How to Enable and Use ARK Admin Commands on Your Server

Updated October 3, 2026 · By Host Havoc Technical Support Team

Admin commands on an ARK: Survival Evolved server only work once you've logged in as an admin with the password set in your server config. If you haven't set one yet, do that first in your ARK server passwords, then come back here for the console steps and the command list.

Before you start: You need a ServerAdminPassword set in GameUserSettings.ini and a server restart after setting it. Without it, enablecheats has nothing to check against.

Turn on admin commands

Log into the game panel, open your ARK service, and click Configuration Files.
Open GameUserSettings.ini in the Config Editor and find the [ServerSettings] section.
Set your admin password. Don't wrap it in quotes:
```
ServerAdminPassword=YourAdminPassword
```
Save the file and restart the server.
Join the server and open the console (Tab on PC).
Log in as admin:
```
enablecheats YourAdminPassword
```
Run commands with cheat (or admincheat) in front, for example cheat god.

Tip: To skip the password every time, add your Steam64 ID to AllowedCheaterSteamIDs.txt. The server then treats you as an admin as soon as you join. The steps are in how to add admins.

Host Havoc ARK servers are for PC players (Steam and Epic), but if you're looking up the console shortcut for another platform, here they are:

Platform	How to open the console
PC (Steam or Epic)	Press Tab. Press it twice to expand the console.
Xbox	Pause, then press LB + RB + X + Y together.
PlayStation	Press L1 + R1 + Square + Triangle together.
Nintendo Switch	Turn on Console Access in settings, then press Minus while paused.

How command syntax works

Commands aren't case-sensitive. cheat God and cheat god do the same thing.
Values in angle brackets like <Quantity> are placeholders. Replace the whole thing, brackets included.
True/false values accept true, false, 1 or 0.
You can chain commands with a vertical bar, but each one needs its own prefix: cheat fly | cheat god.
Commands marked "crosshair" act on whatever you're looking at, so aim before you hit Enter.

Note: This guide is for ARK: Survival Evolved. ARK: Survival Ascended opens the console with ~ and whitelists admins by EOS ID in AllowedCheaterAccountIDs.txt, so check syntax separately if you play that version.

Find player IDs and item IDs

A lot of commands need an ID instead of a name, and ARK uses two different kinds.

ARK ID (Steam ID). The 17-digit Steam64 ID for Steam players. Run cheat ListPlayers to see everyone online with their ARK IDs, or whoami to see your own. Used by BanPlayer, KickPlayer and AllowPlayerToJoinNoCheck.
In-game player ID. A shorter number (usually around 10 digits) that ARK assigns to each character. Open ShowMyAdminManager (no cheat prefix needed) and select a player in the connected list to copy it. Used by TeleportToPlayer, GiveExpToPlayer, KillPlayer and similar commands.

For items and creatures, the community wiki keeps full lists of item IDs and GFI codes and creature entity IDs.

Player and god mode commands

These affect your own character.

Command	What it does
`cheat God`	Toggles god mode. You won't take damage from attacks, explosions or falls, but you can still drown.
`cheat InfiniteStats`	Keeps health, stamina, oxygen, food and water full, and stops weapons using ammo from your inventory. Run it again to turn it off.
`cheat LeaveMeAlone`	Turns on `God`, `InfiniteStats` and `EnemyInvisible true` in one go.
`cheat Fly`	Lets you fly. Use `cheat Walk` to land.
`cheat Walk`	Turns off fly and ghost mode.
`cheat Ghost`	Noclip. You can pass through walls and terrain. Use `cheat Walk` to turn it off.
`cheat EnemyInvisible true`	Creatures ignore you, even if you attack them. Use `false` to turn it off.
`cheat ToggleInfiniteAmmo`	Unlimited ammo for all your weapons. Run it again to turn it off.
`cheat GiveCreativeMode`	Puts you in creative mode. The short form is `cheat GCM`.
`cheat GiveEngrams`	Gives your character every engram (crafting recipe). It can lag for a moment.
`cheat AddExperience <Amount> 0 1 0`	Gives you XP (or your mount, if you're riding). The amount is scaled by your server's XP multipliers, so you'll usually get more than you typed.
`cheat ExecSetSleeping true`	Puts your character to sleep. Use `false` to wake up.

Item and resource commands

All three give-item commands take the same last three values: quantity, quality (0 to 100), and 0 for the item or 1 for its blueprint.

