ARK: Survival Ascended, the highly anticipated Unreal Engine 5 remake of the popular dino-survival game Ark: Survival Evolved, is unexpectedly launching today, October 25th, on PC. However, fans will have to wait a little longer for the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 versions, as developer Wildcard has announced a delay, with both releases now scheduled for sometime in November.
There has been some controversy surrounding Ark: Survival Ascended since its announcement in April. One of the major issues was the news that Wildcard would take Ark: Survival Evolved’s official servers offline when the remake launched, forcing players to upgrade if they wanted to continue playing.
Another point of contention was the initial bundle release of the remake alongside Ark 2, which was later changed to a standalone version. However, Wildcard still priced the standalone version at the same price as the original bundle, despite offering one less game. Recently, the price was reduced by $5 to $44.99 after Wildcard decided not to include a remake of Ark’s Scorched Earth expansion in the launch.
After a slight delay from the original August release date on all platforms, Ark: Survival Ascended is finally launching today as an early access release on Steam, although it is not yet live. The launch comes with the exciting opportunity to witness the remake in action through its official launch trailer, showcasing a combination of gameplay and stunning in-engine cinematics. It’s a visual treat, especially if you’re a fan of vibrant graphics.
In addition to its visual enhancements and improved audio, Ascended offers an overhauled UI, new character customization options, split-screen multiplayer support, unique color sets, new gameplay items and structures, changes to existing items and creatures, and more.
While Ark: Survival Ascended was initially planned to release simultaneously on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, Wildcard has announced a delay for these versions, now expected to arrive in November. The upgraded Scorched Earth desert map is set to launch in December, with remastered versions of Ark’s Ragnarok and Aberration maps coming in Q1 2024.
