Ark: Survival Ascended is an action-adventure survival video game created by Studio Wildcard. It is a remaster of the 2017 game Ark: Survival Evolved. The game was released in early access for Windows on October 25, 2023, for Xbox Series X/S on November 21, 2023, and for PlayStation 5 on November 30, 2023.

Development and release

ARK: Survival Ascended was announced in March 2023. It was first planned to release in August 2023 but was delayed until October 2023. At the same time, the official servers for Survival Evolved were scheduled to shut down, but this date was moved to September 30, 2023, when the release of Survival Ascended was also delayed. The remaster was not offered as a free upgrade, as previously stated by the studio co-founder. Survival Ascended became available in early access for Windows on October 25, 2023, for Xbox Series X/S on November 21, 2023, and for PlayStation 5 on November 30, 2023. The remaster includes improved graphics created using Unreal Engine 5. It includes all previously released downloadable content (DLC), as well as new DLC, seasonal events, and improvements that make the game easier to play.

Reception

The early access version of Ark: Survival Ascended faced complaints from players due to technical problems, such as lower frame rates and game crashes. It received mixed reviews from users on Steam. Because of serious issues in the multiplayer mode, Studio Wildcard delayed the console versions until November 2023.

Ark: Survival Ascended sold more than 600,000 copies in the first two weeks and reached 1.6 million copies within five months. As of March 16, 2025, it had sold 3.4 million copies.