ARK: Survival Ascended

ARK: Survival Ascended is a technically and gameplay-wise rebuilt version of ARK: Survival Evolved. Studio Wildcard uses Unreal Engine 5 for this and reworks not only lighting and geometry, but also physics, user interfaces, creature navigation, and map and tracking systems.

The core remains survival: you wake up without equipment in a world populated by prehistoric creatures, gather resources, craft tools, build a base and tame dinosaurs. Going solo works just as well as joining tribes on PvE and PvP servers.

The PC version of ARK: Survival Ascended launched on Steam on Oct 25, 2023. The Xbox Series version followed on Nov 21, 2023, and the PS5 version on Nov 30, 2023.

On Steam, the game is still listed as an Early Access title. The console versions receive ongoing content and worlds for Survival Ascended in parallel.

Survival Ascended is available natively for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Cross-platform multiplayer is available between the supported platforms; mods are also integrated directly into the game as a cross-platform system.

According to the Xbox and PlayStation Store, public online sessions support up to 70 players. On consoles, local split-screen for two players is also available.

The gameplay combines exploration, crafting, base building and creature management. Hunger, thirst, temperature and weather shape the early game; later, it is about production chains, breeding lines, stronger equipment and controlling dangerous regions. Depending on the species, tamed creatures serve as mounts, transport, resource helpers or combat companions.

Unreal Engine 5 also shapes the feel of the game: dynamic water, interactive vegetation, and Lumen and Nanite technology change the look of the worlds significantly. Added to this are reworked user interfaces, wild juveniles, a photo mode, new cameras, a new map system and a tracking system. The integrated mod browser also brings player-made maps, creatures, items and game modes to supported consoles.

Survival Ascended is designed as a platform for the rebuilt ARK worlds. Classic expansion worlds are being released gradually in the Ascended version; the PlayStation Store lists, among others, Scorched Earth Ascended, Aberration Ascended, Extinction Ascended, Genesis Ascended Part 1, Ragnarok Ascended, The Center Ascended and Valguero Ascended as map content.

There are also separately sold add-on packs and expansions. They are additions to the base game and not standalone main games.

On PC, Steam requires Windows 10 or 11, DirectX 12 and an SSD with 180 GB of free storage. The store lists 16 GB RAM with a Ryzen 5 2600X or Core i7-6800K as the minimum, plus a Radeon RX 5600 XT or GeForce GTX 1080. Recommended are 32 GB RAM, a Ryzen 5 3600X or Core i5-10600K, and a Radeon RX 6800 or GeForce RTX 3080.

Since Sep 30, 2026, several new or permanently reworked creatures have been part of the current state of ARK: Survival Ascended. Cerberax is part of Fantastic Tames Season 1. This three-headed tame is designed for coordinated play with multiple riders; its three heads have different abilities that can be combined.

Gargantar is an additional tame for owners of ARK: Dragontopia. Its gameplay revolves around its enormous appetite: it can take in various things, temporarily shelter allies and use the contents it has taken in again.

The Therizinosaurus also received a comprehensive TLC pass. Studio Wildcard reworked its reactions, controls, movement and appearance, while the creature's established role in gathering and combat is retained.

Studio Wildcard has announced a permanent rework of the Giganotosaurus for Nov 6, 2026. Instead of the current approach, taming is to become a multi-stage fight: first, survivors must defeat strong alpha enemies to gain the predator's attention. Then they must withstand its attacks, wear it down and survive the subsequent frenzy long enough for the creature to submit.

In combat, the Giganotosaurus is meant to become more resistant as it takes damage. In addition, there is a stomp attack against targets directly beside or beneath it, a backward tail swipe, and an ability that strengthens allied creatures within range. This gives it a new support role in larger fights, in addition to its own damage.

These details describe the announced scope from Wildcard's official creature dossier. The rework had not yet been released as of Oct 10. Whether individual values or processes change before the planned launch remains open.

Studio Wildcard is testing a larger technical upgrade to Unreal Engine 5.8 in October 2026. The public test server (PTR) is already available on Steam, while the full release is scheduled for Oct 28, 2026. This date describes the announced release, not a completed update on all platforms.

The planned changes include Nanite Voxel Culling for more efficient rendering of distant vegetation and Lumen Lite for less demanding dynamic lighting. According to Wildcard, consoles, weaker PCs and lower graphics settings should benefit in particular. On Oct 10, both optimizations were explicitly not yet included in the first PTR build. Therefore, no finally confirmed performance gains are available for the finished version.