ARK: Survival Evolved Crossplay and Console Server Guide
Which versions of ARK: Survival Evolved can actually share a server, how Steam and Epic crossplay works, what Xbox, PlayStation and Switch players need instead, and how this differs from ARK: Survival Ascended.
A PC, Xbox, PlayStation or Switch server is a different product. The platform you pick at checkout decides who can ever join it.
A PC server only accepts Epic players when it runs with -crossplay and knows its public IP for Epic.
Epic and console players have no Steam Workshop, so a modded server keeps them out.
ASE and ASA are separate games with separate servers. Neither can join the other.
Evolved or Ascended? Check this before anything else
Most confusion about ARK crossplay comes from two games sharing one name. ARK: Survival Evolved (ASE) is the original 2015 game on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. ARK: Survival Ascended (ASA) is the 2023 Unreal Engine 5 remake for PC, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. They use different server software, different map files and different mod systems, and a player on one cannot join a server running the other.
The two games also handle crossplay in opposite ways. ASA was built for it: one Ascended server can take Steam, Microsoft Store, Xbox and PlayStation 5 players at once, and its server platform switch defaults to all of them. ASE was released platform by platform, years before console crossplay was common, so each platform family runs its own servers.
The easy way to check which game a friend owns is the console generation and the store page. A PS5 owner playing ARK on a disc or download labelled “Survival Evolved” is running the PS4 version through backwards compatibility, and an Xbox Series X|S owner may have either game installed, so check the title on the game tile. If anyone in your group is on Ascended, this guide is the wrong one: read how to play ARK: Survival Ascended with friends instead.
| Server feature | Survival Evolved (ASE) | Survival Ascended (ASA) |
|---|---|---|
| Steam and Epic players on one server | Yes | No |
| PC and Xbox players on one server | No | Yes |
| PC and PlayStation players on one server | No | Yes |
| Xbox and PlayStation players on one server | No | Yes |
| Mods usable by every player on the server | Partly | Yes |
| Joins the other game’s servers | No | No |
Which versions of ARK: Survival Evolved can play together
ASE splits players into groups by the backend each version uses, not by the hardware. Two versions can only share a server if they share that backend and are on the same game version.
| Player’s version | PC server (Steam, -crossplay) | Xbox server | PlayStation server | Switch server |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam | Yes | No | No | No |
| Epic Games Store | Yes | No | No | No |
| Windows 10 / Game Pass PC | No | Yes | No | No |
| Xbox One, Series X|S | No | Yes | No | No |
| PS4, PS5 | No | No | Yes | No |
| Nintendo Switch | No | No | No | Yes |
| Your version | Can share a server with | Server type to rent or run |
|---|---|---|
| Steam (PC) | Epic Games Store, on a server running with -crossplay | PC server |
| Epic Games Store (PC) | Steam, on the same kind of server | PC server with crossplay on |
| Windows 10 (Microsoft Store, Game Pass PC) | Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S | Xbox server |
| Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S | The Windows 10 version | Xbox server |
| PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 | Other PlayStation players only | PlayStation server |
| Nintendo Switch | Other Switch players only | Switch server |
Two pairs look like they should work and do not. Steam and the Windows 10 version are both PC, but the Windows 10 version sits on Xbox Live with the consoles, so a Steam player cannot join an Xbox server and an Xbox player cannot join a Steam server. And PS5 and Xbox Series X|S players do not form a new group: both run the last-generation version through backwards compatibility and land on the PS4 and Xbox One servers respectively.
ARK on phones is a separate game again. The mobile versions play with each other on iOS and Android and never join PC or console servers.
Steam and Epic crossplay on a PC server
Epic Games Store players arrived in June 2020, and patch 311.74 gave dedicated servers the switch that lets them in. A PC server is a Steam server by default. Add -crossplay to its launch line and it accepts both stores. Add -epiconly instead and it accepts Epic players only.
The flag has a partner. Epic clients do not find servers through Steam: they look up the server through Epic’s own service and then connect to the address the server gave it. That address comes from -PublicIPForEpic=, and it must be the public (WAN) IP players reach you on. If the server binds to a private address with -MULTIHOME and you leave this out, Epic players are handed that private address and cannot connect. A rented server normally fills this in for you, and the crossplay switch is usually a tick box or a line in the panel’s extra launch arguments.