Command	What it does
`cheat GFI <Code> <Quantity> <Quality> <0 or 1>`	The easiest way to spawn items. Uses a short code from the item's blueprint path, for example `cheat gfi MetalIngot 300 0 0`.
`cheat GiveItemNum <ItemID> <Quantity> <Quality> <0 or 1>`	Gives an item by its number. `cheat GiveItemNum 1 1 1 0` gives a Simple Pistol.
`cheat GiveItem "<BlueprintPath>" <Quantity> <Quality> <0 or 1>`	Gives an item by its full blueprint path, in quotes.
`cheat GiveItemNumToPlayer <PlayerID> <ItemID> <Quantity> <Quality> <0 or 1>`	Same as `GiveItemNum`, but puts the item in another player's inventory.
`cheat GiveResources`	Adds 50 of every resource to your inventory. That's over 300 weight, so expect to be encumbered.

Common resource GFI codes, with the stack size so you know what a full stack is:

Resource	GFI command
Wood	`cheat gfi Wood 100 0 0`
Stone	`cheat gfi Stone 100 0 0`
Thatch	`cheat gfi Thatch 200 0 0`
Fiber	`cheat gfi Fiber 300 0 0`
Flint	`cheat gfi Flint 100 0 0`
Metal (ore)	`cheat gfi Metal 300 0 0`
Metal Ingot	`cheat gfi MetalIngot 300 0 0`
Crystal	`cheat gfi Crystal 100 0 0`
Obsidian	`cheat gfi Obsidian 100 0 0`
Polymer	`cheat gfi Polymer 100 0 0`
Cementing Paste	`cheat gfi ChitinPaste 100 0 0`
Oil	`cheat gfi Oil 100 0 0`
Hide	`cheat gfi Hide 200 0 0`
Element	`cheat gfi Element 100 0 0`

Note: GFI grabs the first item whose blueprint path contains your code. A code that's too short can match the wrong item. bug gives you a Tek ATV (its path contains "Buggy"), while bugr gives Bug Repellant.

Dino commands

Creature commands use the entity ID, like Rex_Character_BP_C. A few common ones: Rex_Character_BP_C, Raptor_Character_BP_C, Argent_Character_BP_C (Argentavis), Quetz_Character_BP_C (Quetzal), Gigant_Character_BP_C (Giganotosaurus), Therizino_Character_BP_C.

Command	What it does
`cheat Summon <EntityID>`	Spawns a wild creature at a random level on top of you.
`cheat SummonTamed <EntityID>`	Spawns a creature that's already force-tamed.
`cheat GMSummon "<EntityID>" <Level>`	Spawns a tamed creature at a set level. The level is before the taming bonus, so type 100 to get a level 150. Quotes are required. It still needs a saddle.
`cheat SpawnDino "<BlueprintPath>" 500 0 0 <Level>`	Spawns a creature at an exact level, 500 units (a foundation or two) in front of you.
`cheat ForceTame`	Tames the creature in your crosshair instantly. It can be ridden without a saddle.
`cheat DoTame`	Tames the creature in your crosshair as if you'd tamed it normally, with XP and a dossier entry.
`cheat SetImprintQuality <0 to 1>`	Sets the imprint on the bred creature in your crosshair. `1` is 100%.
`cheat SetBabyAge <0.01 to 1>`	Sets the age of the baby in your crosshair. `1` is fully grown.
`cheat DestroyWildDinos`	Wipes every wild creature on the map. They respawn over time, which is how you apply new difficulty or spawn settings.
`cheat DestroyMyTarget`	Deletes the creature or structure in your crosshair, no corpse left behind.
`cheat Kill`	Kills the creature or structure in your crosshair and leaves a corpse.

Warning: Don't use ForceTame or DoTame while you're riding something. It can crash the game or the server.

If you're wiping wild dinos after raising the level cap, changing the difficulty on your ARK server walks through the full process.

Teleport commands

Command	What it does
`cheat Teleport`	Moves you forward in the direction you're facing until you hit something.
`cheat TPCoords <Lat> <Lon> <Altitude>`	Teleports you to map coordinates (the latitude and longitude shown on the in-game map).
`cheat SetPlayerPos <X> <Y> <Z>`	Teleports you to raw world coordinates.
`cheat TeleportToPlayer <PlayerID>`	Takes you to another player.
`cheat TeleportToPlayerName <Name>`	Takes you to another player by character name. The short form is `TPName`.
`cheat TeleportPlayerIDToMe <PlayerID>`	Brings another player to you.
`cheat TeleportPlayerNameToMe <Name>`	Brings another player to you by name.

