Admin and console commands are what turn an ARK: Survival Ascended server into something you fully control, from spawning creatures to teleporting players and clearing the map in seconds. The short version: set an admin password, open the console, type enablecheats followed by that password, then prefix admin commands with cheat. Everything below breaks that down by platform, with a categorized command list and the exact syntax for each.
How to Enable Admin Access on Your ASA Server
Type enablecheats on a fresh ARK: Survival Ascended server and nothing happens. Something on the server side has to grant that access first, and on an Apex server the simplest route is a shared admin password.
Head towards your Apex server panel and open the Customizations page. Under Security, set an Admin Password to anything you like, then return to the main panel and restart the server to apply it. Back in-game, once the console is open (the next section covers that), type enablecheats followed by that password to become admin for the session. You will re-enter it after every reconnect or restart, so keep it handy.
Managing several admins? Rather than share one password, add each person to the admin whitelist instead. In your panel, open Server Configuration, Config Files, ARK Admins File, which edits AllowedCheaterAccountIDs.txt. Add each admin’s EOS account ID, the 32-character ID tied to their Epic account, on its own line, then save and restart. Everyone on that list gets admin automatically on connect, with no password to leak. Our full walkthrough on how to become admin on ARK: Survival Ascended servers covers the password method step by step.
A shared password is convenient, but it is one screenshot away from every player having admin, and revoking it means changing the password and restarting for everyone. The whitelist adds and removes admins individually, which is the safer call past a small trusted circle.
How to Open the Console (PC, Xbox, PlayStation)
Every platform needs Console Access switched on first: open Settings, select Advanced, and turn Console Access from Off to On. You only need to set it once; it stays on until you change it.
On PC, press the tilde key (~) to open the console, type the command, and press Enter. If tilde is bound elsewhere, open the main menu with Esc and look for the console option there instead.
On Xbox, pause the game and press LB, RB, X, and Y at the same time. All four have to land together or the console won’t open.
On PlayStation, pause the game and press L1, R1, Square, and Triangle at the same time. The command box that appears is small and tucked into the bottom left corner, easy to miss if you’re not looking for it.
Once it’s open, typing works the same way everywhere: enter the command, confirm it, and watch that corner of the screen for a response.
enablecheats, cheat, and admincheat: Which Prefix to Use
Three keywords decide whether a command runs, and mixing them up is the most common reason one silently does nothing.
enablecheats <password> comes first and never takes a cheat or admincheat prefix itself: it’s the authentication step. Type it once per session (see the FAQ for why “once” doesn’t mean “once ever”), and everything below becomes usable.
Once authenticated, most admin commands on a multiplayer or dedicated server need a cheat prefix: cheat GiveCreativeMode, cheat God, cheat Fly. admincheat does the same job everywhere cheat does, and it’s the safer choice through the regular chat box rather than the console window, since chat needs the longer prefix to read a line as a command rather than a message.
Single-player and non-dedicated sessions skip all of this. You’re admin automatically on load-in, no password or prefix required. If a command works solo but fails on a dedicated server, a missing prefix is almost always why.
Command names are case-insensitive, so GiveCreativeMode and givecreativemode run identically. Your admin password is not a command name, so double-check you’ve typed it exactly as it appears in your panel before assuming the command is broken.
Admin and Server Management Commands
These commands run the server itself: saving, messaging players, and managing connections. Most need a cheat or admincheat prefix on a dedicated server, and none need one in single-player. The tables below cover the working set you’ll actually reach for; the official ARK community wiki’s console command list has the complete reference for anything more obscure.
| Command | Syntax | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| EnableCheats | enablecheats <Password> |
Authenticates you as admin for the current session |
| SaveWorld | cheat SaveWorld |
Forces an immediate save to disk instead of waiting for the next autosave |
| SaveBackup | cheat SaveBackup |
ASA-exclusive command that creates an extra manual backup alongside the regular save, not available in ARK: Survival Evolved |
| Broadcast | cheat Broadcast <MessageText> |
Sends a message to every connected player’s chat window |
| ListPlayers | cheat ListPlayers |
Lists connected players with the IDs other commands need |
| KickPlayer | cheat KickPlayer <SteamID> |
Disconnects a player immediately; they can rejoin unless also banned |
| BanPlayer | cheat BanPlayer <SteamID> |
Blocks a player from reconnecting |
| UnbanPlayer | cheat UnbanPlayer <SteamID> |
Reverses a ban and lets that player reconnect |
| ShowMyAdminManager | ShowMyAdminManager |
Opens an in-game admin management window instead of typing commands one at a time |
Run ListPlayers first. It shows each player’s Steam ID, which KickPlayer, BanPlayer, and UnbanPlayer use, alongside the shorter in-game player ID that teleport and give commands rely on. Match the right ID to the command, never a display name.