ShooterGameServer.exe TheIsland?SessionName=MyTribe?Port=7777?QueryPort=27015 -crossplay -PublicIPForEpic=203.0.113.10Replace the address with your own public IP. The rest of the line is a normal ASE start command, so keep your existing map, session name and password options.
Why a modded server shuts Epic players out
Traditional ASE mods come from the Steam Workshop, and Epic players have no access to it. Host documentation is blunt about the result: once a server runs any Workshop mods, Epic clients cannot connect, and this is the most common reason crossplay seems to do nothing after it has been switched on. If your group wants mods, keep everyone on Steam. If you want Epic friends in, run the server unmodded. Our ARK: Survival Evolved mods guide covers what you give up.
Self-hosting extras for Epic
- Ports. Forward UDP 7777 (game), UDP 7778 (always game port plus one) and UDP 27015 (query). The query port only feeds Steam’s server browser. Epic advertising goes out over the normal web ports 80 and 443 with TLS 1.2, so outbound web traffic must not be blocked.
- Windows Server editions. These handle certificates differently, and the official ARK wiki notes that an ASE server with Epic crossplay needs TLS 1.2 enabled and Amazon’s
r2m02.crlcertificate revocation list installed into Trusted Root Certification Authorities. Without it the server can run but not appear for Epic players. - Versions. Server, Steam players and Epic players must all be on the same build. The
preaquaticabranch some Steam servers keep for older Workshop mods is chosen in Steam’s Betas tab, which Epic players do not have, so a crossplay server belongs on the current build.
Xbox and Windows 10 servers
Xbox One got ARK at launch, and in December 2017 the Windows 10 version arrived as an Xbox Play Anywhere title with crossplay. Buying the game digitally on Xbox includes the Windows 10 version, progress follows the account, and both play on the same servers. Xbox Series X|S consoles run that same version. ASE is also in Xbox Game Pass, so a Game Pass PC player on the Xbox app is in this group too, not the Steam one.
There are two ways to give this group a server that stays up when nobody is playing:
- Rent an Xbox server. Choose Xbox One as the platform when you order. Nitrado sells these and manages them from its app on Xbox and Windows, so you do not need a PC at all.
- Host on the Windows 10 version. Microsoft’s launch announcement confirmed that the Windows 10 version can host a dedicated server for up to 70 players. It only runs while that PC is on and needs the same port forwarding as any home server.
A server sold as a plain PC or Steam server is not an Xbox server, even if the host describes it as crossplay. That word means Steam and Epic on PC servers. Read the platform line on the order page, not the feature list.
PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 servers
PlayStation ARK: Survival Evolved has no crossplay with anything. A PlayStation server only ever takes PlayStation players, and Nitrado states plainly that a PS4 server only works with the PS4 console. PS5 owners play the PS4 version through backwards compatibility, so they join the same PS4 servers and can share one with PS4 friends.
To get your group onto a rented PlayStation server, GPORTAL’s steps are the simplest version of what every host does:
- Stop the server and give it a name nobody else is likely to use.
- Save the settings and start the server again.
- On the PS4 or PS5, open ARK and choose Enter ARK.
- Set the filter in the lower-left corner to Unofficial servers.
- If the server has a password, turn on Show password protected servers.
- Type the server name into the search bar and connect.
The unique name matters more on console than on PC. There is no Steam favourites list to add an IP to, so the in-game search is how everyone gets in, and a common name like “ARK PvE” gets lost among hundreds of others.
Nintendo Switch servers
Switch ARK is its own island. Switch players only play with other Switch players, and the version was remastered on 1 November 2022, so check that every player has updated before the first session. Nitrado is the host to look at for a rented Switch server.
What to check before you invite console players
- Everyone is on Evolved. Ask, do not assume. Ascended players see none of these servers.
- The server platform matches the group. PC for Steam and Epic, Xbox for Xbox and Windows 10, PlayStation for PS4 and PS5, Switch for Switch.
