email, and they’ll help answer questions, configure mods, set up your Genesis 2 map, or debug if anything goes wrong. They also offer a two-day free trial, so you can try it before you buy. You can launch your ARK server with one click without entering any payment info. With server locations in North America and Europe, they provide options to minimize latency wherever you are. Give Indifferent Broccoli a try if you’re looking for a friendly, helpful, and effective server host for your ARK servers. They offer a two-day free trial, followed by $12 per month for an 8-player ARK server.
DatHost
DatHost offers a straightforward way to get started with your next adventure on the ARK island. They’ll provide automatic updates and backups, DDoS-protected servers for a hassle-free experience in-game, as well as a custom-built control panel to make it easy for management. Their sleek and intuitive UI has over 200 settings one click away. Whether you need to switch between PvE and PvP mode or change some multipliers – they got your back. Modding is easy thanks to their one-click installer, where you can install any mods from the Steam Workshop. Their system will take care of everything from installing to updating, so you don’t have to worry about manual installations. Furthermore, with DatHost, you can finally get rid of these pesky usage limitations with one simple monthly payment. Unlimited usage and no hidden fees for only €12.90 per month. In addition to this, they also offer a 7-Day Money-Back Guarantee.
Shockbyte
Since its inception in 2013, Shockbyte continues to host game servers to thousands of players. So far, it has hosted 100k+ game servers and has built a stronghold in the community of gaming servers as a result of its high-quality service and support. It utilizes powerful hardware and offers a handful of features at an affordable cost. If you find their services not matching your expectations, you can request a refund anytime within 24 hours. To get started, just choose the ARK game, number of players, and make the payment. Their team will activate your server automatically, where you can invite your friends using the provided IP address. Shockbyte gives you the option to customize your server using its intuitive control panel and access server files using FTP. You get additional features like automatic mod installation and configuration. Want to upgrade your plan? Just submit your order, and they will apply the changed plan instantly without losing any data or settings. Shockbyte guarantees 100% uptime, automatic updates and backups, free subdomain, server console, and DDoS protection. It supports Steam Workshop mods, DLC maps, and custom maps. Just choose your mods, and their team will install them on your server automatically. If you are stuck somewhere, seek help from their 24/7 support through ticket and live chat, or you can view their Knowledge Base or tutorials on YouTube. Its plan starts at $14.99/month, where you get 30 slots.
ServerBlend
Enjoy non-stop games with ServerBlend at an unbeatable price. Its user-friendly and customizable control panel – TcAdmin is intuitive and comes with tools available exclusively at ServerBlend. Install mods and API plugins automatically with single clicks. It also comes with a settings editor plus a command-line editor so you can control everything. The high-quality network with attack protection ensures the best game-play and lowest ping. You have the freedom to choose the hardware suitable for your needs from a range of options available and change them whenever you want. Switch server location at your will as they have servers located in 13 places, which include countries like the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand, Netherlands, France, Germany, Poland, and Australia. The pricing of ServerBlend’s server hosting starts at $18/month for 30+ slots.
Nodecraft
The unique control panel of Nodecraft assists in installing your server hosting for ARK in seconds. They name their powerful control panel as NodePanel that also helps you manage settings and configurations easily. The simplicity of this server hosting makes it effortless for everyone, including the ones who are first-timers. Hence, they can start playing and managing their servers with ease. Despite being simple, it exhibits greater speed and stability for exceptional game-play experience. You can even manage your server hosting using your phone by downloading the Nodecraft mobile application available on both App Store and Google Play. At present, they support top game servers for PC and are also working on live mod support and console servers. They understand the pain of gamers when servers lag and crash. Hence, they never overburden your servers and maintain a maximum of 12 players per device. This way, your server can access more RAM, disk IOs, and CPU cores. Nodecraft’s servers use powerful Xeon processors, highly clocked and error-correcting ECC RAM, enterprise-level SSD, and hard disk, 1 GBPS uplink, and DDoS protection. They have built their entire infrastructure on Linux for better stability, performance, and security. They have multiple server locations, including 3 in the United States, 1 in South America, 4 in Europe, and 4 in Asia-Pacific. Their pricing begins at $9.98/month with no player limits. It also includes a 7-day money-back guarantee.
