{"article":{"id":360008242814,"url":"https://survivetheark.zendesk.com/api/v2/help_center/en-us/articles/360008242814.json","html_url":"https://support.survivetheark.com/hc/en-us/articles/360008242814-Troubleshooting-and-common-solutions-Windows","author_id":8612310828,"comments_disabled":true,"draft":false,"promoted":false,"position":0,"vote_sum":-99,"vote_count":101,"upvote_count":1,"downvote_count":100,"section_id":17968874980631,"created_at":"2018-08-21T23:54:17Z","updated_at":"2023-10-25T17:55:53Z","name":"Troubleshooting and common solutions (Windows)","title":"Troubleshooting and common solutions (Windows)","source_locale":"en-us","locale":"en-us","outdated":false,"outdated_locales":[],"edited_at":"2023-10-25T17:55:52Z","user_segment_id":null,"permission_group_id":1580814,"content_tag_ids":[],"label_names":["help","troubleshooting","crash","common solutions","fatal error","error","freezing","network"],"body":"<p id=\"h_01HC3353P7RXT43M132CTXH0A9\" class=\"wysiwyg-text-align-left\">We want to get you back into the game as fast as possible, and while Customer Support agents are here to help, there is a lot you can try on your own first. Follow the steps below to troubleshoot technical problems. </p>\n<p class=\"wysiwyg-text-align-left\"> </p>\n<h2 id=\"h_01HC3353P8CW28S4W6755ESXT0\" class=\"wysiwyg-text-align-left\"><span class=\"wysiwyg-color-cyan110\"><strong>​Are you experiencing fatal errors / crashes?</strong></span></h2>\n<p class=\"wysiwyg-text-align-left\">Game crashes can happen for a lot of reasons related to both hardware and software. Take a look at the list of possible fixes below.</p>\n<p class=\"wysiwyg-text-align-left\"> </p>\n<h4 id=\"h_01HC33WE303HX2SATDXXSG3XCQ\"><span class=\"wysiwyg-color-cyan110\">Check your system requirements</span></h4>\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 198px;\" border=\"1\">\n<tbody>\n<tr style=\"height: 22px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 23.0476%; height: 22px;\"> </td>\n<td style=\"width: 43.619%; height: 22px;\"><span class=\"wysiwyg-color-cyan110\"><strong>Minimum</strong></span></td>\n<td style=\"width: 33.3333%; height: 22px;\"><span class=\"wysiwyg-color-cyan110\"><strong>Recommended</strong></span></td>\n</tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 22px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 23.0476%; height: 22px;\"><span class=\"wysiwyg-color-cyan110\"><strong>OS</strong></span></td>\n<td style=\"width: 43.619%; height: 22px;\">Windows 10/11 with updates</td>\n<td style=\"width: 33.3333%; height: 22px;\">Windows 10/11 with updates</td>\n</tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 22px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 23.0476%; height: 22px;\"><span class=\"wysiwyg-color-cyan110\"><strong>Processor</strong></span></td>\n<td style=\"width: 43.619%; height: 22px;\">AMD Ryzen 5 2600X, Intel Core i7-6800K</td>\n<td style=\"width: 33.3333%; height: 22px;\">AMD Ryzen 5 3600X, Intel i5-10600K</td>\n</tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 22px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 23.0476%; height: 22px;\"><span class=\"wysiwyg-color-cyan110\"><strong>Memory</strong></span></td>\n<td style=\"width: 43.619%; height: 22px;\">16 GB RAM</td>\n<td style=\"width: 33.3333%; height: 22px;\">32 GB RAM</td>\n</tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 22px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 23.0476%; height: 22px;\"><span class=\"wysiwyg-color-cyan110\"><strong>Graphics</strong></span></td>\n<td style=\"width: 43.619%; height: 22px;\">AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, NVIDIA GeForce 1080</td>\n<td style=\"width: 33.3333%; height: 22px;\">AMD Radeon RX 6800, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080</td>\n</tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 22px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 