When will ARK Ascended Crystal Isles DLC Release?

The ARK franchise has seen considerable success with fan or modder-made maps, some of which gain such popularity that developers adopt them, transforming them into full-fledged DLC expansion maps. Crystal Isles, released in 2020, is one such map that garnered massive acclaim. Now, with the spotlight on ARK Survival Ascended, players are eagerly asking when Crystal Isles will join the game and what to expect.

Thankfully, it's confirmed that Crystal Isles is indeed making its way to ARK Survival Ascended. This revelation has sparked excitement among players eager to explore the anticipated new and exhilarating content. In the following sections, we will break down everything we know about the Crystal Isles DLC in ARK Survival Ascended, including its release date, expected content, introduction of new dinosaurs, and more.

When will the Crystal Isles DLC be released in ARK Survival Ascended?

Important Update - Do keep in mind that the release date listed here is most likely going to be delayed. For context, the ARK Survival Ascended Abberation DLC was scheduled to launch in July 2024, but was pushed back to September 2024. This will no doubt have a knock on impact for the remaining DLC maps schedule to launch in 2024 and 2025.

Although we don’t have an official release date, the ARK Survival Ascended roadmap - which is subject to change - expects the Crystal Isles DLC update to launch in April 2025.

Of course, ARK Survival Ascended has seen quite a few delays in its development, and we may see similar delays for any of the DLCs, including Crystal Isles, so take this estimate with a grain of salt for now. Once we have a solidified release date, we will update this section accordingly.

Will the Crystal Isles Map Be Free for ARK Survival Ascended?

Yes, like all of the DLCs coming to ARK Survival Ascended, Crystal Isles will indeed be free for all owners of the base game. This is due to many reasons, but the main factors here are the developers wanting to give all players hopping into Ascended from Evolved equal access to DLCs they already paid for, and secondly, the fact that this is an expansion map and not a canonical DLC.

There might be some paid-for features, however, similar to the Scorched Earth DLC which introduces a set of paid-for cosmetics called the Frontier Adventure Pack. Crystal Isles might have its own set of cosmetics and other items for sale that don't have any mechanical usage and are just for aesthetics. So regardless of whether you want to drop any cash on this DLC, you'll still get full access to Crystal Isles for free.

What to Expect from The Crystal Isles DLC in ARK Survival Ascended

Similarly to the Lost Island DLC, the map for Crystal Isles is massive; it's about 150 square kilometers in size and is larger than The Island, Scorched Earth, and The Center maps combined. This large landscape isn't barren though and is quite impressively packed with content such as large crystals littering the map, a cluster of large floating islands known as Apotheosis, a cave built like a beehive, and an island surrounded by darkness and storms just to mention a few of the varied biomes you'll find.

But these are just the environmental features to note; there are, of course, some unique and new creatures roaming the map as well. From the unique Giant Worker bees inhabiting the beehive cave mentioned earlier, to the Aberrant creatures straight from the Aberration DLC, and the Crystal Wyvern that's unique to this map and comes in three different variants.

Of course, more creatures may be added or removed from the Crystal Isles when it arrives in ARK Survival Ascended, but since the DLC is still quite a long way off, we'll just have to wait and see which aspects of the DLC content end up being reworked.

ARK Survival Ascended Crystal Isles Creature Vote Winner

At the time of writing, no creature vote poll has been opened for the Crystal Isles DLC, and thus no creature winner has yet been announced. The last new creature to arrive on this map was its first unique creature, the Crystal Wyvern, and while it's a unique beast to be sure, many players are eager to submit their ideas for new dinos to join the Crystal Isles, so as soon as voting begins and is concluded, we will update this section accordingly.

Will Crystal Isles's New Dinos Come To The Island?

Currently, it's unsure how the transfers will work explicitly for DLCs and the base game map, The Island in ARK Survival Ascended. Previously, some creatures were exclusive to DLCs such as the Crystal Wyvern, and they couldn't be brought over unless mods or other tweaking was used. You could bring over the base game creatures or Aberrant creatures through the use of Obelisks, TEK Transmitters, or even through console commands, so it may work similarly for the Crystal Isles DLC, where exclusive creatures are fixed, and other creatures can be transferred.

So there you have it, everything we know so far regarding the Crystal Isles DLC coming to ARK Survival Ascended. As more information is made available throughout the year for this DLC, we will be sure to update this listing accordingly, so be sure to check back here soon or bookmark this page for your convenience and easy access to the latest news on the Crystal Isles DLC in ARK Survival Ascended.