Can I Play ARK: Survival Evolved with Friends? An In-Depth Multiplayer Guide

As an avid ARK player with over 1000 hours of playtime, one of the most common questions I see from new survivors is "Can I play ARK with my friends?"

The short answer is yes! ARK has robust multiplayer options that let you explore the dinosaur-filled islands alongside allies and tribemates. But how exactly should you play with friends? Let‘s dive into the different multiplayer alternatives and how to have the best cooperative experience.

Dedicated Servers Give You Persistence and Capacity

Dedicated servers are the go-to solution for playing ARK with more than just a couple friends. Here‘s a quick rundown of what dedicated servers provide:

• Persistence – The server keeps running and saves all progress even when no players are online. You can pick up right where you left off anytime.

• Player Capacity – Supports up to 100 concurrent players on a server. Good for large tribes and communities.

• Customization – Control over settings like player stats, dino stats, resources, mods, rates, etc. Make the server your own.

• Admin Powers – Ban troublesome players, rollback if needed, and more administrative abilities.

Now dedicated servers do cost money to rent from a hosting provider. Prices typically range from $10 – $40 per month depending on the provider, location, and hardware. For example, Survival Servers has an 8 slot Ark server in the US for $16/month.

But the benefits often far outweigh the costs, especially if you split the fees between a tribe. The capacity alone makes dedicated servers worthwhile for larger groups.

Non-Dedicated Sessions for You and a Few Friends

Non-dedicated multiplayer sessions provide an easier, free way to play ARK with a smaller number of friends:

• Host up to 4 players on the host computer including yourself.

• Direct join through Steam instead of using IP address and port.

• Free since hosted on the player‘s PC. No server rental needed.

• Progress saves on the host PC rather than on a remote server.

The big catch is players must stay within 300 meters of the host player. If you wander too far, you get teleported back. This tether prevents exploring too far and keeps the session manageable for the host PC hardware.

Non-dedicated is great for getting started with ARK multiplayer before moving to a dedicated server. I used it play with 2-3 friends before we eventually grew into a larger tribe that needed a persistent dedicated server.

Finding the Right Public Server for You

Not ready to jump into hosting your own server yet? That‘s understandable – hosting involves technical steps like port forwarding, file management, and mod installs.

Luckily there are thousands of public dedicated servers you can simply join with a few clicks. Here are some tips for finding a good public server:

• Sort by current player population and ping. Servers with 15+ players online tend to be active.

• Check mods like maps, gear, dinos, rates, etc. Pick ones that match your interests.

• Look at the name, description, and any rules for indications of play style – PvP, PvE, RP, etc.

• Join the Discord to ask questions before spending hours on a server not right for you.

• Watch out for servers with absurdly boosted rates like 50x. It ruins progression.

I always recommend players start on public servers to learn the multiplayer dynamics first before jumping into hosting their own. Be ready to shop around between different public servers to find the right fit.

Renting Your Own Private Server for Full Control

Are you ready to take your ARK multiplayer experience to the next level by hosting your own private dedicated server? I fully recommend going the private server route once you have an established tribe of 5+ players.

Renting a private server gives your group:

• Complete customization over settings, mods, rates, passwords, etc.

• Invite only so just you and your friends, no random players.

• Peace of mind knowing you won‘t lose progress from a public server shutting down.

• Admin powers like flying, spawning items, banning troublesome players.

• Mod flexibility – you can install Total Conversion mods like Primal Fear for a whole new game!

ARK veterans suggest targeting servers with Intel Xeon E5-2690 CPUs, NVMe SSD storage, and at least DDR4 ECC RAM. These server-grade components provide the best performance for a smooth multiplayer experience.

Server Requirements for 10-20 Player Tribes:

• CPU: 4 core Xeon or Ryzen recommended
• RAM: 16GB DDR4 ECC
• Storage: 200GB NVMe SSD
• Bandwidth: 1Gbps

Check out hosting providers like Survival Servers, Nitrado, GTX Gaming, and PingPerfect for affordable private server rental options.

