Common STEAM ISSUES

Update & Installation Issues
When installing or updating a game, Steam displays an error message:
An error occurred while updating [game title]
This is a common type of error that can occur any time a game is updated or installed on Steam.
The error results when Steam is not able to complete the installation. The specific reason for the error will be shown in the parenthesis at the end of the error message.
The following fixes will resolve most update and installation errors with Steam. They can be performed with a minimal amount of technical knowledge.
Restart Computer
It's always a good first step to make sure that you restart Steam as well as your computer.
Restarting the computer flushes all kinds of system states and caches, while resetting other programs and releasing locks on files and other resources.
Always Allow Steam to close properly.
To ensure that you do not encounter any issues, always allow Steam to close properly when shutting down your computer. Allowing Windows to force Steam to close when it is writing to a hard drive may cause Steam library and installation information to become corrupted. This prevents problems with Steam Cache, Mod Mismatches, and Lost characters in games.
Restarting Steam
Restarting Steam can often help resolve problems with Internet connectivity when trying to load or play games. You can restart Steam by closing and reopening the client, or refresh your Steam files in the event you feel that Steam's files may be modified, corrupted, missing, or mis-configured on your operating system. If none of these solutions work, try contacting Steam.​
Method 1 Restarting Steam
1. Click on “Steam” in the toolbar at the top left corner of your Steam session. 
2. Select “Exit” or “Exit Steam.” Your current session of Steam will close. Alternately, right-click on the Steam icon in the notification tray on your desktop, and select “Exit.” In Windows, the notification tray is located at the bottom right corner of the desktop; in Mac OS X, the notification tray is located at the top right corner of the desktop. 
3. Double-click on the Steam icon on your desktop to relaunch Steam. If the Steam shortcut icon is not located on your desktop, search for Steam in the “Start” menu in Windows, or in the Applications folder on Mac OS X.
Method 2 Refreshing Steam Files in Windows
1. Exit Steam using steps #1 and #2 from Method One. 
2. Press the Windows + R keys at the same time. This will open the Run dialog box. 
3. Type the following command into the Run dialog box, then press Enter: steam://flushconfig. This command will refresh your Steam files. 
4. Restart your computer, then navigate to C:\Program Files\Steam. 
5. Double-click on “Steam” or “Steam.exe” to relaunch the Steam client. This will open Steam directly from the installation folder. Do not open Steam using its shortcut icon located on the desktop. 
6. Resume game-play in Steam as normal. Your Steam files will now be refreshed.
Method 3 Refreshing Steam Files on Mac OS X
1. Exit Steam using steps #1 and #2 from Method One. 
2. Launch Safari and type “steam://flushconfig” into the address bar. 
3. Press “Enter,” then close your Internet browser. 
4. Restart your computer, then relaunch the Steam client. Your Steam files will now be refreshed, and you can resume game-play as normal.
Method 4 Refreshing Steam Files in Linux
1. Launch Terminal and type “steam --reset” at the prompt. 
2. Press “Enter.” The message “Installing bootstrap /home/[username]/.steam/steam/bootstrap.tar.xz” will display on-screen. This message means your Steam files have been successfully refreshed. 
3. Restart your computer, then relaunch the Steam client. Your Steam files will now be refreshed, and you can resume game-play as normal.
Steam Workshop not Downloading Mods
Some Steam users that are trying to download mods from Steam’s Workshop are reportedly having problems subscribing to mods. In most cases, the mod is not getting registered for download or don’t appear inside the download queue. For some users, the issue only occurs with a couple of mods while other reports that the issue is happening to an extent where they can’t download and use any new mods.
What is causing the Steam Workshop to refuse download mods?
There are several different culprits that might be responsible for this issue:
!Workshop folder contains corrupted files – It’s also possible that this issue occurs because some of the mod files that you downloaded have become corrupted. If this is a widespread issue, Steam will eventually refuse to download any new mods. In this case, you can resolve the issue by deleting the corrupted mods and do an integrity scan. 
Instructions HERE.
Download Cache contains broken files – There’s also a fairly common glitch that might occur in situations where there are a lot of pending items inside the Download queue. Whenever this happens, the downloader will refuse to download any new items. In this case, you can fix the problem by clearing the download cache. 
Instructions HERE.
