Ark: Survival Ascended was mired in controversy when it launched in 2023, as Studio Wildcard shut down the original game’s servers to pave the way for this ground-up reimagining. Compounded with the usual UE5 optimization woes and server instability, it’s no wonder the game currently sits at ‘Mixed’ reviews. But if you’ve been on the fence about trying the remake, now is the perfect time, as it’s available for free on Steam right now until July 13 at 10am PT.
Ark: Survival Ascended hit a 24-hour peak of 41,000 players this weekend.
Progress made during the free period will carry over if you buy the game, so if you do find yourself enjoying Survival Ascended, you can pick up right where you left off. Though if you want to make the most of that free period, you’ll want to download the game as soon as possible, as it takes up over 200GB—another sore point among players. Otherwise, the remake is available for $11.24 until July 23 in one of its steepest sales yet.
The Original Game Is On Sale, Too
If you’ve never played an Ark game before, imagine waking up on a desert island completely naked where you have to punch a tree to survive, but the end-goal is to ride a T. Rex into battle with an energy rifle in hand. Basically, it’s Rust with dinosaurs. The core loop revolves around finding blueprints and ascending the technology tree, advancing from stone spears and thatch huts to electricity, firearms, and even turrets.
The remake is built entirely on Unreal Engine 5, with an overhauled building system and cross-platform modding, but Studio Wildcard used this as a vehicle to introduce paid mods. Yet another controversial feature wedged into the remake. It’s not all bad, though. The game also introduced wild dinosaur babies, which are much easier to tame, and a few new quality-of-life additions, like item tracking and the ping system.
Granted, most fans will still steer you away from playing Survival Ascended, but the free weekend is the perfect opportunity to test the Ark waters risk-free. And if you enjoy the experience, you can always dive back into Survival Evolved—the original game—which is available for $9.89 until July 23. The official servers were permanently shut down in 2023, but the game is still going strong with a 24-hour peak of 28,000 players thanks to community-run servers that continue to carry the torch.
- Released
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October 26, 2023
- ESRB
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T For Teen Due To Blood, Crude Humor, Game Experience May Change During Online Play, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Developer(s)
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Studio Wildcard
- Publisher(s)
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Studio Wildcard