23.0476%; height: 22px;\"><span class=\"wysiwyg-color-cyan110\"><strong>DirectX</strong></span></td>\n<td style=\"width: 43.619%; height: 22px;\">Version 12</td>\n<td style=\"width: 33.3333%; height: 22px;\">Version 12</td>\n</tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 22px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 23.0476%; height: 22px;\"><span class=\"wysiwyg-color-cyan110\"><strong>Network</strong></span></td>\n<td style=\"width: 43.619%; height: 22px;\">Broadband Internet connection</td>\n<td style=\"width: 33.3333%; height: 22px;\">Broadband Internet connection</td>\n</tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 22px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 23.0476%; height: 22px;\"><span class=\"wysiwyg-color-cyan110\"><strong>Storage</strong></span></td>\n<td style=\"width: 43.619%; height: 22px;\">70 GB available space</td>\n<td style=\"width: 33.3333%; height: 22px;\">70 GB available space</td>\n</tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 22px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 23.0476%; height: 22px;\"><span class=\"wysiwyg-color-cyan110\"><strong>Additional Notes</strong></span></td>\n<td style=\"width: 43.619%; height: 22px;\">SSD Required</td>\n<td style=\"width: 33.3333%; height: 22px;\">SSD Required</td>\n</tr>\n</tbody>\n</table>\n<p> </p>\n<h4 id=\"h_01HC33FHMR4CH65F9VRK56DG3P\"><span class=\"wysiwyg-color-cyan110\">Update your drivers</span></h4>\n<p>Outdated drivers are also a common reason ARK might crash. Unfortunately, it’s outside the scope of this guide to personally connect you with each of the many unique drivers used by your hardware. You will have to visit the support websites of each manufacturer for the latest driver updates.</p>\n<p class=\"wysiwyg-text-align-left\"> </p>\n<h4 id=\"01HC32SJKDEA34JAY53W5W0A1X\"><span class=\"wysiwyg-color-cyan110\">How to disable all non-essential processes:</span></h4>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ol>\n<li>Press <em class=\"fab fa-windows\">  </em>key + R</li>\n<li>Type “<strong>msconfig</strong>” into the text bar (without quotation marks)</li>\n<li>Click on the <strong>Services </strong>tab</li>\n<li><strong>Check “Hide all Microsoft services” so you don't accidentally disable a key process</strong></li>\n<li>Click the <strong>Disable All</strong> button</li>\n<li>Click on the <strong>Apply </strong>button</li>\n<li>Click on the <strong>OK </strong>button</li>\n<li>\n<strong>Restart </strong>your computer</li>\n</ol>\n</li>\n</ol>\n<p> </p>\n<h4 id=\"h_01HC34Y6FEFS54N9J3WD045EZ1\"><span class=\"wysiwyg-color-cyan110\">Perform a “clean boot” of your system</span></h4>\n<p>Sometimes, other applications can cause ARK to crash. You can exit or disable those applications and see if this resolves the issue with crashing. Alternatively, you should try performing a <strong>clean boot</strong>.</p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/how-to-perform-a-clean-boot-in-windows-da2f9573-6eec-00ad-2f8a-a97a1807f3dd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">How to perform a clean boot</a></li>\n</ul>\n<p> </p>\n<h4 id=\"01HC3JD54NCAXHE3WJ1V3Q47K6\"><span class=\"wysiwyg-color-cyan110\">Verify Integrity of Game Files</span></h4>\n<p>If you are missing textures or other content in game or experiencing crashing while playing a game, you can have Steam verify that the game's files are installed correctly on the computer.</p>\n<div class=\"faqbbcode_Section_NWJUH\">\n<ol class=\"bbcodes_OrderedList_3Ve1E\">\n<li class=\"bbcodes_ListItem_3DlO0\">Restart your computer and launch <strong>Steam</strong>\n</li>\n<li class=\"bbcodes_ListItem_3DlO0\">Next, you can either right click the game in your Library, or click the gear icon from the game's Library page on the far right</li>\n<li class=\"bbcodes_ListItem_3DlO0\">From the drop down menu, select <strong>Properties</strong>...