As a PixARK server admin, you have access to powerful commands for managing players, creatures, world settings, and server operations. This guide covers admin password setup, common commands, RCON configuration, and troubleshooting techniques for your PixARK dedicated server.
Prerequisites: This guide assumes your server is already running. If you have not set up your server yet, see PixARK Server Setup Guide first.
Admin Password Setup
Before you can use admin commands in-game, you must configure an admin password. The easiest way is via the ARK_ADMIN_PASSWORD GPanel startup variable. Alternatively, you can set ServerAdminPassword in your server's GameUserSettings.ini file.
Setting the Admin Password
Option 1 (Recommended): In GPanel, go to the Startup tab and set the ARK_ADMIN_PASSWORD variable to your desired password, then restart the server.
Option 2: Edit the config file directly:
- Stop your server from GPanel.
- Navigate to
ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/GameUserSettings.inivia SFTP or GPanel's file manager. - Find the
[ServerSettings]section and add or modify the following line:
[ServerSettings]
ServerAdminPassword=YourSecureAdminPassword- Save the file and start your server.
Security Tip: Choose a strong admin password that is different from your server join password. Anyone with the admin password has full control over your server, including the ability to kick and ban players, spawn items, and modify the world.
Enabling Admin In-Game
Once your admin password is configured, you need to authenticate each time you join the server:
- Join your PixARK server.
- Open the in-game console by pressing Tab (default key).
- Type the following command and press Enter:
enablecheats YourSecureAdminPasswordIf the password is correct, you will see a confirmation message. You now have admin access for the duration of this session. You will need to re-authenticate each time you reconnect to the server.
Note: The
enablecheats command does not produce visible output on some versions. If you do not see an error message, the command likely succeeded. Test with a simple command like cheat fly to verify.
Common Admin Commands
All admin commands are prefixed with cheat. Open the console with Tab and enter commands as shown below.
Movement and Survival Commands
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
cheat fly |
Enables flight mode. Your character can fly freely in any direction. Use cheat walk to disable. |
cheat walk |
Disables flight mode and returns to normal walking/gravity. |
cheat god |
Toggles god mode, making you invulnerable to all damage. Run again to disable. |
cheat ghost |
Enables noclip mode, allowing you to pass through terrain and structures. Use cheat walk to disable. |
cheat infinitestats |
Gives infinite health, stamina, food, water, and other stats. Toggle on/off. |
Creature Commands
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
cheat forcetame |
Instantly tames the creature you are looking at. The creature becomes rideable without a saddle and responds to your commands. |
cheat destroywilddinos |
Removes all wild (untamed) creatures from the map. New creatures will respawn naturally. Useful for refreshing spawns or fixing lag caused by creature buildup. |
cheat dotame |
Tames the targeted creature as if you tamed it normally (requires a saddle to ride). |
cheat summon <ClassID> |
Spawns a creature of the specified class at your location. Example: cheat summon Raptor_Character_BP_C |
cheat destroyallenemies |
Destroys all hostile creatures on the map. Similar to destroywilddinos but targets aggressive creatures specifically. |
World and Environment Commands
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
cheat settimeofday <HH:MM> |
Sets the in-game time. Example: cheat settimeofday 12:00 sets it to noon. Use 24-hour format. |
cheat saveworld |
Forces an immediate world save. Use before shutting down or making risky changes. |
cheat slomo <value> |
Changes the game speed. Default is 1.0. Values above 1.0 speed up the game; below 1.0 slow it down. Example: cheat slomo 2 |
cheat setweather <type> |
Changes the current weather. Available types depend on the biome. |
Item and Experience Commands
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
cheat giveitemnum <ID> <Qty> <Quality> <Blueprint> |
Gives an item by its numeric ID. Quality ranges from 0-100. Blueprint: 0 for item, 1 for blueprint. Example: cheat giveitemnum 1 10 0 0 |
cheat gfi <name> <Qty> <Quality> <Blueprint> |
Gives an item by partial name. Example: cheat gfi rifle 1 0 0 |
cheat addexperience <Amount> 0 1 |
Grants experience points to your character. The second parameter (0) means it is added directly. The third parameter (1) shares with tribe. Example: cheat addexperience 5000 0 1 |
cheat giveengrams |
Unlocks all crafting engrams for your character. |
cheat giveresources |
Adds 50 of each resource to your inventory. |
Teleportation Commands
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
cheat teleporttoplayer <SteamID> |
Teleports you to the specified player. |
cheat teleportplayertome <SteamID> |
Teleports the specified player to your location. |
cheat setplayerpos <X> <Y> <Z> |
Teleports you to specific world coordinates. |
Player Management: Kick and Ban
Admins can kick and ban disruptive players using the following commands:
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
cheat kickplayer <SteamID> |
Immediately kicks the player from the server. They can rejoin. |
cheat banplayer <SteamID> |
Bans the player by their Steam ID. They cannot rejoin until unbanned. |
cheat unbanplayer <SteamID> |
Removes a ban for the specified Steam ID. |
cheat listplayers |
Lists all currently connected players with their names and Steam IDs. |
Finding Steam IDs: Use
cheat listplayers to see all connected players and their Steam IDs. You can also find a player's Steam ID from their Steam profile URL.