Player Commands
These change what your character, or whoever you target, can do: flight, invincibility, stats, and experience.
| Command | Syntax | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| God | cheat God |
Toggles invincibility to combat and fall damage; drowning still applies |
| InfiniteStats | cheat InfiniteStats |
Holds health, stamina, food, water, and oxygen at maximum, and removes ammo consumption while active |
| Fly | cheat Fly |
Switches your character into flight mode |
| Walk | cheat Walk |
Cancels Fly and returns you to normal movement |
| Ghost | cheat Ghost |
No-clip mode that lets you pass through terrain and objects |
| GiveCreativeMode | cheat GiveCreativeMode |
Toggles Creative Mode for yourself only |
| GiveCreativeModeToPlayer | cheat GiveCreativeModeToPlayer <PlayerID> |
Toggles Creative Mode for a specific player, shorthand GCMP |
| AddExperience | cheat AddExperience <Amount> <FromTribeShare> <PreventSharingWithTribe> |
Adds experience to you, or to the dino you’re riding |
| LevelUp | cheat LevelUp <StatName> <NumLevels> |
Adds levels directly to one stat on you or your mount |
God and InfiniteStats get confused constantly. God stops damage; InfiniteStats stops your needs bars from dropping. Want to skip drowning too? Run both together.
Creature and Taming Commands
Spawning, taming, and clearing creatures live here; several pairs look similar but behave very differently.
| Command | Syntax | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| Summon | cheat Summon <CreatureID> |
Spawns a wild, untamed creature at your location |
| GMSummon | cheat GMSummon <CreatureID> <Level> |
Spawns an already-tamed creature at roughly the level you set; it still needs a saddle to ride |
| SDF | cheat SDF <CreatureIDPart> <Tamed> <Level> |
Spawns a creature matching a partial ID, choosing tamed or wild and an exact level in one line |
| ForceTame | cheat ForceTame |
Instantly tames whatever’s under your crosshair, no saddle needed to ride it |
| DoTame | cheat DoTame |
Tames whatever’s under your crosshair the normal way: taming effects, dossier entry, and saddle requirement intact |
| DestroyWildDinos | cheat DestroyWildDinos |
Removes every wild, untamed creature on the map so fresh ones spawn in |
| DestroyWildDinoClasses | cheat DestroyWildDinoClasses "<CreatureID>" |
Removes wild creatures of one specified species only |
| PlayersOnly | cheat PlayersOnly |
Freezes creature movement and crafting while players keep moving normally; run again to unfreeze |
ForceTame and DoTame both skip the taming bar, but only DoTame gives the dossier entry and experience of a real tame; if ForceTame refuses a creature outright, DoTame is the fallback. Wildlife level ranges come from your server’s difficulty setting, not these commands, so if DestroyWildDinos brings back the same levels, that setting is what to change next.
Item and Structure Commands
Giving items to a player, and clearing structures or classes you no longer want, both live here.
| Command | Syntax | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| GFI | cheat GFI <BlueprintPathPart> <Quantity> <Quality> <ForceBlueprint> |
Gives yourself an item using part of its blueprint path, at a set quantity and quality |
| GiveItemNum | cheat GiveItemNum <ItemID> <Quantity> <Quality> <ForceBlueprint> |
Gives yourself an item by its numeric item ID instead of a blueprint path |
| GiveItemToPlayer | cheat GiveItemToPlayer <PlayerID> <BlueprintPath> <Quantity> <Quality> <ForceBlueprint> |
Gives an item directly to another connected player instead of yourself |
| GiveSlotItem | cheat GiveSlotItem <BlueprintPath> <SlotNum> <Quantity> |
Adds an item into one specific inventory slot instead of the next open one |
| GiveAllStructure | cheat GiveAllStructure |
Transfers ownership of the structure you’re looking at, and everything connected to it, to your tribe |
| DestroyAll | cheat DestroyAll <ClassName> |
Destroys every instance of a specified creature or structure class across the map |
GFI only needs enough of the blueprint path to be unambiguous, and a fragment like “ElementShard” is usually enough. These paths and IDs cover the base game only; modded content needs the mod’s own IDs, which setting up mods on your ARK: Survival Ascended server covers.
