ARK: Survival Evolved

 PC
User Score
6.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 652 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 348 out of 652
  2. Mixed: 124 out of 652
  3. Negative: 180 out of 652

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  1. IrongamerX
    Sep 21, 2020
    9
    Such a beautiful game, if you want to have 3x fun, just play with your friends! It's a bit laggy, you should have a good PC to run at Low/Medium settings, and it have a lot of bugs, but the amount of content you have on this game, is unbelievable, 8+ maps to play (half is DLC, but worth the money) and, if that's not enough, you can also play on servers, which are a bit stressful for someSuch a beautiful game, if you want to have 3x fun, just play with your friends! It's a bit laggy, you should have a good PC to run at Low/Medium settings, and it have a lot of bugs, but the amount of content you have on this game, is unbelievable, 8+ maps to play (half is DLC, but worth the money) and, if that's not enough, you can also play on servers, which are a bit stressful for some people, if you don't like the servers, there's mods too, hundreds of mods and some extra maps made from the community. Its a fantastic game, with good graphics, a lot of content and things to do, and some bugs.… Expand
  2. theirrelephants
    Oct 24, 2017
    10
    While it has its problems, I can't justify giving this game anything less than a 10. I have over a thousand hours in it. A THOUSAND HOURS. That's ~41 days of nothing but playing this game.

    It's fun, but incredibly un-optimized. Even if you have a good card, be prepared to turn those settings down to medium or low to get playable fps. A lot of the bugs people have mentioned have    While it has its problems, I can't justify giving this game anything less than a 10. I have over a thousand hours in it. A THOUSAND HOURS. That's ~41 days of nothing but playing this game.

    It's fun, but incredibly un-optimized. Even if you have a good card, be prepared to turn those settings down to medium or low to get playable fps.

    A lot of the bugs people have mentioned have been fixed since well before EA, I'm not sure what they're going on about. Yeah the game's support is genuinely terrible, but I only had to use it twice, once when I got a dinosaur stuck underneath the terrain (back in early access - and this only happened once) and second when I messed up with tranferring tribe ownership. Couldn't get any help with the first one because I couldn't remember the dino's name and it had been a few days (it was dead, jim), but the second one got resolved speedily.    … Expand
  3. stanislaw
    Sep 7, 2017
    8
    I enjoy this game a lot. Been playing it since early access, so it's countless hours already. Yeah it demands quite a high spec PC/laptop (esp VGA and RAM), but it all pays off with the excitement I have every single day: building stuffs (THE SIMS), exploring the world (FAR CRY), taming dinos (POKEMON) etc. Nothing's perfect, but the devs always give game updates. Bring your friends alongI enjoy this game a lot. Been playing it since early access, so it's countless hours already. Yeah it demands quite a high spec PC/laptop (esp VGA and RAM), but it all pays off with the excitement I have every single day: building stuffs (THE SIMS), exploring the world (FAR CRY), taming dinos (POKEMON) etc. Nothing's perfect, but the devs always give game updates. Bring your friends along to conquer this game, or if you play single, there's always cheat codes to help you get through things.… Expand
  4. Nueshak
    Jun 3, 2015
    9
    GIVE THIS GAME A SHOT! Great "next/current" gen survival game! Has a lot of great promise but a rather steep learning curve if playing alone (similar to Don't Starve), but has a ton of potential for being the next great survival game. Lots of solo and community driven gameplay elements and a pretty immersive world to be in. Not the most "realistic" survival game in existence but it doesGIVE THIS GAME A SHOT! Great "next/current" gen survival game! Has a lot of great promise but a rather steep learning curve if playing alone (similar to Don't Starve), but has a ton of potential for being the next great survival game. Lots of solo and community driven gameplay elements and a pretty immersive world to be in. Not the most "realistic" survival game in existence but it does take a more grounded approach to movement and fatigue (i.e. If you are swimming to long and you run out of stamina you may actually drown just like in real life).