RCON Setup
RCON (Remote Console) allows you to execute admin commands remotely without being connected to the server in-game. This is useful for automated server management, scheduled restarts, and remote administration.
Enabling RCON
- Stop your server.
- Open
GameUserSettings.iniand add the following under[ServerSettings]:
[ServerSettings]
RCONEnabled=True
RCONPort=27020
RCONServerGameLogBuffer=600- Ensure the
ServerAdminPasswordis also set, as RCON uses this password for authentication. - Save the file and start your server.
Connecting via RCON
Use any Source RCON-compatible client to connect to your server. Popular options include:
- mcrcon -- lightweight command-line RCON client
- RCON CLI -- cross-platform RCON tool
- Battlemetrics -- web-based server management with RCON support
Connect using your server IP, RCON port (e.g., 27020), and your ServerAdminPassword. Once connected, you can execute any admin command without the cheat prefix.
# Example RCON commands (no "cheat" prefix needed via RCON)
saveworld
listplayers
settimeofday 12:00
destroywilddinos
kickplayer 76561198012345678
RCON Port: Make sure the RCON port you configure does not conflict with other ports used by your server. The default game port is 7777 and query port is 27015, so 27020 is a safe default for RCON.
Troubleshooting
Server Crashes
| Symptom | Likely Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Crash on startup after config change | Syntax error in config file | Review GameUserSettings.ini for typos, missing brackets, or invalid values. Restore from backup if needed. |
| Crash during gameplay | Creature overflow or memory limit | Run cheat destroywilddinos to clear creature buildup. Check GPanel for memory usage. |
| Crash when spawning items | Invalid item ID or class name | Verify the item ID or class name is correct for PixARK. Not all ARK item IDs work in PixARK. |
| Repeated crashes at same time | Auto-save corruption | Restore from a recent backup. If saves are corrupt, a world wipe may be necessary. |
Connection Issues
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Players cannot find the server | Ensure the query port is correct and the server has been running for at least 3-5 minutes. Try direct IP connection. |
| Connection timeout | Check that the server is running in GPanel. Verify the game port (default 7777) is correct. The server may still be loading. |
| Kicked immediately after joining | Check if the player is banned (cheat listplayers and ban list). Verify game version matches the server version. |
| RCON connection refused | Verify RCONEnabled=True in config. Check that you are using the correct RCON port and admin password. |
World Corruption
If your world becomes corrupted (e.g., constant crashes, missing terrain, broken structures), follow these steps:
- Stop the server immediately to prevent further corruption.
- Download the current
ShooterGame/Saved/directory via SFTP as a reference copy. - If you have a recent backup, restore it by uploading the backup files to replace the current saves.
- If no backup exists, you may need to perform a world wipe by deleting the save directory contents and restarting.
- Start the server and verify it loads correctly.
Prevention: Regularly back up your server saves via SFTP. Use
cheat saveworld before shutting down and avoid force-stopping the server whenever possible.
Related Articles
- PixARK Server Setup Guide -- Initial server configuration, startup variables, and connection methods.
- How to Find Your Server IP and Port
- How to Upload Files via SFTP
- Getting Started with Your New Server
Need Help? If you encounter issues not covered in this guide, please open a support ticket and our team will assist you.