GameServers
Get the ARK server by GameServers installed in a few minutes with the help of their instant activation systems. Their custom control panel facilitates the simple management of your server, including its customization and configuration. You can also upload files through FTP, add extra administrators, switch server locations, and install mods and plugins quite seamlessly. The worldwide network of GameServers is designed by intellectual gamers. It offers several redundant server locations for you to choose the one nearest to you for lag-free game-play. You can also migrate the server location anytime using your control panel. GameServers’ server locations include 9 in the US, 2 in South Africa, one each in Japan, Poland, Italy, France, Australia, Brazil, Russia, Denmark, Netherlands, UK, Spain, and Canada. The pricing starts at $29.95/month for 30 players.
Nitrous Networks
Leverage the high-performance servers of Nitrous Networks for ARK. They have already served 136k+ customers worldwide. Get your server deployed instantly after you complete the payment. Their game servers are equipped with the fastest and latest SSD and are protected from DDoS attacks through global POP filtering. Their network comes with advanced and high-quality hardware and Tier-1 providers to ensure higher stability and lower lag. Control your servers using their user-friendly and robust NiTROPanel, which is designed to make things easier for the players. They don’t need you to abide by any contracts and give you many options where you can pay annually, semi-annually, quarterly, or monthly; whatever works best for you.
LOW.MS
LOW.MS is a leading gaming server hosting solution empowering thousands of players worldwide. Their state-of-the-art hardware, low pings, plus unrivaled customer support take your gaming experience to another level. Features
Latest 5GHz Intel processors coupled with powerful SSDs and DDR4 memoryQuick deployment10Gbps DDoS attack protection in all locations while London has up to 50Gbps attack preventionSecure payment channels
At present, they have servers located in 12 global locations, which include 4 in Europe, 6 in the US, 2 in Asia/Oceania. They are also planning for expansion in South Africa, South America, Italy, and Russia.
GPortal
Your server, your rules! That’s what GPortal strives for and provides you with full control on your game server. It gives you the option to buy a server immediately through the high-end prepaid plans in their Gamecloud, although you can also choose to go for a subscription-based plan . It implies there is no need to sign a contract, plus you are free to switch games any time in their cloud. Installation is fast, where your server can be deployed in as little as 3 minutes. Their servers deliver top-notch performance with low ping. They offer slots ranging from 10-27, full RCON, web interface, and FTP access. DDoS Security is provided by Corero, and customer support is available via call, emails, and ticket. You get to play multiple mods like ARK Genesis, Valguero, etc. Their server locations are situated in Germany, Moscow, and London. In addition, a secure payment gateway is facilitated through PayPal, card-payment, and more.
BlackBox
Established in 2011, BlackBox Servers is a good alternative for hosting a high-performance server for ARK game-play. The reasons that make it a good alternative are due to its impressive features:
Full support for server cross travel plus flexibility to choose multiple options and mapsComplete procedural map generator that simplifies usability. You can generate a random map of your own effortlessly.Automated tool for mod download and updating. You can schedule updates, and as the system detects the latest updates, it notifies the players with a warning message so they can install the updates immediately.Offsite backups when you stop the device or restart it. Their smart scripts upload all your data to their offsite server in an instant.Quick and automated set up so you can start your game right away by logging in their client areaTheir control panel is suitable for both beginners and experienced users.
BlackBox Servers has its servers located in 8 cities from countries, including the UK, France, the US, Sweden, Canada, and Australia.
Citadel Servers
Citadel Servers lets you connect with players around the world using high network coverage and low-latency infrastructure irrespective of your physical location. Manage your server, install a multitude of mods/maps, modify settings, and locations with ease. Re-install, start, or stop your server; schedule tasks, backups, and scripts. You can edit server configurations to change its name, passwords, set admin access, view logs, and more. Citadel has data centers in 18+ locations in countries like the US, Netherlands, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Australia, and Singapore.
Bonus points for choosing an ARK server hosting
Check the compatibility of a hosting service with your device, for instance, PC device, PS4 console, or XBOX console.Select a hosting to provide with their server locations near to your place for faster game-playEnquire about the number of slots they provide and choose your option based on how big or small your player circle is.Find how they back up and update a gaming server. Automatic backups and updates are preferred.If you want to download more maps that enhance the game-play, check whether they support Downloadable Content (DLCs) and mods.Go for an easy-to-use as well as a customizable dashboard so you can concentrate completely on your game-play with your preferred settings minus complexities.Look at server migration aspects of a service provider in case you want to switch the hosting or change your plan in the future.
Conclusion
ARK: Survival Evolved brings on the adventurous side of yourself, and as you advance in the game, it gets bigger and better. So, don’t let poor networks ruin your games through lags and inconveniences. Instead, go for anyone of the above-mentioned ARK server hosting solutions to savor every moment of the game-play. And enjoy!
