Forced Garbage Collection
If you run a dedicated server for ARK: Survival Ascended, you already know the pain of the Lost Colony update. Suddenly, your server starts stuttering, memory usage climbs without mercy, and your players are left staring at rubber-banding dinosaurs. The culprit isn't your hardware or your network—it's the game's inability to clean up its own memory efficiently after that major patch. That is exactly where Forced Garbage Collection steps in, offering a simple, effective stopgap to keep your community playing without constant restarts.
Why Your Dedicated Server Needs This Mod
The Lost Colony update introduced a memory leak on dedicated servers that can cripple performance within hours of uptime. While the developers work on a permanent fix, you need a solution that works right now. This mod forces the Unreal Engine's garbage collector to run on a scheduled basis, preventing memory bloat before it becomes a problem. It is a lightweight utility that runs quietly in the background, and you can safely remove it once the official patch arrives.
How It Works Under the Hood
By default, Forced Garbage Collection for ARK: Survival Ascended triggers a cleanup event every five minutes (300 seconds). This interval is aggressive enough to keep memory usage stable on most maps, yet frequent enough to avoid any noticeable performance hit. The mod injects a simple timer into the server loop, calling the engine's garbage collection routine directly. The result is a server that maintains consistent frame rates and avoids the dreaded "server not responding" messages.
Configuration: Setting Your Own Interval
Not every server is the same. A heavily modded cluster might need more frequent cleanups, while a vanilla server with few players could run fine with longer intervals. The mod gives you full control through a single configuration file. To change the interval, navigate to your server's GUS.ini file and add the following lines:
[ForcedGarbageCollection]
CollectionInterval=300The value is measured in seconds. For example, setting it to 600 would trigger a cleanup every ten minutes. We recommend starting with the default of 300 and monitoring your server's memory usage over a few hours. If you see it climbing steadily, lower the interval to 180. If everything stays stable, you can increase it to 600 to reduce the slight overhead of frequent collection events.
Compatibility and Installation Steps
This mod is designed for the current generation of ARK: Survival Ascended dedicated servers, specifically those running the Lost Colony update and subsequent patches. It is compatible with both Windows and Linux server builds. For installation, you will need to place the mod files into your server's Mods folder and add the mod ID to your GameUserSettings.ini under the [ServerSettings] section. The process is straightforward, but if you are looking for a faster route, the foxygame.net launcher offers a one-click install for Forced Garbage Collection, automatically handling version compatibility so you do not have to worry about mismatched builds.
Once installed, the mod works without any further input. There is no user interface to manage, no commands to type in chat, and no client-side installation required. Your players will not even know it is there—they will just notice that the server stays responsive during long play sessions. The mod logs its actions to the server console, so you can verify that the collection events are firing at your configured interval.
When to Remove It
The developer of this mod is clear: it is a temporary solution. Once Wildcard ships a proper fix for the dedicated server memory leak, you can remove the mod without any adverse effects. Your saved data and world files remain untouched. To uninstall, simply remove the mod ID from your server configuration and delete the mod folder. If you are using a launcher with auto-update features, check the changelog for official patch notes before deciding to keep or remove the utility.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
- Server crashes after install: Verify that you are running the latest server version and that the mod file is not corrupted. Re-download and try again.
- Interval not taking effect: Ensure that
GUS.iniis saved with the correct encoding (UTF-8 without BOM) and that you restarted the server after editing. - Performance still poor: Check if other mods are causing conflicts. Some total conversion mods manage their own memory pools, which can interfere with forced collection.
For players running a cluster of multiple maps, apply the mod to each server instance individually. The interval setting is per-server, so you can tune each map differently based on its specific memory demands. The foxygame.net launcher also maintains an updated catalog of server-side utilities, and you can find Forced Garbage Collection listed there with notes on which ARK: Survival Ascended versions it currently supports.
Final Thoughts
Running a dedicated server is a labor of love, and dealing with memory leaks is one of the most frustrating parts of the job. Forced Garbage Collection gives you a reliable, configurable way to keep your server healthy until the developers deliver a permanent solution. It is a small download, a simple install, and it buys you hours of uninterrupted gameplay for your community. Download Forced Garbage Collection today, adjust the interval to match your server's needs, and get back to focusing on what matters—running a great ARK experience for your players.