can i host a dedicated server for my friends and play on the server on the same pc?

[Maghoul]

if yes how do i do it, do i need to port forward, if port forwarding is basically a requirement is there any way around that, and what are the recommended pc specs to do both at the same time?

[Liralen]

When we first started playing Ark (2017), we created an Ark dedicated server cluster that also ran the client. That was an i7-6700k, 32 GB RAM. At first, we could run the client and 5 maps at a time, but that soon dropped down to 3 maps at a time.

RAM is generally the limiting factor on how many maps you can simultaneously, and back then, we were only using the Structures Plus and Castles, Keeps, and Forts mod.

If there is a way to avoid port forwarding, I don't know how. Other than pay someone else to host the servers.

We used Ark Server Manager, which basically gives you a graphical interface to set up your servers parameters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=0MqYGXmbrrA

[🦊 Hermit]

My machine is ten years old now:

Intel I7 4790k
Nvidia GeForce GTX 970
16GB RAM

I've hosted servers for friends and played on the same machine. I had to reduce the graphics just a little, and I only had a few friends with me at a time (perhaps the max number online was 5 or 6 besides myself), but it worked.

As Lira says, biggest factor is RAM. On most maps, the server's RAM usage will peak at 10GB on server startup, then fall to 5-7GB for normal operation, although this could creep up if you are using mods, have a lot of players connected, or have built a lot of structures all over the map. There are some maps which are bigger than others though, such as Genesis 2 or Lost Island - servers with those maps peak at 13GB on startup and run standard at around 9-11, so they are a bit more demanding.

If you want to set up a cluster of multiple maps, or have more than 6 or 7 players connected at once, those required resources will greatly increase. In cases like that I would strongly recommend not hosting on the same machine that you're playing on - set up on a separate machine instead, or rent from a hosting company.

For actually setting up the server, this is the guide which I used when I was first learning how to make it work. It enabled me to get things running, so hopefully it can do the same for you too:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=656433788

Port forwarding is gonna be required I'm afraid yes. I don't know of any router which would be able to do it without that.