You've been there. You are staring at a Giga that just chomped through your metal gates, or maybe your character is stuck in a geometric void between two rocks. ARK: Survival Evolved (and its shiny remake, Ascended) is a beautiful mess of a game. Sometimes, you just need to break the rules to keep your sanity. Honestly, the ark admin command list isn't just a "cheat sheet" for people who want to skip the grind; it's a vital toolkit for server owners and solo players who are tired of the game's occasionally janky physics.
I've spent years hosting servers. I’ve seen people accidentally wipe their entire base because they didn't understand how DestroyStructures actually works. It's not just about typing words; it's about knowing the syntax so you don't ruin a 500-hour save file.
How to Actually Open the Console
Before you can do anything, you have to find the "magic bar."
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On PC, it’s easy. Hit the Tab key. If you are on a console, it's a bit of a finger-gymnastics routine. For Xbox, you’ve gotta hold LB + RB + X + Y at the same time in the pause menu. PlayStation players, it’s L1 + R1 + Square + Triangle.
If you’re on a dedicated server, most of these commands won’t work until you log in. Type enablecheats YourAdminPassword. Don't include the brackets. If your password is DinoLover123, you just type enablecheats DinoLover123.
The "Cheat" Prefix Headache
Here is the thing that trips everyone up. If you are in Single Player, you can usually just type the command, like fly. But on a server? You almost always need to put admincheat or just cheat in front of it.
Example: cheat fly.
If it doesn't work, try adding the prefix. If it still doesn't work, check your spelling. ARK is picky.
Essential Movement and Survival Commands
Sometimes you just want to get from Point A to Point B without getting eaten by a Leech. Or maybe you want to see the map from a bird's eye view to plan a build.
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- God: Makes you invulnerable. You can’t take damage, but you can still drown. Weird, right?
- InfiniteStats: Refills health, stamina, oxygen, food, and water. It keeps them full.
- GMBuff: This is the "God Mode Plus." It gives you god mode, infinite stats, and a bunch of XP. It's the "I give up" button.
- Fly: Does what it says. You move through the air.
- Walk: How you get back down. Don't forget this one, or you'll be floating forever.
- Ghost: This lets you walk through walls (noclip). Great for when you get stuck in the terrain.
- LeaveMeAlone: This is the ultimate peace-of-mind command. It combines God, InfiniteStats, and
EnemyInvisible true. Dinos will literally ignore you even if you punch them in the face.
Managing the World and Dinos
Let’s talk about the ark admin command list functions that actually change the environment. These are the "power user" tools.
DestroyWildDinos is arguably the most important command for server health. If your server is lagging or you feel like no new creatures are spawning, run this. It wipes every untamed creature. They'll start respawning fresh over the next few minutes. It's like a seasonal cleaning for your RAM.
Taming in a Flash
If you are looking at a creature and want it now, you have two main options.
DoTame: Tames the creature normally. It still needs a saddle to ride.ForceTame: Tames it and lets you ride it without a saddle.
Be careful with ForceTame. It can occasionally glitch out certain modded creatures or bosses. Use DoTame if you want to keep things "clean."
Spawning Items with GFI
The old way to spawn items was using long, annoying Blueprint paths. The new way—well, the better way—is the GFI command.
Basically, the syntax is: cheat gfi <ItemName> <Quantity> <Quality> <IsBlueprint>.
If you want 100 wood, you type cheat gfi wood 100 0 0. If you want an Ascendant Simple Pistol, you might try cheat gfi WeaponGun 1 20 0. The "20" represents the quality tier. "0" at the end means you want the actual item, while "1" would give you a blueprint.
The Dangerous Commands (Handle with Care)
I’ve seen more than one admin cry after using DestroyStructures.
Basically, if you use DestroyStructures while looking at a pipe, you might accidentally delete every structure connected to that pipe. If that pipe leads to your main base... well, goodbye base.
GiveCreativeMode (or GCM) is another big one. It gives you a special crafting menu with no material costs, infinite weight, and the ability to fly. It’s amazing for building, but it also unlocks every engram. If you’re playing a progression-based game, this can sort of spoil the fun. You've been warned.
Server Management and Player Control
If you're running a public server, you're going to deal with trolls. It sucks, but it's the internet.
ListPlayers is your best friend. It gives you the SteamIDs or UE4 IDs of everyone online. You need these IDs for specific commands like KickPlayer <ID> or BanPlayer <ID>.
Want to send a message to everyone? Use Broadcast <Message>. It puts a big red text at the top of everyone's screen. It's impossible to miss. Sorta like a digital megaphone.
Teleporting
Teleport moves you in the direction you are facing. It's okay, but a bit clunky.TPCoords <X> <Y> <Z> is much more precise if you know the coordinates.
If a player is stuck and needs help, TeleportPlayerIDToMe <PlayerID> pulls them right to your boots.
Why Understanding the Syntax Matters
Most people fail because of a missing space or a typo.
For instance, Summon <CreatureID> spawns a wild dino at your location. But if you want a tamed one at a specific level, you need GMSummon "<CreatureID>" <Level>. Note the quotation marks. Without them, the game usually ignores the level request and just gives you a level 1.
Common Creature IDs:
- Rex:
Rex_Character_BP_C - Giga:
Gigant_Character_BP_C - Dodo:
Dodo_Character_BP_C
Yes, the _C at the end is mandatory. It stands for "Class." If you forget it, nothing happens. No dino, no error message, just silence.
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Practical Next Steps for You
Now that you have a handle on the ark admin command list, don't just go crazy and spawn 50 Alphas. Start by mastering the GFI command for basic resources. It's the most useful daily tool.
If you're on a server, always run SetCheatPlayer true. This brings up a side menu that shows you your current coordinates and the ID of whatever you are looking at. It makes taming and building ten times easier because you aren't guessing.
If you are transitioning to ARK: Survival Ascended, remember that most of these commands still work, but the console access must be enabled in the "Advanced" settings menu first. Go fix your stuck character, clean up those wild dinos, and maybe—just maybe—give yourself a little extra metal for that base expansion. You’ve earned it.
To keep your server running smoothly, make it a habit to run DestroyWildDinos once a week. This prevents "over-spawning" in certain areas like caves, which is the #1 cause of server-side frame drops. Also, if you’re testing builds, use a separate "Creative" save so you don't accidentally wreck your main world with a misclicked DestroyAll command.