The account is tied to Steam Beta – As it turns out, the frequency of cases where this problem occurs is higher with accounts that are enlisted to Steam Beta. Several affected users have reported that they were able to resolve the issue by opting out of every Beta program. 
Instructions HERE.​
Download Region is too far away – This particular issue can also occur if the download region that is configured inside Steam’s settings is too far away from the actual physical region. If this scenario is applicable, you can resolve the issue by changing the Download Region to the correct country. 
Instructions HERE.
Corrupted Steam Installation – Another scenario that will trigger this particular issue is a widespread corruption issue. In this case, the only viable fix is to uninstall the current Steam installation and re-download the latest client version from the official download page. 
Instructions HERE.
Deleting Corrupted Mods
To resolve this issue you must access the game’s hidden !Workshop folder and delete all broken mods from there. After doing so and forcing steam to scan for file integrity, most users have reported that the issue has been resolved.
1.
Make sure that the steam client is completely closed.
2.
Open-File Explorer and go to the ribbon bar at the top of the screen. Then, click on the View tab and ensure that the box associated with Hidden items is checked.
3.
Once you are able to see hidden items, use File Explorer to navigate to the following location:
"Your Storage Drive"\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\*Game Name*\!Workshop
Note: Keep in mind that *Game Name* is simply a placeholder. Replace it with the name of the game you’re having mod issues with.
4.
Once you get there, double-click on each mod individually and see which one is triggering the “Location is not available” issue. You will get a "Location not available" error popup.
5.
If one or more mods are triggering the “Location is not available” error or a different error message, it’s clear that the issue is caused by corruption. In this case, you can proceed to delete every broken mod until you ensure that you only leave healthy ones.
6.
Next, open Steam and go to the Library tab. Then, right-click on the game that uses the mods and choose Properties. Then, go to the Local Files tab and click on Verify Integrity of Game Files.
Once the process is complete, attempt to download a new mod and see if the procedure completes successfully.
‌Clear your Steam Caches:
Clearing the Steam download cache will cause the Steam client to flush locally cached configuration data and acquire it from the Steam servers again.
‌PART ONE - 1 Clearing your Download CACHE
From your Steam Client, open the Settings panel by selecting “Steam > Settings” from the top left client menu.
In the Settings panel, select the Downloads tab and you’ll find the “Clear Download Cache” button at the bottom.
Then select “OK” to confirm and acknowledge that you’ll need to login to Steam again.
Part TWO - Clearing your MOD CACHE.
Follow the file path below, and delete the whole file of "insert GAME file here",
and make sure you empty your trashcan after it is done.
After you have cleaned the trashcan.
Log back into steam and then your GAME and run a re-verify.
Where to find the cache: "Your storage disc":\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\workshop\content\GAME NUMBER HERE
346110 is ARK 
440900 is CONAN 
529180 is DARK AND LIGHT 
834910 is ATLAS
Repair Library Folder
The Steam library folder contains all of your installed games on disk. These folders need to be writable by all users in order to update properly. Sometimes these user permissions break and need to be refreshed.

Navigate to your Steam -> Settings -> Downloads -> Steam Library Folders -> Right click on folder -> Repair Folder.
Computer Hangs/Lags When Downloading From Steam (Windows Issue)
 In order to fix this issue, all that needs to be done is to reset the bcedit value causing this problem back to false. In order to do so, you need to follow steps as stated below.
1.
Right-click on the Start Menu button to open the WinX Menu.
2.
‌Click on Command Prompt (Admin).
3.
‌Type the following into the elevated Command Prompt and then press Enter:
4.
‌bcdedit /set useplatformclock false
Restart your computer, and try downloading something from Steam once it boots up. You should no longer experience any lagging/hanging or high CPU usage when downloading content from Steam or any other application on your computer.
Also, it is recommended to disable the Antivirus or add an exception for the folder in which the game is being downloaded. For that:
1.
Click on the Antivirus’ icon in the system tray.
2.
Click on the settings option and then select Scan.
3.
Click on “Add an Exception” and add the folder where the game is being downloaded.
4.
Check to see if the issue persists.
Installed games are appearing as Uninstalled.
Games that were previously installed and playable are appearing as not installed in my Steam library.
What can be done to cause Steam to recognize the installed game files again?
Note:The information in this article also applies to cases in which a game's download is being reset.
Getting Steam to recognize existing files.
