how to play lan ark survival evolved exclusive
X

How To Play Lan Ark Survival Evolved Exclusive Fixed

The Ultimate Guide to LAN Play in ARK: Survival Evolved: How to Play Exclusively Without Internet

For many survivors, the official servers of ARK: Survival Evolved represent a brutal, unforgiving wasteland—not just of dinosaurs, but of lag spikes, "Alpha Tribes," toxic griefers, and the dreaded "Taming/Decay timers" that punish you for having a job. Similarly, single-player mode can feel lonely and limiting.

Enter the holy grail of co-op survival: LAN (Local Area Network) Play. Playing ARK exclusively over LAN allows you and your friends (housemates, family, or LAN party attendees) to experience the entire 150+ GB of dinosaur-taming, boss-fighting, base-building chaos without an internet connection to the outside world.

But can you truly play exclusively offline? The answer is complicated due to BattleEye anti-cheat and session verification. This guide will walk you through every method to host a 100% local, offline-capable LAN server for ARK: Survival Evolved.

Part 8: Advanced LAN Tweaks (The Configuration File)

To make your exclusive LAN world feel professional, navigate to ShooterGame\Saved\Config\WindowsServer\Game.ini on the host PC.

Paste this section to optimize LAN:

[/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameUserSettings]
bLastServerUsedIsDedicated=True

[/Script/Engine.GameSession]
MaxPlayers=10


[ServerSettings]
DayCycleSpeedScale=0.5
NightTimeSpeedScale=2.0
XPMultiplier=2.0
TamingSpeedMultiplier=3.0
HarvestAmountMultiplier=2.0
PlayerCharacterWaterDrainMultiplier=0.5
PlayerCharacterFoodDrainMultiplier=0.5
DinoCharacterFoodDrainMultiplier=0.5
BabyMatureSpeedMultiplier=6.0
EggHatchSpeedMultiplier=6.0
DisableStructureDecayPvE=true
bPvEDisableFriendlyFire=true
bAllowFlyerCarryPvE=true

Why these settings? LAN is about having fun with friends, not grinding for 14 hours to tame a Giga. These multipliers respect your time while keeping the challenge alive. how to play lan ark survival evolved exclusive

The Ultimate Guide to Playing LAN in ARK: Survival Evolved

Playing ARK via a LAN connection is one of the best ways to experience the game. It offers the stability of a local connection, zero lag (assuming good hardware), and allows you to play alongside your friends without the hassle of renting a server or dealing with official server wipes.

Whether you are in a dorm, connecting two laptops in the same room, or setting up a gaming night at home, this guide will walk you through the process step-by-step.

Method 2: The Dedicated LAN Server (The "Real" Way)

This removes the tether, allowing players to go anywhere on the map independently. This requires the host to run a separate "Server" application.

Admin Commands (The LAN God Mode)

Since you are offline, you are the admin. On a client PC, press Tab and type: EnableCheats YourPass (the password from the batch file) The Ultimate Guide to LAN Play in ARK:

Now you can spawn anything:

Method 1: The "Non-Dedicated" Session (The Easiest Way)

This is the fastest method, but it comes with a leash. The "Tether" keeps all players within a certain distance of the host (usually 200-300 meters).

The Setup:

  1. Launch ARK on the most powerful computer (Host).
  2. Select Host/Local.
  3. Choose your map and adjust the settings (Taming speed, XP multiplier, etc.).
  4. Crucial Step: Scroll down and check the box that says "Private Game" .
  5. Start the session.

The Joining:

  1. On the second computer, go to Join ARK.
  2. Look under the LAN tab (not the Unofficial tab).
  3. The host's game should appear automatically. Select it and join.

Note: If the tether distance ruins the fun (e.g., one player wants to explore the cave while another tames a Trike), skip to Method 2.

4. Method B: The Dedicated Server (Exclusive Control)

For a "pure" LAN experience or larger groups, using the standalone dedicated server software is superior. This method disconnects the host's player character from the server process, improving server performance.