Don't want to update Ark? Here's how to STOP a forced update.

[Pervy Sage]

This is for people who want to play unofficial servers but the server hasn't update because the owner/admins haven't gotten around to it yet.

Here is your solution and it's not hard to do. Now I didn't come up with this, but since it's not posted in a sticky and I'd like to at least get the word out on a thread with this in the title so people don't have to go sifting through a lot of threads to find this information like I did.

It is possible to load the game w/o auto updating so that you can ONLY update when the server you play on updates and you get the messages that the client and server versions don't match. That way you won't miss play time because your client auto updated and the server owner/admin hasn't gotten back from their real life obligations.

Turn updates for Ark in Steam to only update when you log into the game. Here is how you do this.

Double click the Steam icon in your task bar to open the Steam window if it isn't up already.

In the main Steam window at the upper left click the game tab, it's the 3rd from the left. In the pull down window click the first option which should read "View Games Library." There will be a list of games you own and Ark: Survival Evolved should be near the top of the list since you've been playing it. Right click Ark and another drop down menu appears. The very last option should read "Properties". Click this and a new window pops up titled "Ark: Survival Evolved - Properties". Now, at the top of this window, there should be 5 tabs from the left, and the second tab should read "Updates". Click this tab and at the top it should read "Automatic updates". Right under these words is a drop down menu, and if you've never opened this before it should read, "Always keep this game up to date". Click the downward arrow on the right in this drop down menu and click the option "Only update this game when I launch it"

These steps stop Steam from auto updating Ark whenever you log onto Steam or an update become available, however; they do not stop Ark from being updated when you launch Ark via Steams browser or by right clicking the Steam icon in your task bar, for that you need the next step.

You need to navigate Ark's folders in Steam and find "shootergame.exe." For example on my computer, which runs Windows 8, it's at "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\ARK\ShooterGame\Binaries\Win64\ShooterGame.exe"

On Windows 8 you can right click the windows icon, on the bottom left by default, and click "File Explorer". The C:\ drive should be in "This PC" Icon. On Windows 7 you right click the Start Button and click "Open Window Explorer". If for some reason it's not in the C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common folder a search drives on your computer for "shootergame.exe". You can search in most windows on the upper right box after clicking "My Computer". If that doesn't work try clicking other large drives on your computer and searching again for shootergame.exe. It's on your computer some place.

Once you find shootergame.exe make a short cut for it by right clicking it and clicking the "Create shortcut" open. Drag this newly created short cut onto your desk top. Every time you want to play ARK have Steam loaded up and double click that shortcut.

This will stop Steam from ever updating your version of Ark so that you can play on the server you wish and not have to deal with updating until the server does.

Tips: If you're like me you forget the new way for several times and do a bonehead thing and use Steam to start your Ark and it tries to force an update all is not lost. If you're fast enough you can stop the update from downloading finishing and play just fine. As long as it doesn't finish the update your version won't change.

Ok so you used Steam to start updating and its downloading. Quickly close this updating Ark window but it won't stop Steam from updating Ark. You need to double click the Steam Icon in your task bar if your Steam window isn't already up. Now when the steam window pops up at the very bottom it will show "Downloading" and then the number of items in the queue. Double click this and then Steam changes to show all the game currently downloading.

At the upper right, under the options to resize, and close steam is a button labeled "= Pause". Click this and then under this should be the Ark symbol on the left with the "In Queue" on the right. Click the little X to stop the Ark download completely and then you can resume any other downloads you had running.

EDIT: Another tip from Doc Hussey to play an older version of Ark: You can add Ark to Steam as a non-Steam game and click this to play here is the way you do it. "Click on Games in the top bar, "Add a Non-Steam game to my Library", click browse, then navigate to the Ark folder is. Double click on shootergame.exe, add it to the library using the prompts, rename as appropriate, and boom."

I hope this helps anyone who's played on unofficial servers like me.

[tyonisius]

Hmm, I have mine set to only update when I start the game, and when I start the game it prompts me to download and I can click no and play on the old version. Not sure if there is another setting I have that makes it work like that instead of just updating without asking.

