Ark: Survival Evolvedhas now been around for five years since it was first released on July 29, 2025. Thesurvival MMORPGhas gotten mixed to average reviews from Metacritic, but most reviews on Steam. Players have put hundreds to thousands of hours into the game over the past five years.
The big question becomes what has kept this game so popular over five years, but the answer is pretty obvious when looking at everything that’s happened since its original launch. The fact that players can be both solo or play with friends is a big reason. While the original game is nice, players have also created a ton of mods that have kept the game entertaining for hundreds of hours. While still full of players, though, there have been also some issues that have sprung up forArk: Survival Evolvedover the past five years such as many cheaters and exploiters ruining the game for other players. The past five years has had their ups and downs, but it’s brought the game to where it is today.
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Ark: Survival Evolved, Five Years Later
Five years later,Ark: Survival Evolvedhas an upcoming sequel and spin-offs such asArk ParkandPixARK. Its upcoming sequel,Ark 2is set to come to early access for PC and Xbox Series X/S sometime in 2023. While the original game was made with Unreal Engine 4, the sequel will be made with Unreal Engine 5. It has also been announced thatArk: Survival Evolvedis going to get a 14-episode animated series.
The original game got expansions over the years as well. It got five expansion packs such asScorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, Genesis Part One, and Genesis Part Two. All of these added more animals, equipment, content, and maps. Six DLCs were also released with free map expansions such as The Center, Ragnarok, Valguero, Crystal Isles, Lost Island, and Fjordur. Other official DLCs include total conversations such as Primal Survival, Primitive Plus, and Survival of the Fittest which would change most of the game’s mechanics. Among these DLCs, the most popular was Aberration.
While the game was initially released for Windows, PS4, Xbox One, macOS, and Linux, it expanded to Androids, iOS', andNintendo Switchin 2018 and Stadia in 2021. The developer, Wildcard Properties, has not made other games outside theArkseries.
What Players Think After Five Years
Clicking on the most recent reviews on Steam reveals a lot aboutArk: Survival Evolve’scurrent standing after five years. There are a lot ofnegative reviews when it comes to the game’s online community, which can be a big deal for an MMO. Many reviews mention that over the years, more and more cheaters and exploiters have populated the game, ruining the experience for others. Many are cynical about whether the developer will take care of this increasing problem. The cheating has ranged from DDoS attacks to Duping and Meshing. It is unknown whether these issues could be totally solved in the future, especially with a small development team.
Positive reviews say the best version of the game is to focus on the PvE aspects of crafting, building, and just surviving with a group of people. Playing on a server just for friends is easy, and avoids the negatives of the cheaters and exploiters in official servers. Players still call the game addicting with its limitless potential, as many reviews have over a thousand hours played on their Steam record.
ARK: Survival Evolvedis available now for Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
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