Change Wild Spawn Rates in ARK: Evolved

If your ARK: Survival Evolved server feels empty, or crowded, the wild creature spawns are a setting. There are two ways to change them: one number that scales every spawn, and a finer rule that changes how often one creature turns up. Neither is on the Server Settings tab, so both are done in the File Manager.

Checked against the ARK Wiki's Server configuration and Console commands pages, October 2026.

Scale every spawn with DinoCountMultiplier

DinoCountMultiplier is a float with a default of 1.0. The ARK Wiki describes it as the scaling factor for creature spawns: higher values increase the number of creatures spawned throughout the ARK. It goes in GameUserSettings.ini, under [ServerSettings].

[ServerSettings]
DinoCountMultiplier=1.5

Change it in small steps, then see how the map feels before going further. Our free ARK server settings generator lists this key as Wild dino population and builds the line for you.

Favour one creature with DinoSpawnWeightMultipliers

DinoSpawnWeightMultipliers goes in Game.ini under [/script/shootergame.shootergamemode] and globally overrides how likely a creature is to spawn. It takes a DinoNameTag, then optionally SpawnWeightMultiplier, OverrideSpawnLimitPercentage and SpawnLimitPercentage. The wiki's example makes Bronto spawn more often:

DinoSpawnWeightMultipliers=(DinoNameTag=Bronto,SpawnWeightMultiplier=10.0,OverrideSpawnLimitPercentage=True,SpawnLimitPercentage=0.5)

Keep the whole entry on one line with no spaces, as the wiki directs. The wiki also notes that SpawnLimitPercentage is worked out per spawn region (a spawn entry container), not against the creature's population across the whole map.

Edit the files

1. Click Stop in the panel and wait until the server is offline. ARK warns to close the game before changing its ini files, because edits made while it runs are removed.
2. Open the File Manager tab and go to ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/.
3. Double-click the file you need, or select it and click Edit. Game.ini does not exist on a new server: create a plain text file with that name on your computer and click Upload. How to manage your server files covers both.
4. Add the lines under the right header, click Save, then Start the server.

Clear the creatures already on the map

To make the map repopulate under your new numbers, run destroywilddinos in the Console tab once the server is back up. The wiki describes it as destroying all untamed creatures on the map, and the Console tab runs it without the cheat prefix. How to set the admin password and enable cheats covers the console.

Common problems

1. Nothing changed: the server was running when you edited, or the key sits under the wrong header. DinoCountMultiplier is in GameUserSettings.ini; DinoSpawnWeightMultipliers is in Game.ini.
2. A creature does not spawn more: the DinoNameTag has to match the creature's own name tag. The wiki's Creature IDs page lists the Brontosaurus with the name tag Bronto.

See ARK ini settings explained for how the two files differ.