    Biggest issues are that it does take a pretty meaty rig to take full advantage of the graphics (seems like a modified Crytek engine) on the highest settings. This game is JUST in early access so I expect to see some of the animations, bugs, and slight clipping issues get resolved over time. I only have about 8ish hours with this game so my review is based on initial impression and overall potential the game has.    … Expand
  5. Wrong_Wizzli
    Nov 18, 2019
    8
    If you have unlimited time and you are prepared for the possible bugs, then this game will definitely absorb you. If Wildcard manage to fix the bugs instead of making a lot of DLCs, ARK will be one of the best games of its genre.
  6. p0s
    Dec 17, 2020
    7
    Note: This review covers single-player only and is based on the version in the Epic Games Store.

    I love the idea and sandbox style that this game employs but absolutely HATE the bugs and design flaws that greatly impact the potential this game has. This game plays good when you are exploring on the surface; I really hate when a dinosaur ambushes and kills you, especially if they stun    Note: This review covers single-player only and is based on the version in the Epic Games Store.

    I love the idea and sandbox style that this game employs but absolutely HATE the bugs and design flaws that greatly impact the potential this game has. This game plays good when you are exploring on the surface; I really hate when a dinosaur ambushes and kills you, especially if they stun you for more than a second or tranquilize you so they can eat you. In addition, the cold environments require you to acquire a ridiculous amount of materials that are seldom found in the warm or temperate side in order to craft warm gear, or greatly restrict your movement by crafting a line of torches so you can keep yourself cold instead of freezing. However, these problems can be worked around not just by getting good, but also using the settings provided before starting a game to make a challenge more reasonable.

    Where I lose my mind are the caves: All too often, you will enter a cave, only to have a TON of monsters/bugs spawn and kill you without warning. There are way too many monsters in the games, and in the hard caves, they are insanely powerful to the point of god-like status. In addition, they will respawn very quickly the moment you leave the cave, so if you go into the cave, you better do everything you intend to do before you leave or you might as well have never entered. The one thing I REALLY hate about the caves is that monsters can show up out of nowhere through the walls; apparently the developers thought it would be a clever idea to have them spawn behind the walls, but that backfires as both a bad game design and a bug as a few (but not enough) monsters can get stuck behind the walls. It gets even worse as if there is water in the caves, and you jump in, monsters will quickly spawn in front of you and eat you alive by the time you see them and attempt to swim away from them. With the exception of at least one cave, the caves also get ridiculously cold, even if you are in the middle of the jungle; I expect them to be a bit chilly as you go deeper but I find it absurd that you can go from being 80-90 degrees in the jungle to 20 degrees the moment you step into the cave. If you have not adjusted the gameplay settings before the game, you absolutely will need to as the base settings are not playable.

    The bosses are absolutely undefeatable on base settings. I will explain later, but if you adjusted the base settings to try and provide some kind of reasonable challenge you will need to adjust them further. The main problem is the bosses not only have insanely high HP, but they also have a hidden timer, and if the timer runs out, its death for everyone against the boss. You may think that's no big deal, but if you die, you lose EVERYTHING and cannot retrieve a single thing. Even the artifacts you used to open the portal are gone and cannot be reused on defeat. There is a feature in-game that allows you to 'save' your character and items by uploading it to the arc, but I cannot get it to work in Single-Player. It would be nice if it worked as it would save me from having to quit the game, make a backup of my character data, then start the game again and hope I don't get killed by the boss. I really wish I could retrieve my items or that the save feature worked properly. For what its worth though, the bosses are definitely more enjoyable than the caves, though not perhaps as much as exploring.

