Ark: Survival Ascended
IGDB
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About Ark: Survival Ascended
Ark: Survival Ascended arrived on October 25, 2023 as a next-generation remake of the original survival hit. Studio Wildcard rebuilt the experience using Unreal Engine 5 for PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5. This version supports single player, co-op, and massive multiplayer servers. The core loop remains familiar where you wake up naked on a dangerous island filled with dinosaurs. Players must scavenge for resources, build shelters, tame creatures, and fight off threats. The package includes the Survival of the Fittest mode and all original DLC maps will be added over time. It is essentially the same world as before but with significantly better graphics and engine performance to handle the chaos.
Gameplay
You start with nothing but a stick and a stone club while starving on a beach. Your first hour involves punching trees for wood, mining rocks, and crafting basic tools. You spend the rest of your session gathering food, taming dinosaurs, and constructing wooden bases to protect against night attacks. The game allows you to ride creatures like raptors or triceratops to cross the large map quickly. Combat mixes ranged weapons with melee strikes against both human players and hostile fauna. You can team up with friends to build massive stone fortresses or run solo survival runs. Progression is slow because you need specific resources to unlock better tiers of equipment. Managing inventory space and hunger levels remains a constant pressure throughout every session.
What Players Think
The PlayPile community data shows mixed results for this title. IGDB lists an average score of 72.1 out of 100 based on 27 ratings. Completion rates are notably low with only 17.1% of the 32 available achievements unlocked by the average player. The hardest challenge is Master Zoologist which only 0.60% of players have managed to earn. This suggests the game has a steep learning curve or significant technical barriers preventing full completion. Many users report spending long hours on servers but struggle to reach end-game content consistently. The mood leans towards frustration regarding bugs and performance issues despite the graphical upgrade. Critics note that the remake feels unfinished compared to the stability of the original engine release.
PlayPile's Take
This title is worth playing only if you already loved the original game or want to see Unreal Engine 5 applied to dinosaur survival. The price point matches standard new releases so there is no discount for a remaster. You will likely struggle with the low achievement unlock rates and may face stability issues during multiplayer sessions. Do not expect a flawless experience since the average completion data reflects real player frustration. It serves as a visual upgrade but keeps the same complex mechanics that divide fans. Stick to it if you need better graphics and do not mind potential technical hiccups. Otherwise, wait for more patches to stabilize the server performance before investing time.
Game Modes
Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative, Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO)
IGDB Rating
72.1
RAWG Rating
4.2
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