</li>\n<li class=\"bbcodes_ListItem_3DlO0\">Select the <strong>Installed</strong> <strong>Files</strong> tab and click the <strong>Verify integrity of game files</strong> button</li>\n<li class=\"bbcodes_ListItem_3DlO0\">Steam will verify the game's files - this process may take several minutes</li>\n</ol>\n<div class=\"bbcodes_Header3_KePJs BB_Header3\">\n<h4 id=\"h_01HCNJ3ZGH0C8FM704THX8TTVR\" class=\"bbcodes_Bold_1opdq\"> </h4>\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;\" border=\"1\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\">\n<h4 id=\"h_01HC3K05NBWDAX4KJ2XA0ZJEXV\" class=\"bbcodes_Bold_1opdq\"><span class=\"wysiwyg-color-cyan110\"><strong>Important:</strong> One or more files may fail to verify.</span></h4>\n<p class=\"bbcodes_Bold_1opdq\"><span class=\"wysiwyg-color-cyan110\">This is normal for most Steam games. The files that fail to verify are local configuration files that should not be replaced as part of this process. <strong>You can safely ignore this message.</strong></span></p>\n</td>\n</tr>\n</tbody>\n</table>\n<p> </p>\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;\" border=\"1\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\">\n<h4 id=\"h_01HC3JYX9KCEN7KR45XV970WF9\"><span class=\"wysiwyg-color-red110\"><strong>Warning:</strong></span></h4>\n<p><span class=\"wysiwyg-color-red110\">Do not run the verification process while performing other system-intensive processes, such as defragmenting your hard drive or scanning for viruses.</span></p>\n<p><span class=\"wysiwyg-color-red110\">Do not run this process for multiple games at the same time.</span></p>\n</td>\n</tr>\n</tbody>\n</table>\n<p> </p>\n</div>\n</div>\n<h4 id=\"01HC30YKB4TNGW57ZH0BWPMHPM\"><span class=\"wysiwyg-color-cyan110\">Reinstall ARK Survival Ascended:</span></h4>\n<p>A clean removal and reinstallation can solve a lot of problems.</p>\n<p> </p>\n<p id=\"h_01HC317QPE8T0B4429QQSBZE9A\"><strong>FOR WINDOWS:</strong></p>\n<ol>\n<li>Press the  <em class=\"fab fa-windows\">  </em>Windows Start button in the corner of your screen</li>\n<li>Click the Settings gear button</li>\n<li>Click into the Apps &gt; Apps &amp; Features pane</li>\n<li>Uninstall ARK Survival Ascended</li>\n<li>Go to your Steam games folder and delete the ARK Survival Ascended folder (The default location is \"E:\\Steam\\steamapps\\common\")</li>\n<li>Restart your computer.</li>\n<li>Redownload the game</li>\n</ol>\n<p class=\"wysiwyg-text-align-left\"> </p>\n<h2 id=\"01HC3FKAXC69BVXEXV58JGN45F\" class=\"wysiwyg-text-align-left\"><span class=\"wysiwyg-color-cyan110\"><strong>​Are you experiencing connection issues?</strong></span></h2>\n<p>Here are a few common troubleshooting steps you can try.</p>\n<p> </p>\n<h4 id=\"01HC3FTCZ0CH63DQN266GYBYMV\"><span class=\"wysiwyg-color-cyan110\">Switch to a wired connection</span></h4>\n<p>Wireless connections tend to be difficult to troubleshoot due to potential interference from the environment and other signals. We recommend switching to a wired connection.</p>\n<p> </p>\n<h4 id=\"01HC3G0QY5HRZTHDMRPM93AGW9\"><span class=\"wysiwyg-color-cyan110\">Do not use proxies or vpn connections</span></h4>\n<p>Please make sure that you are not using a VPN or a Proxy to connect to an ARK server, as they can cause a number of connection issues.</p>\n<p> </p>\n<h4 id=\"01HC3G50P7PN0892B17ZDAZQ03\"><span class=\"wysiwyg-color-cyan110\">Update your network drivers</span></h4>\n<p>Outdated network drivers can lead to a connectivity issues.</p>\n<p> </p>\n<p><strong>FOR WINDOWS:</strong></p>\n<ol>\n<li>Press the  <em class=\"fab fa-windows\">  </em>Windows Start button in the corner of your screen</li>\n<li>Type \"device manager\" and hit enter</li>\n<li>Expand the \"Network adapters\" category</li>\n<li>Right click the network adapter you are using and click \"Update driver\"</li>\n</ol>"}}