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ARK packet loss: What is it and how to fix it?

4 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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Key notes

ARK: Survival Evolved, or shortly just ARK, is an awesome action-adventure game released in 2017. You find yourself stranded on a mysterious island and need to do everything you can to survive.

However, don’t expect ARK to treat you like a basic wood camper. No, building a fire is the last thing you’ll need to worry about in thisgame. In fact, you’ll have to tame or kill primeval creatures on the island.

In yoursurvival-basedjourney, you might even find other players. It’s your choice whether you help each other survive, or engage in some goodplayer-vs-playeraction.

Now if you choose to play ARK all by yourself, you might not even need this article. However, it’s the multiplayer that bugs us all every now and then with the same old issues.

High latency/ping,jitter, random disconnection, and even the infamous packet loss are among these issues.

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What is packet loss in ARK?

Generally speaking,packet losshas the same behavior regardless of where you encounter it, even in ARK. It occurs whenever packets of data that you send or receive never reach their destination point.

That shouldn’t be such a problem, considering that we transmit tens of millions of packets daily. Some of them might not make it to their destination, but they are usually quickly replaced by others.

However, in online games such as ARK, it can get problematic if such an episode lasts for several seconds, or minutes. Usually, packet loss triggers other issues such as unbearable latency, rubberbanding, and even disconnection.

More often than not,network congestionis the one causing packet loss. Thus, leaking packets usually fixes itself if you just give it time. Additionally, you might want to avoid peak hours, if you’re aware of them.

How to fix packet loss in ARK?

How to fix packet loss in ARK?

1. Try using a VPN

Private Internet Access is a great all-roundVPNfrom Kape Technologies. ThisVPNcan improve your packet loss, but only if the issue occurs on your ISP’s side.

For instance, if your network is improperly routed, or if your ISP throttles yourbandwidth, PIA might improve things.

Private Internet Access

However, the reasons for using aVPNshouldn’t be reduced to improving ping or packet loss.VPNsare outstanding tools that can help you enhance your privacy, secure your connection, and evencircumvent geoblocking.

Thus, even though it might not improve packet loss 100% of the time, it’s still wise to invest in a VPN.

2. Troubleshoot your connection

Truth be told, there’s no immediate magic fix for packet loss. As we’ve mentioned above, most of the time it’s caused by network congestion and fixes itself.

However, if you notice a pattern in its occurrence, stepping in might be the smart thing to do.

ARK packet loss can be solved most of the times

To sum it up, if you’re having problems with packet loss in ARK, the best thing would be to wait it off. More often than not, it’s caused by network congestion, which, given enough time, passes as swiftly as it came by.

The next best thing would be trying to fix it by yourself, and sometimes using aVPNis the simplest way to tackle this issue. If theVPNdidn’t work as expected, try troubleshooting your connection, isolating the issue, and fixing it one step at a time.

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More about the topics:ARK: Survival Evolved,Fix network issues,gaming,packet loss,VPN

Vlad Constantinescu

Vlad might have a degree in Animal Husbandry and Livestock Management, but he’s currently rocking anything software related, ranging from testing programs to writing in-depth reviews about them.

He spent 3-4 years as a software editor at Softpedia and another year as a VPN specialist before he landed his current job as an author at Windows Report.

In his free time, Vlad enjoys playing guitar, doing jigsaw puzzles, researching cybersecurity, and even having a good read on rainy days.

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