Where Are ARK Survival Ascended Save Files Located?
Where ARK Survival Ascended keeps single player worlds, tribe files and profiles, and which three file types to back up.
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Single player worlds in ARK Survival Ascended live under ShooterGame\Saved\SavedArksLocal inside the Steam install, one subfolder per map. The folder holds the map file, tribe data and your local profile side by side, which is why restoring only one of them produces a world with missing characters or ownerless buildings.
Server config sits nearby in Saved\Config, separate from saves. Game Pass installs use a sandboxed package folder instead of the Steam tree, so check the notes below before assuming the Steam path on a Microsoft Store copy.
Where ARK Survival Ascended stores this, by platform
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\ARK Survival Ascended\ShooterGame\Saved\SavedArksLocal
Replace the Steam root with your own library path (Steam > Settings > Storage shows it). Game Pass copies keep saves under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\StudioWildcard folder, LocalState\Saved instead. Each map gets its own subfolder inside SavedArksLocal.
~/.steam/steam/steamapps/compatdata/2399830/pfx/drive_c/Program Files (x86)/Steam/steamapps/common/ARK Survival Ascended/ShooterGame/Saved
Proton path for app ID 2399830. The Steam root differs across distros and Flatpak installs, so search under compatdata/2399830 for ShooterGame if the path above misses.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between .ark, .arktribe and .arkprofile files?
Three kinds. The .ark file holds the map and everything built on it, .arktribe files hold tribe ownership of structures and tames, and .arkprofile files hold your character (level, engrams, inventory). Back up all three together or restores come back wrong.
My single player world crashes on load. Can I roll back?
Yes. Each single player save keeps timestamped copies plus an AntiCorruptionBackup file. Rename a dated copy to the plain map name (for example TheIsland_WP.ark) after moving the broken files aside, and load that instead.
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