Teleport and World Commands
Moving players around, and adjusting the clock or game speed, round out the set.
| Command | Syntax | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| TeleportPlayerIDToMe | cheat TeleportPlayerIDToMe <PlayerID> |
Brings a specific player to your exact location |
| SetPlayerPos | cheat SetPlayerPos <X> <Y> <Z> |
Teleports you to specific map coordinates |
| Teleport | cheat Teleport |
Moves you forward in the direction you’re facing until you hit terrain or an object |
| SetTimeOfDay | cheat SetTimeOfDay <HH:MM:SS> |
Sets the in-game clock to an exact time in 24-hour format, for example 14:00:00 for 2 p.m. |
| Slomo | cheat Slomo <Multiplier> |
Speeds up or slows down the overall game pace; 1 is normal speed |
TeleportPlayerIDToMe moves them to you; SetPlayerPos moves you to a location. Easy pair to mix up mid-emergency, so double-check the direction before running either one.
Practical Command Combos
These combinations come up often enough to keep handy.
New tribe member: TeleportPlayerIDToMe pulls them to base, GiveItemToPlayer hands over starter gear, then LevelUp a few times so they are not left behind.
Clearing a taming pen: DestroyWildDinoClasses removes whatever predator keeps wandering into the trap, then PlayersOnly freezes the rest of the wildlife while you finish building. Run PlayersOnly again once the pen is closed.
Testing a build: GiveCreativeMode plus Fly gives unlimited pieces and a clear view of the footprint, and DestroyAll on that structure’s class clears it in one command when you are done.
Before a planned restart: Broadcast a warning, ListPlayers to confirm who is connected, then SaveWorld and SaveBackup for an extra copy before restarting from the panel.
Troubleshooting: When Commands Do Not Work
Most failures come down to one of five things.
Wrong or missing prefix. cheat and admincheat both work once authenticated on a server; forgetting either is the most common reason a command does nothing.
Cheats not re-enabled this session. enablecheats only lasts until you disconnect or the server restarts. Reconnected and commands stopped working? Run it again before anything else.
Console Access still off. This is a Settings, Advanced toggle, separate from admin status. If the console won’t open on any platform, check here first.
Password mismatch. A typo, or a password changed in the panel without a restart afterward, both fail the same way: enablecheats runs but nothing happens. Restart the server after any password change, every time.
Trying this on an official server. Commands work on single-player, non-dedicated sessions, and private servers you administer. Official servers block them, and no prefix trick gets around that.
Past a small trusted circle, the Admins File method is the safer call, since nobody can leak a password they were never given. Still stuck after all five? Our 24/7 Support Team can help dig into the server-side cause.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Console Commands Disable Achievements?
It depends where you run them. Commands on a dedicated or private server have no bearing on your achievement progress, since achievements track your local session, not a remote server’s state. Single-player is murkier: reports differ on whether enabling cheats pauses achievement progress for that session, so treat it as a real possibility and check your achievement list afterward if it matters to you.
Do Commands Work on Official Servers?
No. Every command here needs a single-player or non-dedicated session, or a private server where you hold the ServerAdminPassword or an Admins File entry. Official servers expose neither, so admin and cheat commands do not function there, regardless of prefix.
Do I Have to Re-enable Cheats Every Session?
Yes. enablecheats authenticates you for the current connection only. Disconnect, reconnect, or the server restarts, and you’ll need to type it again, even if you were admin minutes earlier. The Admins File method skips this step; accounts on that list get admin on connect automatically, every time.
What Is the Difference Between cheat and admincheat?
Functionally, very little. Both work on an authenticated multiplayer or dedicated server. admincheat is the safer default in the regular chat box, since chat needs the longer prefix to treat a line as a command instead of a message. Inside the console, cheat is the shorter option and behaves the same way.
