ARK: Survival Ascended vs ARK: Survival Evolved – Differences Explained

ARK: Survival Evolved has such a dedicated fanbase, that an enhanced edition of the game just made sense. Let’s dive into the differences that players can see when they log into ARK: Survival Ascended for the first time.

All Differences in ARK: Survival Ascended

On the surface, it may not seem that ARK: Survival Ascended is much different than its counterpart, but the beauty here is much more than skin deep. As players log into this remastered version of ARK for the first time, they’ll immediately be able to notice a difference. While ARK: Survival Evolved was not an ugly game by any means, certain parts of the game did look dated. Thankfully, running on Unreal Engine 5, ARK: Survival Ascended is going to give your PC and consoles a workout when it comes to running at max settings.

Alongside the graphical updates, there are a variety of QoL (Quality of Life) features that are brought into this enhanced version, including:

• Unreal Engine 5 Overhaul
• Cross-Platform Multiplayer
• Cross-Platform Modding
• New Content
• All Maps from ARK: Survival Evolved (coming soon)
• Interactive Foliage
• Dynamic Water
• Cross-Platform Anti-Cheat
• Updated Mini-Map
• Queueing System
• Ping System
• Gamepad Cursor
• Chibi Slot and Skins Tab
• New Third-Person Camera
• Photo Mode
• Wild Baby Creatures
• Dino/baby management
• Snap Point improvements
• Character Creation & Customization Improvements

While the game may be available now on PC, it’s still considered to be in Early Access until all of the previous content has been released. The development team at Studio Wildcard is aiming for a 2024 Full Release, but time will only tell if they’ll be able to accomplish that on time. It’s a massive undertaking, especially considering that ARK: Survival Evolved had added 11 maps over the lifecycle of the game.

One thing that players will not need to fret about, however, is how much this extra content will cost them as it is added to the game. Thankfully, once players have purchased ARK: Survival Ascended, they’ll receive all of the old maps at no additional cost. New maps, however, may cost money in the future.

As a remaster, it’s already impressive to see how much better this version looks and plays compared to the original, but if you need a bit of extra help acclimating to the new climate, be sure to check into our ARK: Survival Ascended section below. Be sure to keep an eye out for all the available console commands so you can make every game unique in its own way.