Games may appear uninstalled when Steam no longer recognizes the installation files. As long as the game folders are still in the proper location, attempting to launch a game will prompt a download. This will allow Steam to recognize the installation files during the download process. You can ensure that the game folders are in the proper location by navigating to your default Steam installation: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\Steamapps\Common Now start a VERIFY. (Instructions Below)
Add previously existing or alternate installation libraries/folders to Steam.
If you had previously installed the games to an alternate location outside of your main Steam folder please try the following:
1.
Launch Steam and go to Steam > Settings > Downloads and click the Steam Library Folders button. This will open a window with all your current Steam Library folders.
2.
Click the "Add Library Folder" button and select the folder with your installed games.
3.
Once you have added the new Library folder your installed games should appear in your Steam Library.
Clean Verify  of Local Files
Sometimes files on hard-disks and other storage devices become corrupted because of bad hardware, software crashes, power surges etc. Steam can verify the correctness over installed game files and fix them if necessary.
1.
Navigate to your Steam page.
2.
Right click the Game Title.
3.
In the box that opens: Click on the tabs on the top (Local Files).
4.
In the last box in the list: Verify integrity of Game Files… : Click this.
5.
When the process finishes, DO NOT restart the Game to re-acquire any lost files.
6.
You will repeat the Step 4. until the count of files found to replace is 0.
7.
Wait for the process to complete. (May be lengthy). And require several times of running a verify.
8.
Start your game back up and after all files are re-acquired and DOWNLOADED(shown in the lower left corner of the games lobby page). 
9.
Try the Game again.
Change Download Region
The Steam content system is divided into geographical regions. The Steam client automatically detects its current region and uses content servers located in that region for best performance. Sometimes, servers in a specific region may be slow, overloaded or have a hardware failure causing download issues. It is advisable to temporarily switch to a different download region to use another set of content servers.
Steam -> Settings -> Downloads -> Download Region. You may need to test several regions other than your own.
Opting Out of Steam Beta
Here’s a quick guide on how to do this:
1.
Open your Steam client, access the ribbon bar at the top of the screen and click on Steam. Then, click on Settings from the context menu.
2.
Inside the Settings menu, select Account from the vertical menu on the left. Then, move over to the right-hand pane and click the Change button under Beta participation.
3.
Next, use the drop-down menu under Beta participation to change the status to None – Opt out of all beta programs.
4.
Restart steam and start res-subscribing to the mods that we’re previously refusing to download and see if the issue has been resolved.
Reinstall Steam
The Steam installer can be downloaded here: (http://store.steampowered.com/about/) and reinstalled to the same location where it is already installed.
This may fix potential issues with Steam client and service files. By Installing into the same location will preserve all installed games.
WARNING! Uninstalling Steam will delete all game content.
Reinstalling games.
If Steam does not recognize your games after completing the instructions that are listed above, it is recommended that you completely reinstall the games in question.
How to do a fresh install.
1. Unsubscribe from all mods.
2. Shut down Steam
3. Remove mod and .mod in question from your Mods folder. (Default Locations below)
4. Clear mod cache (Delete the contents of the folder titled (YOUR GAMES ID Number)
5. Restart Steam
6. Re-subscribe to your mods.
7. Start YOUR GAME and VERIFY your game files.(Instructions above)
8. Wait for mods to finish installing before joining any server or private game. (This is very Important)
Mod file default locations
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\ARK\ShooterGame\Content\Mods
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\workshop\content\
346110 is ARK 
440900 is CONAN 
529180 is DARK AND LIGHT 
834910 is ATLAS
No Sessions Found Errors
When you can not join a server through a game lobby page. This is called Empty Session List.
First of all, you can get the empty session list because of low ping, which can be adjusted in your Steam menu:
1.
Open Steam client
2.
Go to View in the top menu
3.
Select Settings option
4.
Click on In-Game tab
5.
Set Max Ping to 250
If that doesn't help, then you can manually pick a server through a Steam client:
1.
Select YOUR GAME in the Steam Game Library
2.
Go to View top menu
3.
Select Servers option
4.
Click on the internet tab
5.
You will see all GAME servers listed in the Steam window. 
6.
Just choose any one you like by double-clicking it.  
Lastly, if neither of the two methods helped you, then you need to reset your network settings:
1.
Go to Start menu in Windows 10
2.
