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When it comes to great survival games, Ark Survival Evolved has been a particular fan favorite since its release back in 2015, likely due to the iconic feature in the game, dinosaurs. Now we look to the future, and on the horizon, fans are patiently waiting for the arrival of ARK 2.
But when will ARK 2 be released, and what do we know about it so far? To answer those questions, we've compiled everything we know so far regarding ARK 2 below, such as the release date window, trailer, gameplay, and much more.
Update on 13 May 2024 - This article was updated and checked for the latest 'ARK 2' news and leaks.
Our ARK Survival Ascended section keeps growing as we wait for ARK 2, so check that out for some great guides and news.
Latest ARK 2 News & Leaks
We checked but couldn't find new news or details about ARK 2 to share. Stay tuned as we will continue our hunt!
Check out our ever-growing ARK Survival Ascended section filled with guides while you wait for ARK 2.
The CEO of Studio Wildcard has teased a trailer for ARK Survival Ascended.
We checked but couldn't find new news or details about ARK 2 to share. Stay tuned, as we will continue our hunt!
After careful consideration, we have decided to delay the sequel's launch to the end of 2024, when it will still launch exclusively on Xbox, Game Pass, and Windows distribution platforms (Steam/PC). We’ve put much thought into delaying ARK 2 for the betterment of the final product and the team's well-being. This news will be disappointing to many - we feel it too - but we’re confident this heavy decision is the right one.
So why the delay? Our goal is to make ARK 2 the best game it can be and provide a truly exceptional and rewarding experience for players. Unreal Engine 5 is incredibly new technology to us (and all developers), and we aim to use this cutting-edge tech to its fullest potential while creating a game with never-before-achieved scope at Studio Wildcard. As we learn more about the engine and develop the sequel, we have adapted our workflows and adjusted our pipelines to accommodate this new next-generation paradigm, and because of everything that involves, we need more time for development.
We sincerely apologize for this delay and genuinely appreciate your understanding. Your support and passion are vital to us, and we will continue to work intensively to deliver the ultimate next-gen dinosaur survival experience. With that in mind, we do not plan to showcase any gameplay/screenshots/videos of ARK 2 this year; however, we intend to keep you informed and engaged in the development process by regularly showcasing more ARK 2 assets in the months ahead, leading to our gameplay reveal next year.
But! Our desire to push the boundaries of what ARK 2 is on a next-generation platform has led us to the decision to create an intermediary Unreal Engine 5 ARK product utilizing some of the new technology we are building, allowing us to further our mastery of the new engine and ultimately battle-test some of our riskier technical advancements. We’ll gain a deep understanding of how well the rendering and lighting techniques work on console, what performance will be like, whether we can optimize and deliver interactive water and foliage on a widescale basis, and much more. We will deliver cross-platform modding, cross-platform multiplayer & a new account system, informing us about other changes we should consider for ARK 2. Due to the scope of all the technical and QOL changes required for such a next-gen experience, it is not feasible to make this new version of ARK backward compatible, which led us to conclude that this would need to be a separate product.
We also recognize that ARK 2 has some pretty significant design changes from the original game, which may not make it as appealing to everyone (looking at you, Souls-like combat, primitive-only weaponry, and strict third-person mechanics – and an overall “very serious” tone), which is why we feel it is essential to provide players with a fully next-gen version of the original experience to ensure that fans can continue to enjoy the ARK they know for years to come.
We’re thrilled to share this new ARK journey with you this year -- bringing players from PC, Xbox, and PlayStation together in a next-generation version of the game you love, topped off with revolutionary cross-platform modding.
Stay tuned as we should learn a lot more about ARK 2 in 2023.
Jeremy Stieglitz from Studio Wildcard has recently explained that they are "not quite ready" to show ARK 2 gameplay just yet. Guess we will have to wait until next year!
ARK 2 will likely show up at The Game Awards 2022 with an official gameplay trailer.
Tune in the watch The Game Awards 2022 via the YouTube stream embedded below. It kicks off on 8 December at 7:30 PM ET / 4:30 PM PT and 9 December at 00:30 GMT.
