UPDATED 2026 · CURSEFORGE

ARK: Survival Ascended Mods Explained

Mods moved platforms with the UE5 rebuild — if you’re following an old Survival Evolved guide, you’re looking in the wrong place entirely.

The big change from Evolved

CurseForge, not Steam Workshop

Survival Evolved pulled mods from the Steam Workshop. Ascended doesn’t — mods are hosted on CurseForge instead, and the mod IDs are different from anything you might remember from the old game. This trips up a lot of returning players following outdated guides or trying tools like the old Ark Server Manager, which simply doesn’t apply here anymore.

Step by step

Installing mods on your server

1
Find your mod’s ID on CurseForge
Browse CurseForge’s ARK: Survival Ascended section and note the numeric ID for each mod you want — this is different from the Steam Workshop IDs used in the original game.
2
Add the mod IDs to GameUserSettings.ini
[ServerSettings]
ActiveMods=930879,940871
List multiple mod IDs separated by commas, no spaces. This lives under [ServerSettings] alongside the rest of your server config — see our server settings guide for the full file layout.
3
Add the same list to your launch parameters
-mods=930879,940871
Append this to your server’s startup command or launch string, matching the same IDs from step 2 exactly.
4
Restart the server
The server auto-downloads each mod on startup — there’s no manual folder placement required, unlike some older ARK modding workflows. If a mod doesn’t appear after restarting, double-check the ID against the mod’s actual CurseForge page rather than assuming it’s correct.
Good to know

Players don’t need to do anything

Once mods are installed server-side, connecting players get them automatically — the client detects and downloads whatever the server is running the moment they connect, covered in our guide to playing with friends. That’s genuinely more convenient than manually distributing a mod list to every player, which older ARK setups sometimes required.

Quick reference

Common mod problems

What you see Likely cause Fix
Mod doesn’t loadID mismatch or old ASE Workshop ID used by mistakeRe-check the ID directly on the mod’s CurseForge page
Server crashes on startup after adding modsConflicting or unmaintained modRemove mods one at a time to isolate the cause
Players can’t connect after a mod updateServer hasn’t downloaded the new version yetRestart the server to force a re-download
Made a Mods folder manually, still nothingAscended doesn’t use manual folder placementUse ActiveMods= and -mods= instead — no manual copying needed

Still stuck after checking the above? Our full server troubleshooting guide covers crashes and connection issues more broadly.

FAQ

ARK: Survival Ascended mods — common questions

No, Ascended mods are hosted separately on CurseForge with their own IDs, unrelated to the Steam Workshop IDs used in Survival Evolved. You’ll need to find each mod fresh on CurseForge even if a similar mod existed for the original game.
No. Adding the mod IDs to ActiveMods= in GameUserSettings.ini and to your -mods= launch parameter is enough — the server downloads and places them automatically on startup.
It can matter for mods that touch the same systems or content, similar in principle to Evolved, though Ascended’s smaller mod ecosystem means conflicts are somewhat less common in practice. If something breaks after adding several mods at once, disable them one at a time to find the culprit.
No, the client automatically downloads and activates whatever mods your server advertises when they connect. No manual installation is needed on their end.
Yes, currently — Ascended’s mod ecosystem is younger and smaller than Evolved’s mature Steam Workshop library, though it’s grown steadily since launch and covers most popular categories.
Keep reading

More ARK: Survival Ascended guides

Server Settings GuideThe full config file layout Server TroubleshootingCrashes & connection issues How to Play With FriendsConnect first, mod later Best ARK: Survival Ascended Hosting UKCompare all providers
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