Looking for the latest details on Ark Survival Ascended? You're not the only one! Studio Wildcard had been strangely vague when sharing details about their upcoming title until very recently. In this guide, we'll share everything we know about the Ark Survival Ascended release date.
Development of the game came at a slightly confusing time. Many fans were eagerly awaiting Ark 2, which had an announcement trailer starring Vin Diesel in 2021. Note that Ark Survival Ascended is not the same as Ark 2; it's actually a remake of Ark Survival Evolved using Unreal Engine 5. It's being developed by Studio Wildcard and Grove Street Games, who have been steadily providing details that we've gathered in one place for you now.
For more on the latest upcoming titles, check out everything we know about Fable 4. We've also got some speculation about Final Fantasy 16's DLC.
When is the Ark Survival Ascended release date?
Ark Survival Ascended will become available via Steam early access on 25 October. The console versions will get a release date at some point during November.
What platforms is Ark Survival Ascended on?
Ark Survival Ascended is coming to PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Last gen players will likely be disappointed with the news that the first game's servers will be closed upon the new game's launch, but we can only hope the upgrade makes the game more stable on consoles.
Cross progression won't be available at launch, and despite promises of 'full cross-platform multiplayer', Steam won't have access to this feature until the game is in a 'more stable state' post-launch. Most excitingly, Studio Wildcard promised 'cross-platform modding,' as detailed below, and they've delivered, confirming this feature will be available during the launch of the console versions.
We’re working with Overwolf to provide an industry-first cross-platform modding experience, where mods created on PC are delivered directly to your consoles from a custom modding backend and in-game user mod browser.
Is Ark Survival Ascended coming to Game Pass?
The perennial question every time there's a new game about to come out. Sadly, the answer seems to be a no, Ark Survival Ascended won't be coming to Game Pass either on PC or Xbox Series X/S. It is unconfirmed, however, and Microsoft could announced Ark Survival Ascended as part of the service in the coming weeks.
Even if that doesn't happen, there might be a point where the title is added to the service, but it won't be at launch. It's worth noting that Ark Survival Evolved and all of its expansions have been part of the service and it was announced that Ark 2 would be launching day 1.
Everything we know about Ark Survival Ascended
It's easy to be sceptical of yet another remake, but a community post by the developers was refreshingly upfront about why the remake is being made while Ark 2 is on the way.
Developing a next-generation sequel while no longer releasing paid expansion packs has proven difficult for our studio’s long-term survival, so we need to continue generating revenue while we develop Ark 2. (...) We want to provide the community with an evergreen classic-Ark experience, one that can continue to grow over time on a cleaned-up code base, leveraging new technological advancements.
What's new in Ark Survival Ascended?
The games industry is no stranger to remakes and remasters, but there looks to be a great deal of new content for even the most dedicated players to discover. You won't need to re-purchase all the old DLC, either. Ark Survival Ascended comes with all original DLC and maps in remastered form, and there will be brand new content coming with story content and a roadmap promised.
- 11 brand-new creatures
- New mini-map system (pan, zoom, pings, etc.)
- New structures (display cases, smaller TEK teleporters, building pieces)
- Major building-system overhaul
- New gameplay items
- Dynamic navigation mesh and creature pathfinding overhaul
- Total user interface revamp
- Photo mode
- New camera systems for players and dinosaurs, with the option to revert to the old systems.
- New player character assets with revamped and improved customization
- Gamepad virtual-cursor UI input system
- New dino-manager system (view the real-time status and track-locations of all your creatures at will through one unified menu)
- Disabled movement speed levelling for players and creatures
- Small dinosaur quality of life changes
- Breeding changes
How much is Ark Survival Ascended?
The ambitious-sounding remake is not making itself available for pre-order or pre-load, but did provide some pricing details. Note that these prices are subject to change.
- Xbox Series X|S users are forced to buy the Ark Respawned Bundle
- This includes Ark 2 and Ark Survival Ascended
- It will cost $49.99
- PlayStation 5 users can buy the game standalone.
- It will cost $39.99
That's all we know for now. The developers have promised to be responsive to any and all questions on their Discord server, but if any new information becomes available in the coming months we'll update you ASAP.