How to Use ARK: Survival Ascended Admin Commands – Guide

Taming a tough dinosaur or finishing a base takes real time in ARK: Survival Ascended, and some days you would rather skip the grind. Admin commands let you spawn items, tame creatures instantly, fly across the map, and manage your server without waiting on the game’s usual pace. In this Nitrado guide, we’ll show you how to enable console commands, gain admin access with enablecheats, and use the full command list on your ARK: Survival Ascended server.

What Are ARK: Survival Ascended Admin Commands?

ARK: Survival Ascended admin commands are console inputs that override the game’s normal rules on your server. They let you fly, switch on god mode, spawn items and dinosaurs, adjust player and tribe settings, and manage the server itself.

The commands fall into two broad groups. Cheat commands bend the rules of the game world, covering taming, spawning, and god mode. Server management commands control the server itself, covering things like kicking players, pausing the game, and restarting the map. Each group has its own permission requirements, covered next.

How to Enable ARK: Survival Ascended Console Commands

Whether you’re in single-player mode or on a private server, you can enable the ability to use ARK: Survival Ascended admin commands. Before we begin, the first step is to ensure you are an ASA server admin. From there, you can follow these steps to use console commands:

1. Start ARK: Survival Ascended and, at the main menu, press the “ESC”-key.
2. In that menu, press the “Settings” option to access your game settings.

1. Next, head to the “Advanced” tab at the top.
2. From there, find “Console Access” and change this to “On”.

1. After, at the top head to the “Keyboard” tab.
2. In the center, scroll until you see “Toggle Console”.
3. Click this and set this to your preferred keybind:

1. Finally, press “Save” to enable console on your ARK game.

Console access is now on, but one step remains before any command will actually run.

How to Gain Admin Access With enablecheats

Turning on Console Access only lets you open the console overlay. It does not grant permission to run cheat or admin commands on a multiplayer server. To gain admin rights, join your server, open the console, and enter:

enablecheats <AdminPassword>

Replace <AdminPassword> with your server’s ServerAdminPassword value, which you set in the Nitrado Web Interface. This authentication lasts for your current session only, so you will re-enter it every time you reconnect. Cheat and admincheat commands start working the moment enablecheats succeeds.

How Command Prefixes Work

ARK: Survival Ascended commands use four different keywords, and mixing them up is the most common reason a command silently does nothing:

• No prefix: plain server-admin commands such as ListPlayers, KickPlayer, and Broadcast run directly.
• cheat: most gameplay commands, including taming, spawning, and god mode, need this prefix on a multiplayer server.
• admincheat: works identically to cheat. Use whichever one the command you’re following is written with.
• enablecheats: not a prefix at all. It is the authentication step above, and it runs once per session before any cheat or admincheat command will work.

Admin Whitelist: An Alternative to enablecheats

If you would rather not share one password across your whole community, add trusted players’ EOS IDs to the AllowedCheaterAccountIDs.txt file in your server’s save folder. Whitelisted accounts receive admin rights automatically, with no password to leak and no need to run enablecheats every session.

How to Open the Console on Xbox and PlayStation

Console Access must be switched On through the same Settings > Advanced path used on PC before either combination below will open the command bar.

On Xbox, press LB + RB + Y + X together to open the console.

On PlayStation, press L1 + R1 + Square + Triangle together to open the console.

Once it’s open, enablecheats and the full command list below work the same way as on PC.

Full ARK: Survival Ascended Admin Command List

You’ll need admin access and console access enabled before any of the commands below will work. Enter each one in the console using the prefix shown, exactly as written.

Player Management Commands

These commands handle players and tribes, covering broadcasts, experience, flying, god mode, and kicking or banning players.

World Control Commands

These commands change the world around you.

Server Management Commands

These commands control the server itself, from reading chat to pausing the game and shutting it down.

Spawn Cheat Commands

These commands spawn experience, gear, dinosaurs, and structures.

Miscellaneous Commands

These commands cover the smaller adjustments that don’t fit the categories above.

Command Your ARK: Survival Ascended Server

You now know how to switch on console access, authenticate with enablecheats, and work through the full ARK: Survival Ascended admin command list to manage players, spawn items, and run the server your way. Whether you’re taming a stubborn dino or removing a griefer, these commands put you in control of your own ARK: Survival Ascended server.

ARK: Survival Ascended Admin Commands FAQ

How do I use admin commands in ARK: Survival Ascended?

First confirm you’re a server admin, then switch on Console Access under Settings > Advanced and bind a key under Keyboard > Toggle Console. On a multiplayer server you also authenticate each session by opening the console and typing enablecheats followed by your server’s admin password, before any cheat or admincheat command will work.

How do I enable console commands in ARK ASA?

Go to the main menu, then Settings > Advanced, and switch Console Access to On. Set your preferred keybind under Keyboard > Toggle Console, then press Save. On Xbox, press LB + RB + Y + X to open the console. On PlayStation, press L1 + R1 + Square + Triangle.

What is the god mode command in ARK ASA?

Type cheat god to toggle god mode on and off for your own character, or use SetGodMode true or SetGodMode false for the same effect with an explicit on or off value. GMBuff also grants god mode, plus maximum health, stamina, and weight in a single command.

How do I fly in ARK: Survival Ascended?

Type cheat fly in the console to start flying. The command needs the cheat prefix on a multiplayer server, and it only works after you’ve authenticated with enablecheats for that session.

What command lets me tame a dinosaur instantly?

Aim your crosshair at the dinosaur and type cheat ForceTame. It works on wild creatures and on dinos already tamed by another tribe, so use it carefully on a shared server.

How can I spawn items in ARK ASA?

Use cheat GFI followed by the item’s short name, a quantity, a quality, and whether to force a blueprint, for example cheat GFI longneck 15 0 1 for a Longneck Rifle. The older giveitemnum command spawns items by numeric ID instead, though ASA has largely moved toward blueprint paths, so GFI is the more reliable option going forward.

How do I spawn a dino in ARK ASA?

Use the GMSummon command with the dino type and level to summon a dinosaur. The type name needs quotation marks, and the level you enter is the pre-taming-bonus level, so divide the level you want by 1.5 to land on the right number.

What is an example of the GFI command?

cheat GFI longneck 15 0 1 spawns 15 Longneck Rifles directly into your inventory. The three numbers set quantity, quality, and whether the item spawns as a blueprint instead of the finished item, in that order.

How do I destroy wild dinos in ARK ASA?

Type cheat DestroyWildDinos to remove every wild dinosaur from the map at once. It only affects unclaimed wild creatures, so dinos already tamed by you or another tribe are unaffected.

How do I enable spectator mode?

Type RequestSpectator followed by your server’s spectator password to enter spectator mode. That password is set separately from the admin password used with enablecheats. Use cheat DisableSpectator to leave spectator mode and return to normal play.

What command shows all players on the server?

Type ListPlayers to see every player currently connected, along with their EOS ID. You’ll need those IDs for commands like KickPlayer, BanPlayer, and KillPlayer, since ASA identifies players by EOS ID rather than Steam ID, even on the Steam release of the game.

What is the GM Buff command in ARK?

GMBuff activates god mode and instantly maxes out your character’s stats, including health, stamina, and weight capacity. Unlike cheat god on its own, GMBuff also refills your stat points, making it a faster all-in-one option for testing or building.