Troubleshooting Ark Survival Ascended Dedicated Server Crashing Issues

Experiencing crashes on your Ark Survival Ascended Dedicated Server can be incredibly frustrating, especially when you’re trying to play on the same machine hosting it. Many players encounter this issue, particularly when setting up their first server. Let’s dive into diagnosing and potentially resolving these crashes, focusing on ensuring a stable and enjoyable solo gaming experience.

Understanding Your System and the Problem

You’ve provided excellent details about your setup and the issues you’re facing. Let’s break down your situation:

System Specifications:

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Motherboard: Gigabyte AORUS Pro X AMD X670E
RAM: 64GB (2x32GB) DDR5 6000MHz
Storage (Games & Ark Ascended): 2TB Kingston NV2 M.2
Storage (OS): 500GB Kingston NV2 M.2
Storage (Additional Games): 4TB Seagate Barracuda HDD
GPU: 24GB ASROCK RX 7900XTX TAICHI OC DDR6
PSU: 850W Gigabyte UD850GM 80+ Gold

These are powerful components, more than capable of running Ark Survival Ascended and a dedicated server simultaneously, especially for a single player. The fact that the server runs fine when you’re not playing points to a resource contention issue when both the game client and server are active.

Problem Symptoms:

Server crashes randomly after 30 minutes to an hour of playing.
Crashes don’t occur when the server is running idle (without you playing).
No lag or performance issues before the crash.
RAM usage is not maxing out.
System temperatures are normal.
Issue persists even with the latest Ark Survival Ascended patch.
Error logs indicate “RCON connection error” and “Server process not found.”

Analyzing the Error Logs: RCON Connection Issues

The error logs are crucial for understanding what’s going wrong. “RCON connection error” messages suggest problems with the Remote Console (RCON) connection. RCON allows server management tools (like Ark Server Manager) to communicate with and control the server. Timeout errors and inability to connect indicate a breakdown in this communication.

The “Process check exception: Process with an Id of 9060 is not running” and “Server process not found” messages directly confirm that the server application itself is crashing. The Ark Server Manager is detecting this crash because it can no longer find the server process running.

While RCON errors are logged, they are likely a symptom of the crash, not the cause. The server crashing is preventing RCON communication, not the other way around.

Potential Causes and Troubleshooting Steps

Let’s explore potential reasons for these crashes and how to troubleshoot them:

1. Resource Overload (CPU/RAM Spikes):

Even though overall RAM usage seems fine, there could be temporary spikes in CPU or RAM demand when you actively play, pushing your system beyond its limit for stable simultaneous operation.

Monitoring Resource Usage During Gameplay: Use Windows Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) or Resource Monitor to closely watch CPU, RAM, and Disk usage specifically while you are playing and just before a crash. Look for sudden spikes to 100% in CPU or RAM utilization.
Lowering Game Client Graphics Settings: Reduce the graphics settings in Ark Survival Ascended itself. This will lessen the load on your CPU and GPU, freeing up resources for the server. Try lowering settings like:
- Overall Graphics Quality (to Medium or Low)
- Resolution
- Shadows
- Textures
- Effects
- Post Processing
Server Configuration Optimization: While you mentioned using default server settings, some configurations might be taxing. Consider these adjustments in your GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini files (consult Ark server setup guides for specific parameters):
- Lower Player Count: Even for solo play, the server still simulates for a certain player capacity. Ensure this is set appropriately if configurable.
- Reduce Dino Count/Spawn Rates: If heavily modded, excessive dino spawns can strain the server.
- Disable Unnecessary Server Features: Explore server configuration options to disable any features you don’t actively need for solo play.

2. Software Conflicts:

Conflicts between the server software, the game client, and other background applications can lead to instability.

Close Unnecessary Background Applications: Before launching the server and game, close any unnecessary programs running in the background (web browsers, chat apps, etc.).
Check for Driver Conflicts: Ensure your graphics drivers and other system drivers are up to date. Sometimes, rolling back to slightly older, stable drivers can resolve conflicts. Use the AMD Adrenalin software to manage your GPU drivers.
Firewall/Antivirus Interference: While less likely for local hosting, sometimes overly aggressive firewalls or antivirus software can interfere. Temporarily disable them for testing (with caution, and re-enable immediately after testing) to see if it resolves the crashes. If it does, configure exceptions for the Ark Server and game client executables in your firewall/antivirus.

3. Disk I/O Issues (Less Likely with NVMe):

Although you have fast NVMe drives, disk I/O could become a bottleneck if both the game and server are heavily accessing the same drive simultaneously. This is less probable with modern NVMe drives but worth considering.

Ensure Sufficient Free Disk Space: Make sure your 2TB NVMe drive (where Ark and the server are installed) has ample free space. Running drives near full capacity can sometimes degrade performance.
Disk Health Check: Run a disk health check utility to ensure your NVMe drives are functioning correctly.

4. Ark Server Manager Issues:

While you’ve tried two different managers, there’s a slight chance there’s a configuration issue within them.

Verify Server Manager Settings: Double-check all settings in your Ark Server Manager, especially the RCON port and any crash recovery settings. Ensure they are configured correctly for your local setup.
Run Server Directly (Without Manager): As a test, try launching the Ark Survival Ascended Dedicated Server directly through SteamCMD or the game files, bypassing the Ark Server Manager entirely. Follow a guide on setting up an Ark server manually. If the crashes disappear when running directly, the issue might be related to the server manager itself.

5. Mod-Related Instability:

With 90 mods, mod conflicts or poorly optimized mods are a significant possibility, especially with Ark Survival Ascended being a new and evolving game.

Test Without Mods: The most definitive test is to run your server and game client completely without any mods. If the crashes stop, then a mod is the culprit.
Gradually Re-enable Mods: If no crashes occur without mods, start re-enabling your mods in small groups, testing after each group is added to pinpoint the problematic mod(s). Focus on recently updated or larger, more complex mods first.
Check Mod Compatibility and Updates: Ensure all your mods are compatible with the current version of Ark Survival Ascended and are updated to their latest versions.

Next Steps

Start with Monitoring: Begin by closely monitoring your system resources during gameplay to identify any spikes.
Lower Graphics Settings: Reduce your in-game graphics settings significantly as a first step to reduce system load.
Test Without Mods: Run the server and game client without any mods to isolate mod-related issues.
Systematically Troubleshoot: If the issue persists, work through the other potential causes (software conflicts, driver issues, etc.) methodically.
Review Server Configs: Carefully examine your server configuration files for any potentially taxing settings.

By systematically investigating these areas, you should be able to identify the cause of your Ark Survival Ascended dedicated server crashes and implement a solution, allowing you to enjoy seamless solo gameplay on your powerful machine.