ARK: Survival Ascended
by Studio Wildcard
About
Respawn into a new dinosaur survival experience beyond your wildest dreams… as ARK is reimagined from the ground-up into the next-generation of videogame technology with Unreal Engine 5! You awake on a mysterious island, your senses overwhelmed by the blinding sunlight and brilliant colors bouncing off every surface around you, the azure waters of a verdant Island lapping at your bare feet. A deep roar echoes from the misty jungle, jolting you into action, and you stand up – not afraid, but intrigued. Are you ready to form a tribe, tame and breed hundreds of species of dinosaurs and other primeval creatures, explore, craft, build, and fight your way to the top of the food-chain? Your new world awaits… step through the looking-glass and join it! FEATURES ARK: Survival Ascended has completely recreated and redesigned the artwork and worlds of ARK to take advantage of the latest in videogame technology, Unreal Engine 5, using high-end graphics features such as fully dynamic Global Illumination (“Lumen”), so that light bounces realistically off of surfaces and provides realistic reflections, and advanced mesh streaming (“Nanite”) of hundreds of millions of triangles for extreme detail. Advanced new physics systems such as dynamic water so that every creature creates waves, ripples, splashes, and bubbles as they move through fluids, and fully interactive physical foliage where every blade of grass, bush, and tree reacts to characters, explosions, projectiles, and physics objects. Knock down a tree, and see it crash into other trees and disturb all the foliage on its way down to smacking into the grass below! Detect an enemy moving sneakily through the grass as it shifts and sways in response to their presence. Demolish a building and watch the pieces break apart realistically, interacting with the grass and water as they fall. ARK: Survival Ascended includes access to all of ARK’s worlds, including Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, ARK Genesis Part 1, ARK Genesis Part 2, and more. The Island, Scorched Earth, Aberration and The Center are released now, Extinction will be released on December 16, with the subsequent expansion worlds to be added at no additional cost on a regular basis. The definitive survival experience returns better than ever: design your Survivor, form a tribe, and tame, train, breed & ride dinosaurs within a living ecosystem. Watch your food, water, temperature, and weather patterns. Slowly expand outwards as you harvest, build structures, farm crops, customize your visual designs, and proceed to explore to uncover the true nature of The Island and the worlds beyond. Thorough Quality of Life revamps in every area: redesigned User Interfaces, dynamic navigation for intelligent creature pathfinding, Wild Babies, Photo Mode, new Camera systems, new Map system, Tracking System, new Structures and Items, new Creatures, and much more. Cross-Platform Modding: Download & play new custom content created by players, including new maps, creatures, items, and game modes, through a dedicated mod collection directly within the game! Enjoy an endless stream of new ARK content as the creativity and talent of the community is fully unleashed for the first time ever across gaming platforms! Cross-Platform Multiplayer: form your online tribe across different gaming platforms as you work together to survive and thrive on the ARK! Supports public online multiplayer for up to 70 players, private-session multiplayer for up to 8 players, and local split-screen for 2 players.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q.What is ARK: Survival Ascended?
A.ARK: Survival Ascended is a ground-up Unreal Engine 5 remake of ARK: Survival Evolved, rebuilt by Studio Wildcard (with partners) and released into Early Access on October 25, 2023, featuring next‑gen graphics, updated physics, official mod support, and cross‑platform play.
Q.What DLC is available for ARK: Survival Ascended?
A.ARK: Survival Ascended features a mix of paid official maps, story/adventure packs, and some free Ascended maps. The current DLC lineup includes Lost Colony Expansion Pass, Astraeos, Bob's Tall Tales, Fantastic Tames (Pyromane and Dreadmare), and several free Ascended maps such as Aberration Ascended, Scorched Earth Ascended, The Center Ascended, Ragnarok Ascended, and Valguero, plus cosmetic/content packs like the ARK Animated Series 109-Costumes Pack.
Q.What are some useful console commands for ARK: Survival Ascended?