A 31 January 2023 release date is making the rounds as a rumor/leak for ARK 2. However, don't be fooled, as the stores these leaks originate from are likely placeholders.
The world we will be exploring is called Arat. There's also a bunch of human enemies called the Aratai who will hunt you down. Check out YouTuber WesNemo's video below showcasing some new gameplay details and the word of ARK 2.
ARK 2 Release Date Window & Speculation
At the time of writing, there is no official confirmed release date for ARK 2, but in this article, you’ll find all (if any) information that the developer shared, as well as some speculation from Ginx on when we could see it launch.
The release date for ARK 2 was initially set for 2022, but during the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase in 2022, it was announced that the game would be postponed to some time in 2023.
This is likely due to the unexpected pandemic that took the world by storm and delayed many projects for companies worldwide.
With no other official information from the developers now, we suggest you don't hold your hopes up for a release until late 2023 at the earliest. It's also possible that this game will have an early access period, just like the original ARK.
One thing we're looking forward to once Ark 2 releases is that Vin Diesel will play the hero character, Santiago. For those unfamiliar with the overarching plot, Santiago is a clone of the ARK: Survival Evolved player-character Santiago da Costa.
Studio Wildcard promises that we'll learn more about the character when he appears in the upcoming Ark: The Animated Series in 2022.
Ark 2 Trailers
In December 2020, the Game Awards stage saw the world premiere of the Ark 2 announcement/reveal trailer. Although the ARK 2 reveal trailer was entirely captured in-engine, Studio Wildcard has since confirmed that development has shifted to Unreal Engine 5, which undoubtedly made it look even better, as we'll see later.
While there is no gameplay in this reveal trailer, it sets the tone for the upcoming sandbox, reveals some famous faces joining the production, and hints at some of the new features we can expect when ARK 2 is released.
The following trailer for ARK 2 was released at E3 2022 and fully captured in the new Unreal 5 engine, and as we mentioned, it looks visually stunning. Despite no gameplay in this trailer, it establishes the tone for the game's plot, which takes place in a world ravaged by intense battles and conflict.
And though every day is still a struggle in a world with dinosaurs running rampant, thankfully, Vin Diesel's character and his daughter are prepared with their own pet T-Rex that is armored in bone. So at the very least, the trailer has given us a lot to look forward to in Ark 2.
ARK 2 Gameplay
Although no direct Ark 2 gameplay has been released, developer Studio Wildcard has given us some small teases regarding what we can expect. Originally, Ark 2 was supposed to be similar to its predecessor, essentially a "sandbox survival experience," but things have deviated from this original idea.
Ark 2 will instead feature what they call "Souls-like melee combat," in which you can target-lock, block, dodge, pull off combos, staggers, and even special attacks. To build on this, Ark 2 will now feature a first-person and third-person game, which is a significant change, but it will assist with both the new traversal techniques and the new combat systems.
Plenty of RPG components will be present in Ark 2, primarily in the form of leveling up and progressing through a skill tree with various abilities, parks, and buffs. The world will also now function more dynamically, with events happening regardless of your involvement and giving you options to interact with them and gain the rewards if you choose.
Regarding enemies, the Atarai is a brand-new enemy race in the game that can mount their dinosaurs and attack players from the ground, making them potentially very lethal. So while we don't know what this looks like in practice, we're excited to see more examples of gameplay in Ark 2.
Ark 2 - Pre Order
There are no pre-orders available anywhere as of yet since the release window is the entirety of 2023. However, if PC users want to get a jump on the competition, they can add the game to their wishlist on Steam.
Additionally, it will be available on Game Pass when it launches, so if you have a subscription to that service, you will be able to play it right away. We'll let you know when true pre-orders open for everyone else.
Regarding platforms, unlike Ark: Survival Evolved, Ark 2 will be made available on consoles and computers simultaneously. However, according to Microsoft's website, Ark 2 will only be available for the Xbox Series X/S at the time of its console launch.
This suggests that gamers using the PlayStation 5 won't be able to play for a while. However, we know that there won't be an Xbox One or PlayStation 4 version of the game because it will only be released for PC and next-gen consoles.
