Install mods on ARK: CurseForge (Ascended) vs Workshop (Evolved)

ARK: Survival Ascended loads mods from CurseForge using their numeric mod IDs, while ARK: Survival Evolved uses Steam Workshop IDs, and on GuavaHost you add either kind on your server's Mods page.

3 min read · Updated Sep 24, 2026 · By GuavaHost Team

Where to add mods

Open your server at customer.guavahost.com (My servers, then Manage) and choose Mods under Game tools in the server menu. The page lists the mods your server loads and lets you add more by pasting an ID (or, for Evolved, a Workshop link). Where a Browse list is shown under it, you can also search the catalogue there and click Add. When the list looks right, click Save mods and restart the server.

Behind the scenes the Mods page edits the mod list in your server's Startup settings, so you can also see it on the Settings tab.

ARK: Survival Ascended uses CurseForge

ASA moved all modding to CurseForge, so Steam Workshop IDs do not apply here.

1. Find the mod on curseforge.com and copy its numeric Project ID, shown as Project ID on the right-hand side of the mod's page. A CurseForge link will not work here, because it does not contain that number.
2. On the Mods page, paste it into Add by CurseForge Project ID and click Add.
3. Click Save mods.
4. Restart the server. It downloads the mods automatically on boot, so watch the Console tab as they install.

Players do not install anything by hand. ASA downloads the required mods for them when they join.

ARK: Survival Evolved uses Steam Workshop

ASE mods come from the Steam Workshop.

1. Open the mod's Workshop page and copy the ID from the end of the URL, the number after ?id=. Pasting the whole Workshop link works too.
2. On the Mods page, paste it into Add by Workshop ID and click Add.
3. Click Save mods, then restart. The server downloads the mods through SteamCMD. Larger mods take a while, so watch the Console tab.

Players will download the same mods automatically when they join a modded ASE server, as long as they own the game on Steam.

Load order matters

The server loads mods in the order you list them. Put large overhaul or core mods first, then smaller tweaks after, so nothing gets overridden the wrong way. On Evolved, use the up and down arrows next to each mod on the Mods page to change the order, then click Save mods.

Mod maps are a bit different

A custom map is not just a mod in the list. Set it as your map in Startup settings on the Settings tab (the map name, or ServerMap value, then Save) and still include the map's mod ID on the Mods page so the files download. The server then loads that world instead of the default.

Troubleshooting

• Stuck on download: give it time on first boot, since mods can be large. Keep watching the Console tab.
• Version mismatch after a game update: update your mods and restart.
• Removing a mod: click the cross next to it on the Mods page and Save mods, but pulling out a core or map mod can break an existing save, so take a backup on the Backups page first.
• Cannot join a modded server: make sure your client finished downloading the same mods.

Still stuck? Jump into our Discord at discord.gg/GuavaHost and the team will help you out.

• ark
• mods
• curseforge
• steam workshop
• ascended
• evolved

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