    When the duct tape (AKA sandbox settings and console commands) holds, this game is somewhat enjoyable, and is probably way I have so many hours playing it. When it falls apart, its when I hate this game because its such a mess. I think I would enjoy this game a LOT more if I could utilize mods, but for some reason, Epic Games does not have mod support enabled for this game. If you can get this game for $10 or less on steam when it goes on sale, DO IT. Unless you can acquire it cheaper and with mod support from another digital distribution service, I would recommend buying it from Steam for no more than $10. If it is free on another digital distribution service, you can try it without mod support, but it will leave quite a bit to be desired.    … Expand
  7. Daredev
    Aug 5, 2021
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A fun experience with beautiful visuals though a painfully hard one aswell ESPECIALLY when playing PVP with players higher levels constantly raiding you. But if you play single player with a friend then the game is great!… Expand
  8. Taylord99
    Aug 12, 2018
    6
    I would be lying if I told you I don't have an absolute blast while playing Ark. The game's mechanics and progression system are very well done and almost everything you do gives you a great sense of accomplishment. However, at times, it feels like there is little to do in Ark. At times I ask myself, "what now?" After getting far in the game, there isn't nearly as much to do as there is inI would be lying if I told you I don't have an absolute blast while playing Ark. The game's mechanics and progression system are very well done and almost everything you do gives you a great sense of accomplishment. However, at times, it feels like there is little to do in Ark. At times I ask myself, "what now?" After getting far in the game, there isn't nearly as much to do as there is in the beginning and at times I feel quite bored. Plus, the game is very poorly optimized on PC and even with a GTX 1070, I need to play on medium settings at 4K to even hope to get a stable 60 FPS. To add insult to injury, the game crashes at random, sometimes at the most inopportune times possible, often resulting in death. Overall, this game is incredibly fun at short bursts with incredibly diverse and gigantic worlds with interesting dinosaurs, but it is also a buggy and poorly optimized mess that can also be boring at times.… Expand
  9. MehmetAkif
    Jun 4, 2022
    10
    Such a beautiful game, if you want to have 3x fun, just play with your friends! It's a bit laggy, you should have a good PC to run at Low/Medium settings, and it have a lot of bugs, but the amount of content you have on this game, is unbelievable, 8+ maps to play (half is DLC, but worth the money) and, if that's not enough, you can also play on servers, which are a bit stressful for some
  10. VendonJura
    Dec 7, 2018
    10
    Ark Survival is a huge game. It has its issues with bugs ans stuff but it is also the best Survival/Building/Crafting game I ever played. With so many mods this game feels like a whole new experience everytime you play it. I've been playing over 2.000 hour and it still did not stop me enjoying it. The only thing which bothers me is the fact that you have to rent a server to fully enjoyArk Survival is a huge game. It has its issues with bugs ans stuff but it is also the best Survival/Building/Crafting game I ever played. With so many mods this game feels like a whole new experience everytime you play it. I've been playing over 2.000 hour and it still did not stop me enjoying it. The only thing which bothers me is the fact that you have to rent a server to fully enjoy playing it with your friends. Renting a server is redicolously expensive but still this game makes more fun then every other survival game I ever played.… Expand
  11. DanielvdP
    Mar 8, 2019
    10
    A true survival game, stranded on an empty island full of deadly dino's. Build your safe heaven, learn and discover the many ways to finally become a master.

    If you have time, are looking for a game with easy a 100+ hours, this is the way to go. Without patience, and grit, don't even try
  12. toto1511
    Dec 5, 2018
    10
    ARK is a pure masterpiece! While it is not comparable to the AAA classics that we have today but we must not forget that ARK is an independent game developed by a small studio!

    Let's not start the positives: The content of the game is just huge! There are more than a hundred dinosaurs and creatures of all kinds, and it is possible that I am wrong and there are even more! The graphics    ARK is a pure masterpiece! While it is not comparable to the AAA classics that we have today but we must not forget that ARK is an independent game developed by a small studio!

    Let's not start the positives: The content of the game is just huge! There are more than a hundred dinosaurs and creatures of all kinds, and it is possible that I am wrong and there are even more! The graphics and art direction of this game are just sublime, immersive environments and especially life is present everywhere, you can watch the dinosaurs move and attack others or attack them yourself or tame them! The music (soundtrack) of this game is just fantastic and absolutely fabulous, Gareth Coker did a monster job! It is, I think, one of the games with the best OST in the independent domain! Not to mention the DLC which are certainly paying, but still add tens or hundreds of hours of games to the basic game that is already very long! And do not say that the game is flat and contains no story, just see the number of notes arranged throughout the map and especially the cinematic end to understand that the game hides a big story behind.

