ARK News

News, updates and information about the survival game “ARK Survival Ascended” by Wildcard.

 

Summer Bash 2025, Phoenixes and more (Patchnotes v68.5)

Summer Bash 2025 Brings Beach Vibes to the ARK

With the latest update, the annual in-game event "Summer Bash" kicks off. The ARK is transformed into a summer atmosphere – featuring colorful dinos, fun skins, special emotes, and seasonal decorations. Club Ark has also been visually updated to match the season. The event can be activated on both official and private servers and offers new content as well as familiar favorites from previous years.

Jurassic World Rebirth

Three years after the release of Jurassic World: Dominion, the dino franchise makes a radical comeback with a reboot: Jurassic World: Rebirth will celebrate its theatrical premiere on July 2, 2025, taking a completely new direction – both visually and narratively.

Ragnarok Ascended: The legendary ARK map returns

With the release on June 18, 2025, one of the most popular maps in the ARK community makes its comeback: Ragnarok Ascended will officially launch for ARK: Survival Ascended (ASA) – completely overhauled, modernized, and developed specifically for Unreal Engine 5.5 for the first time. Instead of a simple port, players can expect a complete remake created in close collaboration with the original mod developers Excited Kangaroo and Jackson Lawrence.

Unreal Engine 5.5 is LIVE (ARK Patch Notes v66)

With patch v66, ARK: Survival Ascended takes a significant step forward: The migration to Unreal Engine 5.5 improves the technical foundation for better performance, stability, and visual quality. Individual DLC maps can now be installed or removed separately – a plus for storage and mod management. Also new is the cross-platform backup system for single-player, which allows for automatic backups, as well as a performance-optimized graphics preset on PC that prioritizes framerate over graphics.

Happy Birthday ARK & Unreal Update

ARK: Survival Ascended will celebrate its 10th anniversary on June 2, 2025, with a major update (4. June). In addition to an event featuring new skins, chibis, and emotes, the update brings the long-awaited transition to Unreal Engine 5.5 – with noticeably better performance, shorter loading times, and new building options. Even older graphics cards are expected to keep up. Additionally, there will be new structures, a new map ("Lemnokis"), and important changes for mods and modders.

The bison is coming to ARK.

The bison (scientifically Bison Matrislac) looks at first glance like a relic from our own Ice Age – and that’s exactly what it is. However, anyone who thinks they are just dealing with a peaceful grass-eater is greatly mistaken. The bison is a true heavyweight with a strong herd instinct and pronounced territorial behavior. Anyone who comes near it with a larger predator like an Allosaurus should be prepared for trouble.

Update: Unreal Engine, Ragnarok with Bison

ARK: Survival Ascended – Unreal Engine 5.5, Ragnarok, and new creature delayed until June

Studio Wildcard has introduced the upcoming content for ARK: Survival Ascended and confirmed that there will be expected delays: The Unreal Engine 5.5 upgrade, originally scheduled for May, will now be released on June 2. The release of the popular map Ragnarok Ascended has been postponed to June 18.

This month, the focus is on three central elements:

Ragnarok, Unreal, Griffin, and Bison

Ragnarok – The Return of a Legend

Ragnarok is one of the most popular community maps from ARK: Survival Evolved and is now making its comeback in ASA. The map has been completely redeveloped in Unreal Engine 5.5 and will only be released with the engine upgrade. Due to the technical transition, the release was delayed, but the team has now confirmed June 2, 2025, as the final date.

Lost Colony and ARK II

Lost Colony – The Gateway to the Future of ARK

With Lost Colony, the first major story DLC for ARK: Survival Ascended is on the horizon. The expansion takes players to Arat Prime, the origin of the ARKs, opening a new chapter in the game universe. In addition to new creatures, mysterious biomes, and fresh building locations, it will also introduce initial gameplay elements that were originally planned for ARK 2 – including a revamped melee combat system with dodging, blocking, and skill trees.