Player management commands

Command	What it does
`cheat ListPlayers`	Lists everyone online with their ARK IDs.
`ShowMyAdminManager`	Opens the admin menu, with the player list, ban list, whitelist and message of the day. No prefix needed.
`cheat KickPlayer <SteamID>`	Disconnects a player.
`cheat BanPlayer <SteamID>`	Bans a player from the server.
`cheat UnbanPlayer <SteamID>`	Removes a ban.
`cheat AllowPlayerToJoinNoCheck <SteamID>`	Adds a player to the join whitelist without a restart.
`cheat DisallowPlayerToJoinNoCheck <SteamID>`	Removes a player from the join whitelist.
`cheat GiveExpToPlayer <PlayerID> <Amount> 0 1`	Gives XP to another player. The final `1` keeps it from being shared with their tribe.
`cheat KillPlayer <PlayerID>`	Kills a player's character.
`cheat ClearPlayerInventory <PlayerID> 1 1 1`	Clears a player's inventory, slot items and equipped items, in that order. Set any of the three to `0` to leave that part alone.
`cheat RenamePlayer "<OldName>" <NewName>`	Renames a player's character.
`cheat RenameTribe "<OldName>" <NewName>`	Renames a tribe.
`cheat ForcePlayerToJoinTribe <PlayerID> <TribeName>`	Moves a player into a tribe. It can fail if the tribe has no members left.
`cheat MakeTribeAdmin`	Makes you an admin of the tribe you're in.
`cheat EnableSpectator`	Switches you to spectator mode. It wipes your inventory, so stash your gear first. Use `cheat DisableSpectator` to leave.

Server and world commands

Command	What it does
`cheat SaveWorld`	Saves the world to disk right now. Worth running before a restart or anything risky.
`cheat DoExit`	Shuts the server down as soon as possible.
`cheat Broadcast <Message>`	Sends a message to every player on the server.
`cheat ServerChat <Message>`	Posts a chat message to everyone as the server.
`cheat SetTimeOfDay <HH:MM>`	Sets the in-game time, for example `cheat SetTimeOfDay 12:00`.
`cheat Slomo <Multiplier>`	Changes the game speed. `1` is normal, and anything above `16` acts like `16`.
`cheat PlayersOnly`	Freezes every creature and stops crafting. Players can still move. Run it again to undo.
`cheat CE <Weather>`	Starts or stops weather. On The Island, `cheat ce makeitrain` and `cheat ce stoprain` control rain.
`cheat DestroyAllTames`	Deletes every tamed creature on the map.
`cheat DestroyStructures`	Deletes every player-owned structure on the map.

Warning: DestroyAllTames and DestroyStructures can't be undone from the console. Take a backup first so you can roll back, as covered in creating and restoring backups.

Run commands without joining the server

You can also send commands over RCON, which uses your ServerAdminPassword. In the Host Havoc panel, a Scheduled Task set to Console/RCon Command does this for you, and it's how automatic announcements work. Over RCON, leave off the cheat prefix:

broadcast Server restarting in 10 minutes

Commands that act on your own character or your crosshair target (God, Fly, ForceTame and so on) don't work over RCON, since there's no character attached.

Hide admin commands from chat

If every player can see the commands you run, AdminLogging is turned on. It's off by default, so something in your config switched it on.

Open GameUserSettings.ini under Configuration Files in the control panel.
In the [ServerSettings] section, set this line (add it if it's missing):
```
AdminLogging=False
```
Save the file and restart your server.

Troubleshooting

enablecheats doesn't work. The password has to match ServerAdminPassword exactly. Make sure there's only one ServerAdminPassword line in GameUserSettings.ini, and that you restarted after changing it. If you use a custom command line in the Command Line Manager, check whether it sets an admin password too and make the two match.

Commands do nothing. You're probably missing the prefix. On a server, god on its own won't run, but cheat god will.

The creature spawned inside me. Summon places the creature right where you're standing. Use SpawnDino with a distance of 500 to put it in front of you instead.

GFI gave me the wrong item. Your code matched another item first. Use a longer part of the blueprint path, or switch to GiveItemNum with the item's number.