Server requirements: which Game Panel plan for ARK?
ARK is one of the heaviest games you can self-host. ARK: Survival Ascended runs on Unreal Engine 5 and eats RAM and CPU for breakfast, while ARK: Survival Evolved is noticeably lighter but still far more demanding than a typical Minecraft or Valheim server. Hostinger sells its game hosting as VPS plans with a custom Game Panel on top — Game Panel 1 (1 vCPU / 4 GB RAM), Game Panel 2 (2 vCPU / 8 GB / 100 GB NVMe, the most popular), Game Panel 4 (4 vCPU / 16 GB / 200 GB NVMe), and Game Panel 8 (8 vCPU / 32 GB) — and Hostinger itself recommends Game Panel 4 for ARK, per its own support guide.
Use the table below as a sizing guideline. The player counts are community-tested rules of thumb, not a Hostinger promise — modded servers and busy PvP bases need more headroom than a quiet co-op world. When in doubt, start one tier higher than you think you need: upgrading a Game Panel plan later is straightforward.
| Plan | Specs | Best for ARK |
|---|---|---|
| Game Panel 1 | 1 vCPU / 4 GB RAM | Not recommended — ARK needs more headroom than 4 GB allows, even for Evolved. |
| Game Panel 2 | 2 vCPU / 8 GB RAM / 100 GB NVMe | Small private tribe on Evolved (up to ~10 players); Ascended only for solo or very light play. |
| Game Panel 4 | 4 vCPU / 16 GB RAM / 200 GB NVMe | Hostinger’s recommendation — public servers up to ~30–50 players, modded lists, and clustered multi-map setups. |
| Game Panel 8 | 8 vCPU / 32 GB RAM | Large communities, 70+ slots, multiple clustered maps with heavy mods and high population. |
A quick rule: if your server will be public and modded, skip Game Panel 2 and go straight to Game Panel 4. Survival Ascended servers with 20+ mods and daily activity will fill 8 GB of RAM faster than you expect. Game Panel 8 only makes sense for big communities; most tribes never need it.
How setup works with Game Panel
You never touch a Linux terminal. Hostinger’s Game Panel has two ARK templates — “ARK: Survival Ascended” and “ARK: Survival Evolved” — and creating an instance from either one downloads the server files and configures the environment for you, per Hostinger’s own support guide. The whole install takes about 10–15 minutes.
- Order a Game Panel VPS and finish onboarding. Pick a server location close to your players (datacenter choice matters more for ARK’s twitchy combat than for most games) and set your admin password.
- Open the Game Panel and click Create Instance. This is the one-click template system Hostinger uses for 100+ games.
- Choose “ARK: Survival Ascended” or “ARK: Survival Evolved” from the game dropdown. Pick the one your tribe actually plays — the two templates install different server builds, and they are not interchangeable.
- Wait for the install to finish (10–15 minutes). The panel downloads the server files and shows progress; you do not need to run anything manually.
- Configure the server from the panel. Hostinger exposes the key ARK settings directly: Cluster, Gameplay, Multiplier, and Structure settings, so you can tune rates, difficulty, and building rules without editing config files by hand.
- Add your mods. Steam Workshop mods are supported — paste the mod IDs into the panel and restart the instance to load them.
- Set admin access and open the ports. Set an admin password and make sure the ARK ports (default 7777 / 27015) are open, then share the server IP with your tribe.
- Optional: cluster a second map. Create another instance on the same VPS for a second map (for example The Island plus Scorched Earth) and link the two with the Cluster settings — Hostinger’s panel supports clustering, so dinos and items can travel between your maps on one bill.
Because this is a full VPS with root access, you are never locked to the panel’s options: if you outgrow the GUI settings, you can SSH in and edit ARK’s GameUserSettings.ini directly, install custom map extensions, or run side services like an ARK server manager bot on the same machine.
What it costs
Hostinger does not publish Game Panel ARK prices in a way we can quote here — and we will not invent numbers. The pricing works like the rest of Hostinger’s VPS lineup: you pay a discounted price for your first billing term, and renewal is at the full rate. The first-term discount is the cheapest your plan will ever be, so long billing terms lock in the lowest effective monthly price.
Two things to budget for honestly. First, the renewal price is what you will pay from year two onward, and it is meaningfully higher than the intro price — read our Hostinger renewal price breakdown before you buy so the second invoice is not a surprise. Second, ARK is heavy enough that many tribes end up on Game Panel 4 rather than the cheaper Game Panel 2, so size your budget for the plan you will actually need, not the cheapest one. Check current Hostinger coupon offers for any first-term discounts running right now.