Type CMD in Search
3.
Right-click Command Prompt
4.
Select Run as Administrator
5.
In the CMD window type: netsh winsock reset
6.
Press Enter
7.
Restart your PC
Increasing Virtual Memory in Windows 10
Increasing your virtual memory if you are running a machine with 4 or 8 gigabytes of ram will help with Downloading and installing mods, as well as the game will run the mods at a higher speed.
Go to the Start Menu and click on Settings.
Type performance.
Choose Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows.
In the new window, go to the Advanced tab and under the Virtual memory section, click on Change.
At the bottom of the new window, check what the Recommended value is and how it compares to Currently allocated.
If the current setting is significantly less than the recommended, uncheck the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives box at the top of the same windows and then click on Custom size.
Enter the Recommended value in the Initial Size box, and a larger figure in the Maximum size box.
Click OK to save the new settings.
I usually set mine to 3 times the recommended. Usually somewhere around 3 gigs of extra virtural ram.  But I use the the memory from one of my slaved storage discs. NOT my SSD.
Increasing Virtual Memory in Linux
When a Linux system is initially set up, a swap partition is created on the hard drive that will be used as virtual memory in Linux, along with other partitions used for data. Unfortunately, partitions on the hard drive cannot be re-sized without the loss of data. However, not all is lost if more swap is needed. If there is remaining space on a file system that can be used as swap, a swap file can be created that is used exclusively as additional virtual memory in Linux.Increase Virtual Memory in Linux
Step #1
Determine the amount of free space available with the "df" command. Decide upon the size of the swap file based upon the amount of free space.
Step #2
Create a swap file of the size decided upon earlier with the command "sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/mnt/swapfile bs=1M count=1024" where 1024 is the size of the swap file in megabytes and the full name of the swapfile is /mnt/swapfile.
Unusual Steam Errors:
Fatal Error Containing "steam_api" or "steamclient" or "steamclient64"
Refresh your Steam client files using steam://flushconfig (Instructions below).
1.
Close the Steam desktop client.
2.
Right-click on the taskbar and open Task Manager.
3.
Open Details and kill all active Steam-related processes.
4.
Press Windows key + R to summon the Run elevated command line.
5.
Copy and paste the following command in the command line and press Enter:
1.
steam://flushconfig
6.
Wait for some time and restart your PC.
7.
Now, navigate to Steam’s installation folder (C:ProgramsSteam).
8.
Run Steam.exe from the installation folder.
This procedure should restart your client’s configuration and resolve any possible errors. In case that issues are persistent, you can move on to the section for Reinstalling Steam
In addition, if this action cleans some games from the library, just follow these steps:
1.
Open Steam.
2.
Click on Steam and open Settings.
3.
Open the Downloads section from the left pane.
4.
Click on the Steam Library Folders button.
5.
Select the default folder where all games are stored and confirm changes.
‌Problems with BattlEye Service:
If you are seeing one of the following problems, it might be due to the BattlEye service:
Game hangs at launch or fails to load
BattlEye failed to initialize
Kicked from the game
Stuttering/freezing when launching
You can troubleshoot those errors using the BattlEye FAQ here: http://www.battleye.com/support/faq/​
Additionally, you can try deleting the BattlEye folder by following the following:
1.
Please close the game all the way out.
2.
Then, go to C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\H1Z1 and delete the BattlEye folder.
3.
Then, verify the integrity of the game cache through Steam.
If none of these fixes work for you, please visit H1Z1 website and the following troubleshooting guide. https://help.daybreakgames.com/hc/en-us/articles/218088717​
Crash Errors: FILE TAG SWAPPED
Sometimes Steam has hiccups and doesn't finish installing a mod which is why you see the name down in the right hand corner and then that specific crash.
When a mod is correctly installed it installs all the folders with content as well as a .mod file.
When the .mod file is not installed it will crash producing that error.
The .mod file tells THE GAME which mod to run and without it, it will crash.
There isn't too much you personally can do to prevent this in the future.
It's very rare but this is your solution.
Once you have done the steps below, you can now start up YOUR GAME again and it should be fine.
1.
Close YOUR GAME
2.
UnSub from the mod and delete the mod folder matching the .mod file
 Default Location: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\ARK\ShooterGame\Content\Mods\
3.
Clear the cache C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\workshop\content\346110 (find the mod folder Example:)
4.
