ARK slowly uses more memory the longer it runs, so setting up an automatic restart every 6 to 12 hours on the Schedules tab keeps your server fast and stable, and saving the world first means nobody loses progress.
Why restart on a schedule
ARK gradually uses more memory the longer it stays up, which shows as lag, rubber-banding and eventually crashes. A clean restart clears that memory and gets performance back to normal. It also lets mod and game updates apply cleanly.
Always save before you restart
Run saveworld before the server goes down so no recent progress is lost. ARK autosaves on a timer, but forcing a save right before a restart is the safest habit. It is also polite to warn players first with a broadcast message.
Set it up on the Schedules tab
- Open the Schedules tab and create a new schedule, for example "Nightly restart".
- Set the timing. Schedules use a cron format with fields for minute, hour, day of month, month and day of week, so 0 5 runs at 5:00 every day.
- Add a task that sends the command broadcast Server restarting in 5 minutes so players get a heads-up.
- Add a task that sends the command saveworld.
- Add a final task with the power action set to Restart.
If you want a proper countdown, create a second schedule a few minutes earlier that only sends the warning broadcast.
How often should you restart
- Small or vanilla server: every 12 hours, or once a day.
- Busy or modded server: every 6 hours.
- ASA especially benefits from frequent restarts because it uses so much more memory than ASE.
Pick quieter hours where you can, so a restart interrupts as few players as possible.
What a restart will not fix
A restart clears memory, but it will not fix a server that is simply short on RAM to begin with. If your ARK server starts struggling within an hour or two of every restart, that is a sign it needs more memory rather than more restarts. You can upgrade any time from guavahost.com/account, and billing is prorated. Restarts and enough RAM together are what keep ARK stable.
Pair it with scheduled backups
While you are on the Schedules tab, add a second schedule for a daily Backups snapshot. Backups can run while the server is live, so you always have a recent restore point if a wild creature reset or a bad mod update goes wrong.
Still stuck? Jump into our Discord at discord.gg/GuavaHost and the team will help you out.