After your ARK Survival Ascended server is installed, started, and allowed through Windows Firewall, you can join it from the in-game server browser.
Make sure the server is fully started before searching. A new server can take a few minutes to appear after startup.
- Open ARK Survival Ascended.
- Click Join Game from the main menu.
- Open the Unofficial server list.
- Search for your server name.
- Select your server from the list, then click Join.
- If the server has a join password, enter it and click Accept.
If the server does not appear, confirm the server process is running, the batch file uses the expected server name, and the Windows Firewall ports match your start file.
If you changed the server name recently, restart the server and search again after a few minutes.
For the matching firewall guide, use How to open Windows Firewall ports for an ARK Survival Ascended server.