Resub to Mod
5.
Start your game and VERIFY your game files.
6.
Let install completely before trying to run a singleplayer game or server,
(Check your download manager at the bottom of the ARK Steam page to see the status of your verify or download)
7.
Once you have verified that the mod is completely Downloaded and Installed, You may proceed to the lobby page and log into the server.
Help for D3D10 issues.
Game launch options can be used to change game settings before running the game. Launch options allow the user to supersede internal settings of the game. This is an effective means to recover from incompatible video settings and well as troubleshooting a wide range of issues.
Set Launch Options
1.
Right-click on the game title under the Library in Steam and select Properties.
2.
Under the General tab click the Set launch options... button.
3.
Enter the launch options you wish to apply (be sure to separate each code with a space) and click OK.
4.
Close the game's Properties window and launch the game.
The most common launch options are listed below.
1.
-autoconfig - Restores video and performance settings to default for the current hardware detected. Ignores settings inside any .cfg files until this parameter is removed.
2.
-dev - Enables developer mode. Also disables the automatic loading of menu background maps and stops the quit dialog from appearing on exit.
3.
-condebug - Logs all console output into the console.log text file.
4.
-console - Starts the game with the developer console enabled.
5.
-toconsole - Starts the engine directly in the console, unless a map is specified with +map.
6.
-dxlevel <level> - Forces a specific DirectX version when launching the game. This is useful if your graphics hardware is older, and gets significantly better performance in an earlier version of DirectX. Below are the most common modes used: -dxlevel 80
 -dxlevel 81
 -dxlevel 90
 -dxlevel 95
 -dxlevel 98
7.
-fullscreen - Forces the engine to start in fullscreen mode.
8.
-windowed or -sw - Forces the engine to start in windowed mode.
WorkShop Mods Do not Download While using GeForce NOW Launcher:
If you are launching the game directly from the GeForce NOW application (clicking on the game image), then the game will boot up before the mods will have a chance to download.
I think you will find more success by opening those specific games in the 'Manage Steam' mode.
To do this, open the GeForce NOW application and click on your username in the upper right hand corner. From there you will see a drop down menu, and select 'Manage Steam.'
Once you have started a session and have an instance of Steam launched, make sure you install the game you want to play. Once installed, the mods should start downloading.
Do note that you will need to GO to 'Manage Steam' each and every time you want to launch a game with Steam Workshop mods.
DX11 feature level 10.0 is required to run the engine.
This is a common error message that users experience when they’re playing games like ARK: 
You see the error DX11 feature level 10.0 is required to run the engine when your computer doesn’t have the required Direct3D hardware feature level. This means that your game is unable to use Direct3D feature level 10.0.
Another reason why you might see this error is an issue with the graphics card driver, so you should make sure that your graphics card driver is working properly.
Fix 1: Install the latest patch.
Since many technical problems can be resolved by restarting, it never hurts to restart your computer and your game. Often this will be enough to fix the error.
Game developers always keep releasing patches to improve their games and fix any issues, so you should check for updates of your game in Steam or from the official website. Then install the latest patch to keep it up to date. 
Fix 2: Update your graphics card driver.
A missing or outdated graphic card driver can cause the error. So you should update your graphics card driver or reinstall it to fix the DX11 error.
Fix 3: Install the latest DirectX.
As the error message suggested: DX11 is required to run the engine, you should install the latest DirectX in your Windows to support the game, if you don’t know how to check the DirectX version, you can try this:
1) On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time, to start the Run box.
2) Type dxdiag and click OK.
3) You can see the DirectX Version under the System tab.
4) You can check the feature levels by clicking Display.
5) While you’re in the Display tab, make sure DirectDraw Acceleration, Direct3D Acceleration, and AGP Texture Acceleration are enabled.
How do you update DirectX and Feature Level?
DirectX version
Generally speaking, for Windows 10, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, you can directly update your Windows to the latest version to install the latest DirectX on your computer. However, for Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP, you may need to install an update package to install the latest DirectX in your computer. You can go to the Microsoft website for more information about how to install the latest version of DirectX for different versions of Windows.  After installing the latest Windows update or update package, restart your computer and try the game again to see if the error disappears. 
