In the game survivors wake up stranded, naked, freezing, and starving on a mysterious island where they must hunt, harvest, craft items, grow crops, and build shelters to survive in every biome. Survivors will tame, train, and ride more than 100 stunning dinosaurs and other prehistoric beasts, including gargantuan creatures on a scale never before seen in video games! In every available biome -- Jungle, Snow, Swamp, Redwood, and Desert -- you’ll be able to fly an armed Pteranodon squadron over the snow-capped mountains, race through a thick jungle with your pack of trained Raptors, tromp through a fortified enemy base with a convoy of gigantic Brontosaurus, or chase down prey on the back of a raging T-Rex.

Use cunning strategy and tactics to tame and ride the many dinosaurs and other primeval creatures roaming the dynamic, persistent ecosystems across land, sea, air, and even underground. Build your character’s strengths and gain items, skills, and pet creatures using in-depth role-playing systems. Start a tribe with hundreds of other players to survive and dominate competing tribes...and ultimately discover the ARK’s true purpose.

The base game will include The Island, a revamped Survival of the Fittest, and all the “Non-Canon” DLC maps (which will be added over time).

At ARK: Survival Ascended’s launch, players will have access to The Island, Scorched Earth, and the new revamped game mode, Survival of the Fittest.

Developer and publisher Snail is excited to share updates and expansions for ARK Survival Ascended. These developments will provide an enhanced gaming experience for ARK enthusiasts and demonstrate progress towards creating sustained value for the ARK franchise.

In the realm of creativity and player engagement, ARK: Survival Ascended’s Mod Program has thrived with over 1200 active mod projects and 79 million mod downloads since launch. This vibrant community-driven initiative led by over 550 authors continues to flourish averaging 1 million daily mod downloads. ASA’s Mod program highlights the immense creativity and dedication of ARK players and reflects a commitment to providing Survivors with a dynamic and ever-evolving gaming environment.

Building on the excitement for new content from the ARK Survival Ascended fanbase, Snail announced the release of The Center, a free DLC coming soon. This expansion introduces an immersive map featuring all the biomes from The Island, with the exciting addition of the Lava Biome. From lava caverns and giant waterfalls to ocean systems, ice caverns, Ancient Ruins, cave systems, and a floating island, The Center offers a visually stunning and environmentally diverse playground for Survivors.

The release of The Center will also feature an early introduction of the Gigantoraptor, a new creature chosen by the community through a recent vote. This further exemplifies Snail’s commitment to involving the player community in shaping the ARK universe.

Snail also recently launched The Survival of the Fittest (The SOTF), a battle royale game mode within the ARK Ascended property. Redesigned from the ground up with enhanced mechanics, SOTF pits up to 60 Survivors against each other in a fast-paced, action-packed struggle for survival. Survivors must navigate challenging environments, leading their Dinosaur Armies into an epic final showdown, making for an exhilarating and intense gaming experience.

"As we introduce these updates and expansions, we are not only enhancing the gaming experience for our dedicated players but also strategically positioning the ARK franchise for anticipated continued growth and success." Jim Tsai, Chief Executive Officer of Snail.

ARK: Survival Ascended will also feature the following improvements and enhancements:

• Unreal Engine 5 Overhaul with Nanite, Lumen, and RTXDI
• Dynamic Water and Interactive Foliage
• Cross-platform Multiplayer
  • This includes cross-platform accounts and cross-progression, cross-voice chat & friends, etc. No matter what platform ASA is started on, access is available to each account, character, dinos, and items on a different platform.
• Cross-platform Modding
  • Studio Wildcard has chosen to partner with Overwolf, the modding platform leader, to introduce an industry-first cross-platform modding experience where mods created on PC are delivered directly to end-users’ consoles from a custom modding backend.
  • Premium Modding Market: Mod creators will optionally be able to specify price points for their Mods (with 50% of the price point going to the Mod author). All mods will be reviewed by Overwolf and Studio Wildcard for quality control and value. The remainder pays for the custom infrastructure required for Overwolf to support, administrate, and deliver Mods to the console.
• Survival of the Fittest
  • SOTF will be integrated into ASA as a new fully-supported game mode. It will have a dedicated development team that will continue to work on gameplay changes, mechanical improvements, quality of life, maps, and balance adjustments. The mode will be revamped with an exclusive ARK: Survival Ascended update, including:
    • Upgraded to UE5 with complete cross-platform and cross-modding support
    • Scorched Earth SOTF map
    • Matchmaking queue
    • Character and creature customization with cosmetics
    • Lots of bug-fixes and balance and functionality improvements
• Upgraded art assets throughout the entire game.
• Newly-designed holiday events released as mods so they’re always available to play!
• New content, QoL improvements, balance, and gameplay changes.

RK: Survival Ascended is available for PC (Steam), PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.