The detail almost every guide gets wrong
Use the game’s Workshop app ID, not the server’s
ARK: Survival Evolved’s Steam Workshop mods are tied to app ID 346110 (the game itself) — not 376030, which is the separate dedicated server app ID. Using the wrong one when downloading via SteamCMD is a common, quiet source of “the mod just isn’t there” confusion.
Step by step
Installing mods on your server
1
Find the Workshop ID
Browse the Steam Workshop for ARK: Survival Evolved and note the numeric ID from each mod’s URL. Grouping several into a Workshop Collection makes installing them together easier later.
2
Download via SteamCMD using the correct app ID
steamcmd +login anonymous +workshop_download_item 346110 [MODID] +quit
This lands the mod files in
ShooterGame/Content/Mods/[MODID]/, alongside a matching [MODID].mod file. If you’re using a rented host’s built-in Workshop installer instead, it handles this step automatically.3
Add the mod IDs to GameUserSettings.ini
[ServerSettings]
ActiveMods=731604991,843072750
ActiveMods=731604991,843072750
Comma-separated, no spaces. See our server settings guide for the full config layout.
4
Get the load order right
Mods listed later in ActiveMods= override earlier ones on conflicts. Order total conversions first, additive content-adding mods in the middle, and structure-replacement mods (like S+) last. Get this backwards and something like S+ pipes can silently disappear from your hotbar with no error to explain why.
5
Restart the server
Mods update automatically every time the server starts, and connecting players get them without installing anything themselves — no separate download links to chase down on their end.
Worth knowing
Delisted mods can lock players out
If a mod is removed from Workshop
Players won’t be able to join a server still advertising it in ActiveMods=, since their client can no longer find it to download. Check periodically that every mod in a long-running server’s list is still live, especially before adding new players.
Keep collections small at first
Starting with 3-5 well-maintained mods rather than a huge list keeps stability high and makes it much easier to spot which mod is responsible if something breaks.
FAQ
ARK: Survival Evolved mods — common questions
You’re likely using app ID 376030 (the server) instead of 346110 (the game itself), which is what the Workshop download command actually needs.
Load order — structure-replacement mods need to load last in ActiveMods=. If a mod listed after it also touches structures, it can silently override and hide the earlier one’s content.
No, Ascended uses CurseForge with its own separate IDs, unrelated to Evolved’s Steam Workshop IDs. See our Ascended mods guide if that’s the version you’re running.
Not for standard content mods installed through ActiveMods=. ArkAPI is only needed for plugin-based mods that extend server functionality beyond what the base game’s mod system supports.
Check whether any mod in your list has been delisted or removed from the Workshop — clients can’t download a mod that no longer exists there, blocking anyone trying to join fresh.
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