Feature Levels
You should make sure that you see the Feature Level your graphics card driver requires. If the Feature Levels displayed in the DirectX Diagnostic Tool don’t meet the requirement, or they’re blank, there are two possible reasons:
1) Your graphics card doesn’t support the required Feature Level. In that case, you should double check that with the manufacturer, or buy another graphics card that supports Feature Level 10.0; or
2) Your graphics card driver has an issue, or may be missing or outdated. In that case, you should update your graphics card driver as mentioned in Fix 2.
Fix 4: Update Windows
A lot of the time, updating Windows will resolve this issue. You should check for Windows updates on your computer, and install the latest available updates. After updating Windows, restart your computer and launch your game to see if the problem is resolved.
These are the best solutions to fix DX11 feature errors. 
Assertion failed: Cmd.Type==REPCMD_PropertyObject ERROR.
NON Modded Client side fix, temporary:
1. SOMETIMES this is only resolved by back to back multiple reverifying of the integrity of your game files by right clicking the game in the steam library and going to the tab for that. 
2. Verify once, let it redo any files. Then verify again(don't go in game), if more files have to be redone then you to a third verify. Etc. etc. etc. rinse and repeat until you have 0 files to be redone then try again. 
3. Again don't attempt to get in the game before you get 0 files needing to be redone. This can make you have to start all over again.
Modded Client Side Fix.
1. Unsubscribe from all mods, or just the suspected mod if you know which one is causing the issue.
2. Shut down Steam
3. Remove mod and .mod in question from your Mods folder. (Default Locations below)
4. Clear mod cache (Delete the contents of the folder titled (YOUR GAMES ID Number)
5. Restart Steam
6. Re-subscribe to your mods.
7. Start YOUR GAME and VERIFY your game files.(Instructions above)
8. Wait for mods to finish installing before joining any server or private game. (This is very Important)
Mod file default locations
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\ARK\ShooterGame\Content\Mods
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\workshop\content\
346110 is ARK 
440900 is CONAN 
529180 is DARK AND LIGHT 
834910 is ATLAS
Some Simple LAG Fixes.
Network Troubleshooting
Power off both your modem and router for at least 30 seconds
Plug in the router first
Plug in the modem next (some modems must have a valid connection to initialize while booting)
Restart your computer and try your Game again
Right click the Ethernet/Wi-Fi icon on the bottom right of your screen (or click the up arrow if you hid it) and go to troubleshoot problems
Go through the steps in the wizard (no problems will likely be detected, but several networking troubleshooting tasks will be performed)
Try your game once again
Temporarily disable your antivirus and/or third party firewall 
Try your game once more - if successful, add an exception to Steam.exe and ShooterGame.exe
Otherwise, see Advanced Network Troubleshooting below
Advanced Network Troubleshooting
Open an elevated command prompt (Start > Cmd > Right click > Run as administrator)
Enter "netsh winsock reset" without quotes
Restart your computer and try your Game again
Update your network adapter drivers from the manufacturer's website (i.e. Intel, Realtek, Killer)
Restart your computer and try your Gameonce again
Open your router's web interface and port forward 25147 (TCP & UDP) in addition to Steam's ports
(Optional) You can also temporarily DMZ your computer through your router to rule out a port forwarding problem
In order for the port forward to persist, make sure your local IP address is static through the DHCP settings in your router (preferred) or through your adapter settings
Restart your computer and try your Game again
Open Network Adapter Settings in Control Panel (Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center > Change Adapter Settings)
Right click > Properties of your active connection (Ethernet/Wi-Fi)
Click on "Internet Protocol Version 4" and click "Properties"
Click the radio button "Use the following DNS server addresses" and enter an alternative DNS such as Google DNS
Launch Options: 
To set your Launch options to optimize your game play. Follow these instructions:
Right Click on your Game in the Steam Library list, scroll down to the bottom and left click properties.
This will open a second box called Conan Properties. In the middle of that box is a button called "Set Launch Options" click on that. 
In the box that opens cut and paste this line of code:
ARK Launch Options:
-USEALLAVAILABLECORES -sm4 -d3d10 -nomansky -lowmemory -high
Conan Launch Options:
-USEALLAVAILABLECORES -lowmemory -window -high
(Note: the -window, will make your game start in windowed mode. This can slow your fps rate down on some Pc's.) It is not required and you may remove it.
