GamerTake
AI Powered Steam Review Summaries
ARK: Survival Ascended
Action
Adventure
Indie
Massively Multiplayer
RPG
Early Access
Single-player
Multi-player
MMO
PvP
Online PvP
LAN PvP
Co-op
Online Co-op
LAN Co-op
Shared/Split Screen Co-op
Shared/Split Screen
Cross-Platform Multiplayer
Steam Achievements
Full controller support
Includes level editor
Remote Play Together
Family Sharing

ARK is reimagined from the ground-up into the next-generation of video game technology with Unreal Engine 5! Form a tribe, tame & breed hundreds of unique dinosaurs and primeval creatures, explore, craft, build, and fight your way to the top of the food-chain. Your new world awaits!

Developers: Studio Wildcard Grove Street Games Instinct Games
Publishers: Studio Wildcard Snail Games USA
Release Date: Oct 25, 2023
Price (USD): $44.99
Current Players: 38k

Links:  Steam Store  SteamDB

Mixed(59%)
amazing graphics
fun gameplay
taming dinosaurs
exploring maps
building bases
new vs old content
costly DLCs
comparison to Evolved
poor optimization
frequent updates
pay-to-win
bugs and crashes
high hardware requirements
Overall, the sentiment towards ARK: Survival Ascended is mixed. Players enjoy the graphics and depth of gameplay, which build on the success of its predecessor with enhanced visual appeal and rich survival elements. However, the game is plagued by optimization issues and frequent, time-consuming updates, which detract significantly from the experience. There is criticism over its pay-to-win elements, as significant content is locked behind DLC purchases. The comparison to ARK: Survival Evolved shows that while some players appreciate the graphical upgrade, they feel that the game doesn't offer enough new content to justify its drawbacks.

Positive Points

  • The game is praised for its amazing graphics and beautiful environments, which have been significantly improved over its predecessor.
  • Players appreciate the depth and variety in gameplay, including elements such as base building, taming dinosaurs, and exploring vast maps, which offer endless possibilities.
  • Many users find ARK: Survival Ascended to be incredibly fun and enjoy the mix of survival and fantasy elements.
  • The game's ability to provide a unique survival experience with moments of achievement and the thrill of taming dinosaurs is a consistent high point.

    • Negative Points

  • The game suffers from severe optimization issues, making it difficult to run smoothly even on high-end computers.
  • Frequent patches and updates are cumbersome, as they can require long download times and large amounts of disk space.
  • Many players criticize the pay-to-win elements, where important content is locked behind paid DLCs, affecting the overall fairness of the game.
  • Bugs and crashes are a common complaint, with many players struggling with the game's stability.

    • Mixed Points

  • While some players love the addition of new features and creatures, others believe these additions don't justify the costs and are critical of the implementation of paid content.
  • The game is often compared to its predecessor, ARK: Survival Evolved, with mixed feelings about the improvements; some see it as a significant upgrade, while others view it as a mere graphical reskin without much new content.

    • Common Themes

  • Optimization and performance are major pain points, often mentioned in conjunction with hardware requirements and frequent updates.
  • The dichotomy between the game's enjoyment and its technical issues is a common thread in the reviews.
  • Players are divided on the new content and paid DLC model, reflecting broader criticisms of the game's monetization strategy.
  • Despite technical problems, the core gameplay experience remains highly engaging for many fans of the survival genre.
    • Updated 12/18/2025, 12:01:59 AM UTC
    Leave feedback for this summary