Ark: Survival Evolved is an action-adventure survival game that drops players onto mysterious islands filled with dinosaurs. Studio Wildcard developed and released this game in 2017 after a two-year early access period. Players wake up stranded on a beach with nothing but their wits. From there, they must gather resources, craft tools, build shelters, and, most famously, tame prehistoric creatures to survive.
The game has sold over 32 million copies across all platforms. It combines classic survival mechanics with dinosaur taming in ways that feel fresh and addictive. Whether someone wants to play solo or join massive multiplayer servers, Ark: Survival Evolved offers hundreds of hours of content. This guide covers everything players need to know about the game, from core mechanics to available platforms.
Key Takeaways
- Ark: Survival Evolved is a 2017 action-adventure survival game where players tame dinosaurs, gather resources, and build bases on mysterious islands.
- The game features over 100 tameable creatures, each with unique abilities for combat, resource gathering, or transportation.
- Players can choose between single player, official servers, unofficial servers, and PvE or PvP modes to match their playstyle.
- Ark: Survival Evolved is available on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices with some cross-platform support.
- Free and paid expansion maps add new biomes, creatures, and storylines beyond the original Island map.
- PC players can access thousands of mods through Steam Workshop to customize their Ark: Survival Evolved experience.
Core Gameplay and Mechanics
Ark: Survival Evolved starts simple. Players spawn on a beach with no clothes, no tools, and no idea what killed them the last three times. The initial goal is basic: punch trees, pick berries, and avoid getting eaten by anything with teeth.
The survival mechanics include hunger, thirst, stamina, and health. Players must eat food and drink water regularly. Temperature also matters, extreme heat or cold can kill just as quickly as a hungry raptor. Crafting sits at the center of everything. Players gather resources like wood, stone, thatch, and fiber to build tools, weapons, and structures.
As players level up, they earn engram points. These points unlock new crafting recipes. Early game focuses on basic tools like pickaxes and spears. Mid-game introduces metal structures, firearms, and advanced equipment. Late-game content includes electrical generators, refrigerators, and even rocket launchers.
Base building in Ark: Survival Evolved requires planning. Players must consider defense against both wild creatures and other players. Structures range from simple thatch huts to massive stone fortresses. The building system uses snap points, allowing walls, floors, and ceilings to connect easily.
Combat involves both melee and ranged weapons. Early on, players use spears and bows. Later, they craft crossbows, shotguns, and assault rifles. Combat against dinosaurs requires strategy. Some creatures hit hard but move slowly. Others attack in packs and overwhelm unprepared survivors.
Dinosaurs and Creatures You Can Tame
Dinosaur taming sets Ark: Survival Evolved apart from other survival games. The game features over 100 creatures that players can tame, ride, and breed. Each creature has unique abilities that make it useful for specific tasks.
The taming process varies by creature. Most wild dinosaurs require knockout taming. Players must render the creature unconscious using tranquilizer arrows or darts. Once down, players feed it preferred foods until it becomes tame. Some creatures prefer kibble, while others want raw meat or berries. Taming can take minutes or hours depending on the creature’s level and the food used.
Passive taming works differently. Certain creatures require players to approach them carefully and hand-feed them. One wrong move scares the animal away or triggers an attack.
Here are some popular dinosaurs in Ark: Survival Evolved:
- Tyrannosaurus Rex: A powerful combat mount with high damage output
- Pteranodon: A fast flyer perfect for early-game aerial travel
- Triceratops: An excellent berry gatherer with good defensive capabilities
- Argentavis: A large bird that carries heavy loads and other creatures
- Ankylosaurus: The best metal gatherer in the game
Breeding adds another layer. Players can mate tamed creatures to produce offspring with combined stats. Selective breeding over generations creates super-powered dinosaurs. This process takes time but rewards patient players with exceptional mounts.
Creatures serve practical purposes beyond combat. Some gather resources faster than players can by hand. Others carry massive amounts of weight. Flying mounts make travel quick and safe. Aquatic creatures let players explore underwater caves and gather ocean resources.
Multiplayer and Game Modes
Ark: Survival Evolved offers several ways to play. Each mode provides a different experience based on player preferences.
Single Player
Single player lets people enjoy Ark: Survival Evolved at their own pace. Players can adjust settings like taming speed, resource gathering rates, and difficulty. This mode works well for learning game mechanics without pressure from other players.
Official Servers
Official servers run on settings determined by the developers. These servers feature slower progression and full PvP rules on designated servers. Competition can be intense. Established tribes dominate many official servers, making fresh starts challenging for new players.
Unofficial Servers
Unofficial servers are player-hosted with custom settings. Server administrators can boost gathering rates, speed up taming, and modify other variables. Many unofficial servers create better experiences for casual players. Some focus on PvE content while others emphasize competitive PvP.
PvE vs PvP
PvE (Player vs Environment) servers disable player-on-player combat. Players focus on building, taming, and exploring without worrying about raids. PvP (Player vs Player) servers allow full combat between players. Raiding enemy bases and stealing resources becomes part of the game. Players must defend their bases constantly or risk losing everything.
Tribes function as teams in Ark: Survival Evolved. Members share structures, dinosaurs, and resources. Large tribes on PvP servers can dominate entire servers through numbers and coordination.
Available Platforms and Expansions
Ark: Survival Evolved runs on multiple platforms. Players can find it on PC (Steam and Epic Games Store), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices. The PC version offers the best performance and mod support. Console versions provide solid experiences with some graphical limitations.
Cross-platform play exists between some systems. PC players on Steam can join other Steam users. Xbox and Windows 10 versions connect through Microsoft’s ecosystem. PlayStation players stick to their own servers.
The base game includes several maps:
- The Island: The original map with diverse biomes
- The Center: A free expansion with unique geography
- Ragnarok: A massive free map with varied environments
- Valguero: Another free map featuring exclusive creatures
Paid expansions add new maps, creatures, and storylines. Scorched Earth introduced desert environments and creatures like the Wyvern. Aberration features underground areas with radiation zones. Extinction takes players to a ruined Earth with corrupted dinosaurs. Genesis Part 1 and Part 2 added mission-based gameplay and new biomes.
Ark: Survival Evolved also supports mods on PC. The Steam Workshop hosts thousands of player-created modifications. Mods range from quality-of-life improvements to entirely new maps and creatures.