Included in every Game Panel plan: full root access, NVMe storage, and DDoS protection at no extra charge — per Hostinger’s own pages (verified Oct 2026). There is no per-slot billing: whether your server runs 10 players or 70, the plan price is the same.
Hostinger vs dedicated ARK hosts
Dedicated ARK hosts (the companies that only do game servers) and Hostinger’s Game Panel VPS are genuinely different products, and the right pick depends on how much control you want.
Managed ARK hosts win on simplicity: per-slot billing so a 10-slot server costs very little, ARK-specific control panels with one-click mod installs and wipes, and support staff who speak fluent ARK. If you want to be playing within five minutes with zero server knowledge, they are the easier buy. Their downside is lock-in — you rent ARK slots, not a server, so you cannot run a Discord bot, a website, or a second game on the same machine, and heavy mod lists often force you into pricier tiers.
Hostinger wins on flexibility and value at scale: you get a full VPS with root access, so one Game Panel 4 can run a clustered multi-map ARK setup plus a Minecraft server for the same tribe, a web panel, and automated off-site backups — all on one bill with no per-slot math. DDoS protection and NVMe are included rather than upsold. The trade-off is that you are the admin: updates, mod conflicts, and config troubleshooting are yours to handle (the Game Panel simplifies it, but it does not eliminate it), and Hostinger’s 24/7 support covers the platform, not your ARK config.
Bottom line: if your tribe plays multiple games or wants clustered maps on one machine, Hostinger is usually cheaper and more powerful. If you only want ARK and never want to think about servers, a managed per-slot host is the path of least resistance. Compare the broader landscape in our game server hosting hub.
Verdict
Should buy: private tribes who want ARK: Survival Ascended or Evolved with full control; communities that play several games and want them all on one VPS; owners who want clustered multi-map ARK without paying per slot; anyone comfortable with light admin work (the panel does the heavy lifting, but mod conflicts are still yours).
Shouldn’t buy: players who want a five-minute, zero-config ARK server and never want to touch settings; tiny 2–3 player groups who would pay less with per-slot billing; anyone who needs ARK-specific support rather than platform support.
For most tribes, Game Panel 4 is the sweet spot — enough RAM for a public modded server and room to cluster a second map later. Check Game Panel plans
FAQ
Can you host an ARK server on Hostinger?
Yes. Hostinger’s Game Panel includes one-click templates for both ARK: Survival Ascended and ARK: Survival Evolved — Create Instance, pick the game from the dropdown, and the panel installs the server in 10–15 minutes, per Hostinger’s own support guide (verified Oct 2026).
How much RAM does an ARK server need on Hostinger?
Hostinger recommends Game Panel 4 (16 GB RAM) for ARK. Game Panel 2 (8 GB) is enough for a small private tribe on Evolved, but Ascended servers — especially public and modded ones — should start at 16 GB. Game Panel 1’s 4 GB is not enough for ARK.
Does Hostinger support ARK clustering?
Yes. The Game Panel exposes Cluster settings, so you can run multiple ARK maps (for example The Island and Scorched Earth) as instances on the same VPS and link them into a cluster, letting players travel between maps with their dinos and items.
Can I install mods on my Hostinger ARK server?
Yes. Steam Workshop mods are supported: add the mod IDs in the Game Panel and restart the instance. Because you have full root access, you can also manage mods manually via the server’s config files if a mod needs special handling.
Should I choose Survival Ascended or Survival Evolved on Hostinger?
Choose the template that matches the game your tribe owns — they are separate server builds. Ascended needs noticeably more RAM and CPU (Unreal Engine 5), so budget for Game Panel 4; Evolved runs fine on Game Panel 2 for small groups.
How long does it take to set up an ARK server on Hostinger?
The panel install takes 10–15 minutes after you create the instance. Allow another 15–30 minutes to configure gameplay settings, add mods, set the admin password, and open ports before inviting your tribe.
Related
- Hostinger Game Server Hosting — the full hub: every supported game, plan comparison, and setup overview.
- Hostinger Hytale Server Hosting — the sandbox RPG from the Hypixel Studios team, also with a one-click Game Panel template.
- Hostinger Minecraft Server Hosting — the classic use case for a Game Panel VPS.
- Hostinger Coupon Code — current first-term discounts before you check out.