It is not uncommon to want to venture to another server in Ark: Survival Evolved to see what it has to offer. Your survivor can only exist on one server at a time, which means you have to transfer over their data. It can be confusing the first time you try to do this, but it is easier to accomplish than you may think.
Related: Ark: Survival Evolved - A Guide To The Different Servers
However, make sure you keep tabs on which server your survivor is in, so they are not lost to you forever. You should have the best in-game experience possible, and for some, this entails jumping between servers in Ark: Survival Evolved until they find the one that was meant for them!
Updated March 12, 2022 by Jacqueline Zalace: Ark: Survival is packed with content, and with hundreds of servers to choose from, it's hard to stay in one place. We've updated this guide with additional information on how to transfer your character.
Finding An Obelisk Or Beacon
The first step to transferring servers is to find an Obelisk or a Beacon. Obelisks are giant pillar-like structures that float in the sky, while beacons are a bit shorter and don't float.
Both of these structures can be found easily due to a large beam of light extending upwards in the sky.
Uploading Your Survivor
When you arrive at the obelisk or beacon, you will see something like a terminal in the center. Interacting with this terminal will pull up a menu that you can use to upload your character.
Once you pull up the menu, you will see several options. If you want to simply transfer your survivor data, hit the button that says Upload Survivor in the middle of your screen.
Transferring Tames
You can transfer over the creatures you have tamed by clicking on the Creatures tab at the top of the screen. The tab will then show your current and uploaded creatures.
Click on one of the tames in the Current Tamed Creatures section and then click the dinosaur footprint in the upper right-hand corner to upload its data.
Make sure to clear your Tamed creature's inventory before uploading as they will lose it all once they are moved to the other server.
There is a hidden 12-hour cooldown after you download a creature. This means that once you upload and download a Tame to a new server, you need to wait 12 hours until you can transfer them again.
Tamed creatures will automatically follow you to the new server, so you do not have to download them later.
Transferring Items
To transfer items between servers, click on the Ark Data tab on the far left. Here, you can upload up to 50 items that can be taken with you to another server.
You will not all items can be transferred over such as boss heads, certain tributes, and elements.
Joining A New Server
The final step is to join a new server! Head back to the main menu and choose a new server. In the image above, you can see the server creation screen, with the option to download an existing character.
Keep in mind that you will not be able to transfer characters between different types of servers. For example, you will not be able to transfer between official and unofficial servers. Additionally, you cannot transfer characters between servers with different modes, such as hardcore and PvP.
Select your uploaded character and then download them to your server of choice!