A.ARK: Survival Ascended offers a robust set of admin/console commands. Key ones include settimeofday, setcheatplayer, Gmbuff, Infinitestats, Dotame/Forcetame, Forcetameaoe, Giveengrams, Giveresources, Giveitem/Giveitemnum, Gmsummon/Summon/Summontamed, GFI, and teleport options. You’ll need console access and appropriate admin rights to use them on private servers. [Dot Esports guide](https://dotesports.com/general/news/all-ark-survival-ascended-admin-commands) and [GameSkinny ASA commands list](https://www.gameskinny.com/tips/ark-survival-ascended-console-commands-list/) are solid references for exact syntax and platform steps.
Q.Can you use mods in ARK: Survival Ascended?
A.Yes—ARK: Survival Ascended supports mods across platforms. PC mods can be used on consoles via cross‑platform modding, and you manage them through an in‑game mod browser linked to CurseForge. However, some mods may be platform‑restricted or require premium purchases.
Q.How do servers work in ARK: Survival Ascended?
A.ARK: Survival Ascended supports official, dedicated, and non-dedicated servers. Official servers are managed by Studio Wildcard (with partners like Nitrado) and currently have no mods; dedicated servers offer full control (mods and admin access) and can be self-hosted or rented; non-dedicated sessions are player-hosted and less persistent.
Q.Does ARK: Survival Ascended support crossplay?
A.ARK: Survival Ascended does support crossplay, but with platform- and server-type caveats. Crossplay works between PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on official crossplay-enabled servers, with PC-to-console crossplay on official PvP servers temporarily restricted in the past and still selective today. For full cross-platform play, use dedicated/unofficial crossplay-enabled servers; cross-progression and cross-mod support are also part of ASA.
Q.Is ARK: Survival Ascended available on Xbox?
A.Yes—ARK: Survival Ascended is available on Xbox Series X|S via the Xbox Store, with Xbox Play Anywhere and cloud gaming options.
Q.What is the Astraeos in ARK: Survival Ascended?
A.Astraeos is ARK: Survival Ascended’s official Greek Odyssey–themed DLC map, released in February 2025 as an Official Partner DLC built from Nekatus’s community mod. It adds a large new world, a fresh creature variant, and numerous bosses and dungeons to the base game.
Q.What's the future roadmap for ARK: Survival Ascended?
A.ARK: Survival Ascended’s near- to mid-term roadmap spans 2025–2026, including a UE5.5 upgrade, new premium and free maps, and major story expansions through Genesis Ascended, with Fjordur Ascended arriving in 2026.
Q.Is there a list of all the dinosaurs in ARK: Survival Ascended?
A.Yes. There are map-specific dino rosters for ARK: Survival Ascended, hosted on the official Ark Wiki, plus consolidated lists from major gaming outlets.
Q.How much does ARK: Survival Ascended cost?
A.ARK: Survival Ascended currently costs $44.99 USD on major storefronts (PC and Xbox).
Q.When is Valguero coming to ARK: Survival Ascended?
A.Valguero Ascended released in October 2025, with platform-specific dates: PC/Steam on Oct 7, 2025; PS5 and Xbox on Oct 8, 2025; Epic Games Store on Oct 22, 2025.
Q.Has ARK: Survival Ascended received an update today?
A.No. As of December 5, 2025, ARK: Survival Ascended has not released an update today; the latest publicly documented patches were 75.18 (Nov 19) and 75.26 (Nov 26–27, 2025).
Q.Where can I buy an ARK: Survival Ascended key?
A.ARK: Survival Ascended can be purchased directly from Steam or the Epic Games Store; there isn’t an official standalone activation key program from the publisher.
Q.Where can I find a resource map for The Island in ARK: Survival Ascended?
A.Use the ARK wiki’s Resource Map for The Island and, for a quick visual reference, Destructoid’s guide. You can also check Ark-Unity’s ASA map guides for interactive details.
Screenshots
Game Information
- Genre
- Action
- Release Date
- Oct 25, 2023
- Publisher
- Studio Wildcard
- Last Updated
- December 5, 2025
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