For an introduction to what RCON is, see this article.

Enabling RCON on your ARK server

Once you have your server created, there are only a few steps to enable and connect with RCON to send commands to your server remotely.

Open a Port for RCON

1. Click "Manage" next to your server in the Command Center to open your server's page. Then click the gear tab at the top left and click "Port Forwarding".
2. In the "Request Port" section, open the dropdown menu and select "Other". Don't change anything in the 2 text boxes.
3. Make sure the Protocol is TCP.
4. Click the "One to One" check box so it is checked.
5. Click "Add Port". Your new port will be the last one in the list. Both private and public ports should be the same. If they are not, make a new port and make sure "One to One" is checked.
6. Remember or copy the new port. You'll need it in the next steps.

Enable RCON

1. In Command Center, open your server and click on the "Files" tab.
2. Navigate to and open the file /ark-survival-evolved/ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/GameUserSettings.ini
3. Under the [ServerSettings] section (the top one), after the other lines, add a line that says RCONEnabled=True
4. If the line ServerAdminPassword= is not present, add that as well on its own line and set a password. Use only numbers and letters. This will be your RCON password as well as the server admin password.
5. Find the line RCONPort= (usually on line 5) and add the port you created at the end with no space.
6. Start or restart your server and the changes will go into effect.

That's it! RCON is now enabled and ready to use. To learn how to connect with RCON, see this article. The full list of ARK commands can be intimidating because there are so many different commands! You can also use tools like ARK IDs admin command list to find the commands you need. And as always, if you need any help, contact us with the chat bubble on the bottom right of the page.