[Pervy Sage]

Originally posted by tyonisius:

Hmm, I have mine set to only update when I start the game, and when I start the game it prompts me to download and I can click no and play on the old version. Not sure if there is another setting I have that makes it work like that instead of just updating without asking.

Yes but sometimes, about half for me, Steam will still force an update.

[Pervy Sage]

I hope someone finds it useful.

[Doc Hussey]

As an addendum to your list, you can also add the shortcut to Steam itself as a non-Steam game, just call it Ark (v whtever) and then hide the actual Ark game away in the favorites menu or somewhere.

[Pervy Sage]

Originally posted by Jelle2503:

Just do that thing so it does not auto update, and then do offline mode for steam so you can launch an old version of ark.

Not sure what your saying, doesn't offline mode only allow for single player games?

[Pervy Sage]

Originally posted by Doc Hussey:

As an addendum to your list, you can also add the shortcut to Steam itself as a non-Steam game, just call it Ark (v whtever) and then hide the actual Ark game away in the favorites menu or somewhere.

Also not sure what you're saying, as a nonSteam game? Can you give a little more information. I'm kinda slow sometimes.

[Doc Hussey]

Originally posted by Pervy Sage:

Also not sure what you're saying, as a nonSteam game? Can you give a little more information. I'm kinda slow sometimes.

No worries mate! Click on Games in the top bar, "Add a Non-Steam game to my Library", click browse, then navigate to the Ark folder is. Double click on shootergame.exe, add it to the library using the prompts, rename as appropriate, and boom.

[Pervy Sage]

Originally posted by Doc Hussey:

Originally posted by Pervy Sage:

Also not sure what you're saying, as a nonSteam game? Can you give a little more information. I'm kinda slow sometimes.

No worries mate! Click on Games in the top bar, "Add a Non-Steam game to my Library", click browse, then navigate to the Ark folder is. Double click on shootergame.exe, add it to the library using the prompts, rename as appropriate, and boom.

Ah! I didn't even know you could this. Thanks for the info.

One thing though, wouldn't you have to do this for each version every time? What I mean is wouldn't you have to save all the files to a new folder and then add them to Steam as a non-Steam game to play each time?

It's definitely an option to make SURE it doesn't update...ever. But it sounds like a lot work. I do like more options though, and if it works that's great. I'll add that to the tips section.

[Doc Hussey]

Oh, if you wanted mul;tiple versions, yeah, but that's like what, 25gb per directory :P? Not a good plan at all lol.

[Pervy Sage]

Originally posted by Doc Hussey:

Oh, if you wanted mul;tiple versions, yeah, but that's like what, 25gb per directory :P? Not a good plan at all lol.

No not multi versions is what I was originally going for, but that's what it seems like doing it as a non-Steam game does?

[Doc Hussey]

Naw, just links a shortcut to the actual executable in Steam. It'll just prevent you from launching the real entry and accidentally updating.

[Pervy Sage]

Originally posted by Doc Hussey:

Naw, just links a shortcut to the actual executable in Steam. It'll just prevent you from launching the real entry and accidentally updating.

Ah, tyvm for that.

[boballama]

Pervy, Oh thank you, thank you, thank you,,,,,thank you!!!!! I live in the boonies with a very slow internet connection and I thought I had Steam offline before I started ARK and it still forced an update. And the 248 update from 247.9991 is 3.2Gig! It would take all day if not a lot more to update this on my measly, and shared, DSL connection. And thanks to your instructions I have ARK up and running! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!

[Pervy Sage]

My pleasure.

[🦊 Hermit]

I know this is a very old topic, but I just wanted to add my thanks to the OP here as well. I'm not particularly bothered about the upcoming Ark event, I just wanna play my standard Ark games in the next few weeks instead of the Fear Evolved thing, so I don't want my game to update either.

I knew about the trick of launching the game from the folder instead of through Steam, but what I didn't know was whether I would have to have Steam in offline mode during this time, or whether I could still log in to Steam as normal and just use the alternate launch option. This topic has answered that for me, so it's been very helpful in saving me from going to offline mode and not being able to play other Steam games in the meantime. Thanks very much for that.

Handy that this thread was bumped just now^^