Play Together as a Tribe for Success

The most fun way to play ARK multiplayer is by joining up with friends in a tribe. Being in a tribe allows you to:

• Pool resources by sharing items, engrams, dinosaurs, and structures.
• Protect your base with combined defense against raids.
• Tame dinosaurs faster by knocking out together.
• Take on caves, bosses, events, and quests as a team.
• Respec each player‘s attributes to have specialized roles.

Having a tribe makes all the survival, building, and fighting elements much more achievable. I always advise new players on multiplayer servers to join up with an established tribe for protection and help.

If you want to stay small, a tribe of just 4-5 close friends can still accomplish a lot together in ARK. The gameplay rewards cooperation and teamwork. Just be sure to carefully choose who you invite into your tribe!

Comparing Single Player and Multiplayer Experiences

Let‘s discuss the key differences between playing ARK solo in single player vs playing on multiplayer servers:

Single Player Pros

• Play completely solo at your own pace. No coordination needed.
• Pause the game anytime.
• Enable creative mode, fly anywhere.
• Less hardware demands – plays on most PCs.

Single Player Cons

• No multiplayer dynamics, just you vs the environment.
• World resets if you switch maps or mods.
• No trading, group fights, shared buildings.
• Admin commands disable Steam achievements.

Multiplayer Pros

• Cooperate on taming, building, fighting as a tribe.
• Trade items with other players.
• Explore a persistent online world.
• Chat and make new friends and enemies.
• Join up with established tribes on servers.

Multiplayer Cons

• Harder to play casually due to offline raiding.
• Drama between tribes over territory and rules.
• Dealing with griefers who intentionally harass.
• Requires renting server for best experience.

Overall if you want a relaxed solitary experience or can‘t run ARK well online, single player is hard to beat. But multiplayer really makes the world feel alive in a way solo play can‘t match.

Top 10 Tips for Playing ARK with Friends

Through all my years hosting servers, here are my top tips for getting the most out of the multiplayer experience with friends:

1. Use voice chat programs like Discord for real-time communication.
2. Ensure everyone has solid PC hardware and internet connections.
3. Split up key tasks like building, taming, farming between players.
4. Tame complimenting dinosaurs like Argentavis for travel, Ankylo for metal, etc.
5. Set up shared bases with crafting stations, storage, and beds.
6. Build defenses together like walls, turrets, traps, and moats.
7. Bring your best tamed dinos when caving or fighting bosses.
8. Have players spec attributes differently like health, melee damage, weight.
9. Trade items, resources, dinos, and blueprints between friends to boost each other.
10. Most importantly – have fun and don‘t take raids and drama too seriously!

Server and PC Requirements to Know

Let‘s quickly go over the server and PC requirements for smooth dedicated multiplayer performance:

Recommended Server Specs:

• CPU Processor: Intel Xeon E5-2690 or AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
• RAM: 32GB DDR4 ECC
• Storage: 500GB+ NVMe SSD
• Network: 1Gbps or higher recommended

Recommended PC Specs:

• CPU: Intel i7-9700k or AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
• GPU: Nvidia RTX 2070 or Radeon RX 5700XT
• RAM: 16GB+ DDR4
• Storage: SSD with 100GB free space
• Network: 100 Mbps internet

ARK is still quite demanding, especially for larger tribes and mods. Make sure your server has fast single core CPU performance and your PC has a decent graphics card like an RTX 2070.

Close all other programs before playing and restart your client and server routinely to keep performance smooth. Use launch parameters and low memory mode if needed.

Final Thoughts on Playing ARK Multiplayer

As a seasoned ARK player, the multiplayer tribe experience is hands down my favorite way to play and makes the survival adventure so much more immersive. Whether you join public servers or host your own private cluster, playing alongside friends radically enhances the fun.

Nothing quite compares to cooperating as tribe to tame your first T-Rex then riding together into battle against rival clans. I hope this guide provided lots of insights into successfully playing ARK with friends. Let me know if you have any other questions!