    But, as in all excellent games, there are negative points: Unfortunately the game is not very very well optimized, although there is still a huge difference between the advance access version and the final version, the game in Ultra is almost unplayable for those who do not have a GTX 1070 or 1080 and again ... But hey, I personally play high with a GTX 1080 and the game runs very well! Unofficial servers (which are purchased on hosting sites such as Nitroserv or OMGSERV) are not stable at all! There are many lags, automatic disconnections and crashes.

    But luckily the game remains fun to play for those who want to have fun with friends! For those interested in history, there are many secrets to discover and mysteries to solve! And the support of mod via the workshop extends enormously the game! Whether mods that add maps, creatures, gameplay, armor / weapons / tools and etc! In short, ARK is one of the best independent games in history!    … Expand
  13. ElementGamez14
    Jun 13, 2019
    10
    This game is by far one of the most beautiful games i have ever played. the game is really recommended for people who like to fight, breed and build up armies, and especially if you love dinosaurs.

    the game is really well put together and has a wide range of maps to play on. if you were into PvP there are servers for that, if your into PvE there are servers for that as well. but if you    This game is by far one of the most beautiful games i have ever played. the game is really recommended for people who like to fight, breed and build up armies, and especially if you love dinosaurs.

    the game is really well put together and has a wide range of maps to play on. if you were into PvP there are servers for that, if your into PvE there are servers for that as well. but if you like the quiet life farming, grinding taming and breeding then there is single player that you can play by yourself or with a friend.

    This game has amazing graphics and i really enjoy the game although there is a couple flaws. i think the game is a tad bit expensive but is still really great. there is a section were your just grinding for materials.

    my overall review for the game is definitely a 9-10 as the game play is great until you get to late game play such as tek tier when the game becomes a bit repetitive

    my review is 10/10    … Expand
  14. chiwire
    Jun 20, 2020
    10
    el juego es demasiado buenocomo para tener que ser tratado con los demas, aquellos que le han dado votos bajos seguro se metieron en pvps y basaron su mala reseña en la mala experiencia, sin darle una mejor oportunidad al juego de demostrar que es el mejor jamas creado y que NUNCA habra uno mejor
  15. Dinoslasher
    Jul 1, 2020
    8
    Ótimo jogo mais a sua evolução e difícil e demorado e isso pode não agradar a todos
  16. Amoskane
    Dec 12, 2018
    8
    This game in a totally awesome game, for real. Its pros totally overflow its cons.
    This games will provides you an enormous amount of hours to be fulfill, even without DLC.
    ARK literally makes you going through every imaginable emotions. You will get an unimaginable satisfaction when you will take down the first alphas or bosses. And then, you will be stressed as **** when you will meet    This game in a totally awesome game, for real. Its pros totally overflow its cons.
    This games will provides you an enormous amount of hours to be fulfill, even without DLC.
    ARK literally makes you going through every imaginable emotions. You will get an unimaginable satisfaction when you will take down the first alphas or bosses. And then, you will be stressed as **** when you will meet your first gigas etc...

    Still, this game have its cons. It requires a good computers to be runnable correctly, you will really feel a gigantic frustration many time in the game, and mostly, you will feel totally powerless really often. Also, this game can't be play through alone. Or it is really really hard and long.