Dark and Light Launch Options:
-USEALLAVAILABLECORES -sm4 -d3d10 -nomansky -lowmemory -high
Atlas Launch Options:
-USEALLAVAILABLECORES -high -lowmemory -window
(Note: the -window, will make your game start in windowed mode. This can slow your fps rate down on some Pc's.) It is not required and you may remove it.
List of all useful launch options with descriptions: 
-USEALLAVAILABLECORES - (the game will use all your CPU cores)
-sm4 and -d3d10 - (runs game with DirectX 10)
-nomansky (removes clouds and some sky effects)
-lowmemory (the game will use only 4gb of your RAM)
-w 640 -h 480 - (runs game in 640x480 resolution)
-full - (fullscreen mode)
 -window - (windowed mode with borders)
-noborder - (windowed mode without borders) 
-low - (runs ARK as a low-priority process) 
-high - (runs ARK as a high-priority process) 
-noaafonts - (removes fonts anitalising) 
-autoconfig - (return default settings)
-novid (turns off some cinematics)
Setting your Graphics card for optimal performance for your computer setup.
Graphics cards are unique in how you set them up for the most optimal use for games. The following two sections are  for NVIDIA, and AMD graphic settings. These are the most popular two graphic options. Though others can be looked up on the internet. These settings are optimal for mid-grade pcs and will help in most cases to increase the Latency (FPS)
Two Videos that help you to get the most out of your Graphics Card.
How to Optimize Nvidia Control Panel: The Ultimate GUIDE 2020​
​How to Optimize AMD Settings For GAMING & Performance The Ultimate GUIDE​
Links to Graphics Settings per Game Platform:
ARK ~ NVIDIA or AMD  these settings will work for all the platforms we provide. 
Game specific OPTIONS settings
We’ll walk you through every option as many of them can impact FPS or boost/lower overall game performance: Please note that these options will not be the most optimal setup for all computers, but about 80% of them will see a huge increase in FPS from changing these settings. (NOTE Not all games have the same options, but use all of the below that you can find. Some games will require you to make changes in your players Ini file. These you can find on line by Googling your game title and Game specific Options.) Open the Options Screen from your GAMES Lobby Screen. After altering all of these settings, remember to save them!
Resolution – change this depending on your device and CPU/GPU, desktop computers should not have any problems running 1920×1080 but on a Laptop it’s recommended to use the 1280×768 resolution.
Window Mode– ALWAYS have this in full screen, Windowed or WindowedFullscreen will decrease your FPS and cause lag and/or frame tearing. Note full window is NOT compatible with alt tabbing.
Resolution Scale – lowering it down will decrease resolution but increase FPS, only lower this as a last resort if you have lag even with other settings optimized.
World Tile Buffers, View Distance, Anti-Aliasing and Post Processing – set these to medium or low depending on your computer.
General Shadows, Terrain Shadows, Ambient Lightning – configuring these to the lowest setting will provide you with a nice increase to FPS and overall performance.
Sky Quality, Ground Clutter Density, Ground Clutter Distance and Mesh Level of Detail – set these between lowest-middle, these will most certainly lower your overall FPS if you have them on max.
High-Quality Anisotropic Filtering – ON This feature creates smoother looking objects from various points of view.
Motion Blur – OFF An unimportant aesthetic.
Film Grain – OFF Another unimportant feature.
Distance Field Ambient Occlusion – OFF Triggers soft shadows for distant objects.
Screen Space Ambient Occlusion (SSAO) – OFF Triggers soft shadows for nearby objects.
Dynamic Tessellation – OFF
Distance Field Shadowing – OFF Another shadows-related feature.
High-Quality Materials – OFF This option improves textures of in-game materials.
Sub Surface Scattering – ON It affects light behavior and makes foliage more realistic.
High-Quality VFX – OFF It affects all in-game water effects.
Simple Distance Character Movement – ON It relieves CPU from animations of distant characters. High-Quality LODs – ON Improves the level of detail.
Extra Level Streaming Distance – OFF This will make map loading faster while moving fast.
Color Grading – ON Slightly improves colors. It won’t affect FPS.
Light Bloom – Personal Choice. Won’t affect performance. Can cause blinding bright spots.
Light Shafts – Personal Choice. It doesn’t affect performance. Can cause bright Shafts of light.
Mesh Level of Detail (LOD) – Again. you can choose to disable/enable it by your own preferences. It affects GPU VRAM marginally.