ARK: Place your bets on a survival video game that is entertained by players from all over the world Through the platform, players are allowed to survive, establish themselves and conquer an environment that is inhabited by dinosaurs and other creatures that existed thousands of years back.
Running your own ARK server provides you with some fairness control as well as setting up the settings and mods you wish to use, plus playing with your friends in a closed environment.
However, there are some costs that you need to bear when it comes to hosting an ARK server and they include the following. This article will discuss what factors determine the cost of high-performance ARK server hosting, what you should expect to pay, as well as how to save on your server.
Factors That Impact Cost
Several key factors influence how much it will cost to host your ARK Survival Evolved server:
- Server Specs: A more powerful CPU, RAM, and storage will be relatively more expensive. Thus, to run an ARK server, one requires decent specifications of the computer.
- Number of Slots: The maximum number of players that the server can handle. More slots translate to higher CPU/RAM requirements.
- Server Hosting Companies: This can also differ from one hosting company to another company depending on their prices.
- Geography: It is cheaper to host in Asia or South America than in North America or Europe, for instance.
- Length of Booking: A weekly booking is likely to cost more than a monthly or quarterly booking.
- Extra options Included: Backups, mod installs, and custom expert management also contribute to the expenses.
Expected Features
Here are some of the things that you should expect concerning costs:
Basically, hosting costs depend on the specific features and the slots which are required. Here’s a rough estimate of what to expect from various configurations:
10-20 Slots ARK Server:
- Basic requirements — Approximately $15 per month
- Mid-range specs – $20-40+ per month
21-40 Slots ARK Server:
- Entry level – $30 a month
- Mid-priced – $50-80+ per month
41-120 Slot ARK server:
- Starting level – between $ 60 per month
- Mid-range – $100-160+ per month
As you can see, costs increase steeply with the maximum number of players and the required CPU, RAM, and server storage. There are additional costs in terms of backup services, expert management, etc which would be on top of this depending on the specific requirements of an organization.
Tips to Cut Down the Expenses on ARK Server Hosting
Here are 5 great tips to save costs when hosting your ARK server:
1. Research multiple hosting companies – Prices and any first-time user discounts may differ significantly between hosting companies and should be compared by all users.
2. Choose longer durations – Most, if not all, companies offer substantial discounts on 3, 6, or 12-month contracts rather than the weekly or monthly packages.
3. Do not buy unused additional slots – It is unprofitable to acquire additional slots that are not needed during the peak loads to cover less traffic. If for some reason you need to add more information, you can do it later as well.
4. Utilize promotions and loyalty benefits – There should be offers like free backups, low renewal rates, or account credits that will help to lower the overall cost of hosting.
5. Watch the server resources and use logs and dashboards to track the usage and adjust the server specs as necessary to achieve correct ratios of resources to demand.
ARK Survival Evolved server rental prices do appear steep if you’re thinking about getting a mid-tier or better server, specifically for hosting a significantly populated game without significant lag or latency issues.
But as one can see the factors behind the hosting fees, knowing reasonable cost expectations depending on server specs and slots, and using some of the tips outlined above on how to cut expenses, you can save a good amount of money every month on your ARK server.
Best and Most Recommended ARK Server Hosting Provider
For those who are searching for an economical host for ARK, there is Scalacube. Their platform offers 15.20$ per month with 20 player slots. Moreover, it offers enhanced DDoS protection, Full FTP access, SSD Drives, Steam workshop mods, free domain, and other features, including a highly praised priority support team.
Their ARK game servers are located on powerful Dell equipment with SSD drives for quicker loading and game sessions. DDoS protection makes sure that even if your server is attacked by a lot of malicious traffic, your server is still up and running.
Scalacube
Altogether, Scalacube is the best balanced and cost-efficient solution for hosting ARK multiplayer servers without compromising on speed, stability, and user-friendliness. They have sustained their investments in hardware and they are among the best budget-friendly options as we progress to 2024 and beyond.
If you want to test their hosting before buying any plan, they’ve an option for that too. You can try their free Minecraft server hosting. This will give you an idea of how far Scalacube can go in providing the best gameplay for enthusiastic players.
Final Thoughts
As for the high-capability servers, it becomes resource-consuming to maintain ARK’s intricate world and the continually expanding array of features. This has resulted in many providers setting exorbitant fees that are inaccessible to most commonplace gaming teams.
But, as mentioned earlier in this article, there is currently high-quality low-cost hosting comparable to the leading hosts in terms of uptime, mod support, and customer support among others. Smart players can host their own ARK private servers for a relatively low cost using one of these value-oriented providers built for constant gaming rather than revenue.
Coupled with ARK’s ever-growing universe that is adding new content that changes dynamics, 2024 and beyond seem rosy for fans to enjoy exciting frontiers at an affordable price while playing with friends.