- The map is one everyone can use. Paid expansion maps such as Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction and the two Genesis parts need each player to own that expansion. The free official maps, including The Center, Ragnarok, Valguero, Crystal Isles, Lost Island and Fjordur, do not.
- No Steam Workshop mods if anyone is off Steam. Epic and console players cannot load them.
- The server has a distinctive name and, if it is private, a password. Console players will search for it by name.
- Server and players are on the same version. Restart the server after a patch so it updates, and let players update before they try to join.
Renting an ARK: Survival Evolved server for console
Most hosts in our comparison sell PC servers only. For console, the choice narrows to two:
Conversion used: £1 = $1.33
Nitrado is the only one of the two that covers Xbox and Switch, and it offers a London location for a UK group. GPORTAL’s PC and PS4/PS5 ARK products start at the same price and include cross-travel between your own servers. Both are prepaid for a set period rather than billed monthly. For a Steam or Epic group, the full field opens up, and our best ARK: Survival Evolved server hosting comparison ranks all of them.
When a friend still cannot join
| What you see | Most likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Your friend cannot find the server at all | They are on another platform group, or on ARK: Survival Ascended | Check their version and store against the table above |
| Epic players cannot see a Steam server | The server is missing -crossplay | Add it to the launch line or panel, then restart |
| Epic players see the server but time out | -PublicIPForEpic is missing or points to a private address | Set it to the server’s public IP |
| Crossplay is on but Epic players still fail | The server runs Steam Workshop mods | Remove the mods, or keep the group on Steam |
| A self-hosted Windows Server never shows for Epic | The certificate list or TLS 1.2 is missing | Install r2m02.crl and enable TLS 1.2, then restart |
| Steam friend cannot join an Xbox server, or the reverse | Steam and Xbox never share servers | Pick one group, or move everyone to ARK: Survival Ascended |
| A console player cannot find the server by name | Wrong filter, or the name is too common | Set the filter to Unofficial, show password-protected servers and use a unique name |
| Joining fails with a version error after a patch | Server and player are on different builds | Restart the server so it updates, and have the player update |
For problems that affect every player, not just one platform, our ARK: Survival Evolved server troubleshooting guide covers crashes, lag and the wider connection checklist.
ARK: Survival Evolved crossplay FAQ
Is ARK: Survival Evolved crossplay between PC and console?
Only between Xbox and the Windows 10 version from the Microsoft Store or Game Pass. Steam and Epic players can share a PC server with each other, but not with any console. PlayStation and Switch players only play with players on the same platform.
Can Xbox and PlayStation players play ARK: Survival Evolved together?
No. Xbox and PlayStation versions of ASE run on separate servers with no crossplay between them. A mixed Xbox and PlayStation group needs ARK: Survival Ascended, where one server can accept Xbox Series X|S and PS5 players together.
How do I let Epic Games players join my Steam ARK server?
Start the server with -crossplay and set -PublicIPForEpic= to its public IP, or turn on the crossplay option in your host’s panel. Remove any Steam Workshop mods, because Epic players cannot load them, and keep the server on the current game build.
Can PS5 players join PS4 ARK: Survival Evolved servers?
Yes. ARK: Survival Evolved on PS5 is the PS4 version running through backwards compatibility, so PS5 and PS4 players use the same PlayStation servers and can play together.
Can ARK: Survival Evolved players join an ARK: Survival Ascended server?
No. They are separate games with separate servers. Every player in the group needs the same game, so either everyone stays on Evolved within one platform group, or everyone moves to Ascended for full PC and console crossplay.
More ARK: Survival Evolved server guides
Our ASE host comparison and the guides that sit alongside this crossplay walkthrough. Playing the remake? The Survival Ascended guide is linked below too.
Written for ARK: Survival Evolved servers in November 2026. Platform groups come from Microsoft’s Xbox Play Anywhere announcement and Nitrado’s crossplay documentation; release dates, launch options, ports, map names and the Windows Server certificate steps come from the official ARK community wiki; console server join steps and plans come from Nitrado and GPORTAL.
