What is Ark: Survival Ascended? Xbox release date delay & PS5 latest

News of a sequel was very welcome back in 2020, and a remake - Ark: Survival Ascended - was announced earlier this year.

Survival Ascended is more than a polished Survival Evolved; it provides audio revamping, and a multitude of "quality of life" improvements. However, many gamers seem to be confused about what the game entails.

To add to this confusion, the release dates seem to be constantly changing, dropping on different platforms at different times.

Is it a remaster or a remake? Does it have anything to do with Ark 2? When can we play it, and on what consoles?

We'll do our best to explain all the details about Ark: Survival Ascended down below.

What is Ark: Survival Ascended? Is it Ark 2?

Described as a "next-generation remaster", Ark: Survival Ascended is essentially a remake of 2015's Ark: Survival Evolved.

It arrives with everything from the original game, including The Island base map and all of the DLC, as well as the battle royale spin-off Survival of the Fittest.

Developed by Grove Street Games and published by original developer Studio Wildcard, the remake will feature new split-screen multiplayer, cross-progression and cross-platform support from launch.

Numerous quality of life improvements have also been promised by the team, such as redesigned user interfaces, dynamic navigation for intelligent creature pathfinding, photo mode, new camera systems, a new map system and tracking system, along with new gameplay items, structures and changes to existing items and creatures.

Modding will also play a big part. "The most game-changing new feature coming to Ark: Survival Ascended is cross-platform modding," said Studio Wildcard executive producer Jatheish Karunakaran (via Xbox Wire).

"PC players of the original game have had the luxury of playing with mods for the last eight years, and soon that benefit will be available on every platform.

Karunakaran added: "The new in-game CurseForge mod browser, which will be directly accessible from the main menu of the game, will soon be filled with new structures, dinos, maps, decorative pieces and game modes.

"We’re also working closely with professional game studios and developers to bring their original content and IP to Ark: Survival Ascended, to make it the ultimate gaming modding ecosystem."

This is not to be confused with Ark 2, which was announced at the 2020 Game Awards and will arrive in late 2024 for Xbox and PC. It will star Vin Diesel and Auli'i Cravalho as its main protagonists.

When is the Ark: Survival Ascended release date on PC, Xbox and PS5?

If you're keen to play Ark: Survival Ascended ASAP, it's worth knowing that the game is available now on Steam in early access form.

Spreading onto other platforms is gradual. Ark: Survival Ascended did have a planned release date for Windows and Xbox Series X/S on 14th November 2023.

However, the game's Xbox and Windows release was delayed at the last minute, with the developers sharing the news on X (formerly Twitter) with the post below.

They said they are "expecting to release it later this week", so we'll keep our eyes peeled for news and update this page again when we can.

Beyond that, the PlayStation 5 release date remains uncertain. On the official website, the developers have said the following: "We’re hoping to have a more precise date to share with you soon as we’re currently finalising this with Sony, but it is slated for the end of November.

"We know this isn’t ideal, but we’re optimistic we’ll be able to share a date very soon!"

We'll update this page as soon as the PS5 release date surfaces!

At the time of writing, the game is not expected to come to Nintendo Switch, PS4 or Xbox One, with the last-gen consoles being left out for now.

This potentially might change in the future, considering Ark: Survival Evolved was released on all platforms.

What does Ark: Survival Ascended gameplay look like?

Built from the ground up using Unreal Engine 5 for next-gen, Ark: Survival Ascended will feature the same action-adventure survival gameplay that featured in the 2015 game.

A 4K launch trailer provides a good look at the world, its creatures and some small snippets of gameplay. Check it out below:

Ark: Survival Ascended supports up to 70 players via online multiplayer, with private sessions allowing up to eight players and local split-screen available for groups of between two to four players.

How much is Ark: Survival Ascended price?

Ark: Survival Ascended is available for a price of $44.99/£37.99. An introductory early access offer on PC reduces the cost to $39.99/£34.19 until 1st November 2023.

It was originally priced at $49.99/£44.99 as part of an Ark Respawned Bundle that would have included Ark 2. However, since the latter was delayed, Ark: Survival Ascended was then released as a standalone.

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