Before you start
The current beta targets Steam PC, vanilla Survival Evolved, and The Island. Survival Ascended, console clients, clusters, other maps, and third-party mods are outside this guide's scope.
Make sure the group is using ARK: Survival Evolved on Steam, not Survival Ascended. Start with The Island and leave generous resources for the server and Windows. Preserve an existing tribe/world before reviewing any server import.
Use a Windows 10 or 11 x64 PC. Keep it on, awake, and connected while friends play, with enough memory left for Windows and your own game.
New to Tavern? Apply for the alpha. If you already have a server, keep a separate backup before linking or importing it.
Set up with Tavern
Choose the vanilla island
Choose ARK: Survival Evolved and Install a new server. Tavern starts The Island in this setup. Do not change a name field expecting it to enable another map or expansion.
Set tribe access and rules
Choose the server name, player limit, player password, and separate administrator password. Review the PvE choice and basic game rules before the first session. Keep the administration password within the server owners.
Let the island finish loading
Complete the installation review and start the server once. Wait for native startup checks and read any error or required action. A large initial load is not a reason to launch another process against the same world.
Finish the review and choose Create server. When setup is complete, start it and follow any instructions Tavern shows. Join yourself, then ask a friend to try the connection your group will use.
Bring your friends
Find the unofficial server
In the Steam PC game, open Join ARK, select Unofficial, and find the exact server name. Use the appropriate LAN filter or direct-server discovery route for your group.
Follow the full network checklist
ARK uses several UDP ports for gameplay and server discovery. Follow every entry in Tavern's checklist for friends outside your home. This guide covers Steam PC joining through local or direct connections.
Changing local ports
For custom ports, stop the selected server and open Networking > Ports. Edit its local ports, save, update any router or tunnel mappings, then start the server and use the updated address. Tavern keeps game-required adjacent ports together and checks for conflicts. These controls require a Tavern build with the Ports section.
Share the connection details from the right server in Tavern. For friends outside your home, test with someone on another network; joining from the host PC alone is not enough.
Make it your world
Server and game settings
Review Settings > Game Config for player access, PvE, and the available game rules. Save through Tavern and follow its restart instructions. For manual file management, hosting and gameplay options are split between GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini.
Keep this beta's boundary clear
Do not add cluster transfers, another map, or a mod collection assuming they work with this Island setup. Each changes the files or compatibility your backup and join checks need to cover.
Protect your progress
An ARK recovery copy needs the world and associated player/tribe data together, not just the .ark map file. Standalone world migration is outside this initial beta; retain the full original when reviewing an existing server. Use Tavern's stop control and wait for the save/shutdown operation to finish.
In Backups, choose Create backup for this server. Wait for Activity to report completion and check that the backup appears in the list. Do this before updates, imports, or major changes.
Restoring replaces the current world data, so keep a copy of your latest progress first. Use Tavern's stop control and wait for shutdown before turning the PC off.
If something gets stuck
The server never appears
Check that the client is Survival Evolved on Steam, the installed version matches, the name is exact, and the query route is reachable. A working query response still needs an actual player-join check.
Tribe progress is missing after a transfer
Stop the server and preserve both copies. Review the whole player/tribe save set and beta import scope before attempting another migration. Do not treat an isolated map file as a complete recovery.
Do I need to leave my game open?
The dedicated server runs separately from your game client. The host PC, server, and selected connection route need to remain available while friends play.
Sources & testing status
Checked against Tavern's app source and the publisher resources below. Game support is in beta; your installed alpha may differ. This review did not include a new gameplay, restore, or outside-network join test.
The game's documentation may include features Tavern does not yet offer. Use the options available in your version of the app.