HaruHostAfter an ARK update
Players on the new version can't join a server on the old one. Press Update on the server, or let an automation update it as soon as ARK updates; see updates.
The branch has to match too: a player on Preaquatica only joins a Preaquatica server, and a player on the latest version a Latest server. The Details tab shows the server's branch; see Preaquatica and Latest.
Password and whitelist
- Server Password on the Passwords card: friends enter it when they join, exactly as set.
- Exclusive Players on the Player Role Settings card: with exclusive mode on, only listed players get in; see private server.
Joining times out
- Check that the server shows as online in HaruHost.
- For a server on Ports, have a friend outside your network open the console in the game's main menu and type
openfollowed by the Server Address from the Details tab. - If that times out too, the server can't be reached from the internet. When HaruHost runs as a service on Linux, turn on the Tunnel: the server gets a public address with no router setup, even behind CGNAT, and friends join it from the in-game server list.
- To host on your own address instead, open the game port, the port after it and the query port, all UDP. On Windows, turn on Auto-manage UPnP and Auto-manage Firewall, and HaruHost opens them on your router and in Windows Firewall when the server starts; on a VPS, open your port range in the provider's firewall. HaruHost shows the range under Devices → Manage device → Network Settings; see ports.
From the server's own network
When you host on your own address, the server list gives your public address. Many routers can't send a player at home back to it (NAT loopback), so joining fails from the server's PC or the same house while friends outside get in. Players on that network use the Local Address, shown on the Details tab: in the game's main menu, they open the console and type open followed by that address.
With the Tunnel on Linux, players at home join from the server list like everyone else.
Questions
Why does joining my ARK: Survival Evolved server time out?
The game can't reach the server. Check that it is online in HaruHost. For a server on Ports, have a friend outside your network try the Server Address with open in the console. If that times out too, use the Tunnel on Linux, or open the server's ports when you host on your own address.
Why can't I join my own ARK server when my friends can?
On your own address, many routers can't loop back to their public address (NAT loopback). Join by the Local Address from the Details tab with open in the console. With the Tunnel on Linux, the server list entry works from your network too.
Do my friends need the server's mods before they join?
No. The game downloads the server's Workshop mods for players when they join; see mods.