    Still, if you want an hardcore survival experience, buy it, really.    … Expand
  17. poks
    Jun 22, 2020
    9
    Не многие игры живут игры по 5 лет и постоянно обновляются и там нет лутбоксов
  18. WillVert
    Jan 31, 2020
    9
    Muito bom o Jogo, o é excelente para quem gosta do estilo Survival, você começa pelado, aprende a fabricar ferramentas para você poder evoluir e sobreviver em arca cheia de Dinossauros e animais místicos, e você pode domesticar para te ajudar a sobreviver
  19. YuriRys
    Jan 3, 2021
    10
    Легендарная и не побоюсь этого слова лучшая выживалка, которую превзойти сможет лишь ARK 2)
  20. javierelcritica
    Jun 6, 2021
    8
    It is a good game from the entertainment point of view, but if the screen sticks when you close it and waiting even more than half an hour takes away points but what matters is having fun and one of its bad points is that it is very boring to play no friends and the mode is just boring period but if you play it with friends it is the best adventure game
  21. Johnfiskari
    Oct 3, 2017
    7
    Nice survival game. It is little hard and it will take a lot of time to achive something i really mean a lot of time. There is lot's of opportunies what to do. If you like games what takes a lot of time this is good game to you. But you must have a good computer to run ARK. Ark is also really big game it will take a lot of memory. Sometimes it is too realistic. The gameplay is amazing andNice survival game. It is little hard and it will take a lot of time to achive something i really mean a lot of time. There is lot's of opportunies what to do. If you like games what takes a lot of time this is good game to you. But you must have a good computer to run ARK. Ark is also really big game it will take a lot of memory. Sometimes it is too realistic. The gameplay is amazing and i just love that reaserch panel where you reaserch new items. And of course there is a lot of dinos. :)… Expand
  22. hugozilla
    Jun 23, 2018
    9
    Intense [walking in the dark and hearing 20 ton footstep approaching - run!], satisfaction [the home you created the way you wanted to make it]. There are many different ways to play the game [PVP, PVE or grades in between; solo or public servers]. There is a variety of 'official' servers for different game styles as well as unofficial servers set up by other gamers. I would adviseIntense [walking in the dark and hearing 20 ton footstep approaching - run!], satisfaction [the home you created the way you wanted to make it]. There are many different ways to play the game [PVP, PVE or grades in between; solo or public servers]. There is a variety of 'official' servers for different game styles as well as unofficial servers set up by other gamers. I would advise trying different types [the official game has some optional task which require excessive time dedication]. Generally not for a casual gamer unless playing a solo saved game. It can be a hobby in itself. Some of the most beautiful environments of any game. Looking a activity to get invested into, this could be it. My favorite game of all time.… Expand
  23. EmeraldKnight
    Jul 23, 2020
    7
    It is not a great game but it is a good game. Very enjoyable if frustrating at times.
  24. snickers190704
    Mar 14, 2020
    10
    It’s the definition of a game. You’ll have hours of fun if you play with friends. It has free dlc maps which only get better
  25. MokaAkay
    Nov 7, 2017
    10
    This game is great and most people who give it a bad score are people who have gotten their money's worth out of it ie playing like 600 hours and then something happens to them and they rage quit and come and write a negative review on the game.
  26. WellWellWell45
    Dec 15, 2017
    10
    A truly immersive and amazing game. I have often spent what i thought was a couple hours but turned out to be a full day on this game. There are always updates and new dlc coming, and there is plenty of content and loads of things for you to do. The community on pve servers is also one of the best communities out there, and when you have lots of high tech resources you can transfer to aA truly immersive and amazing game. I have often spent what i thought was a couple hours but turned out to be a full day on this game. There are always updates and new dlc coming, and there is plenty of content and loads of things for you to do. The community on pve servers is also one of the best communities out there, and when you have lots of high tech resources you can transfer to a pvp world to give yourself an extra edge.

    I played the game from Alpha release and back then there was a number of bugs and not a lot of content. I remember how exited i was when they introduced Argentinians into the game, and then T-Rex. Since then the game has significantly improved since a couple of years ago, and i would definitely recommend this game to others.

    The graphics are extremely good in my opinion and it runs very well on a good gaming pc.

    Wildcard also has a very good attention to detail, like for instance if you look at the dinos in the eye they blink and look around. It works very well on dinos like the Kracken.

    On the side of dinos there is plenty of dinos to make the game interesting (over 200) and they are adding more and more.    … Expand
  27. erdogfu96
    Feb 9, 2020
    7
    I am playing this game from beta. Where to start. I won't speak about my experiences on beta. It is much more optimised now. You can give this game a chance. But there is problems and pros of the game.

    First of all the games graphics are very good. Atmosphere and textures are well on ultra settings and better than all games in the steam store. It is not only realistic, but it is also    I am playing this game from beta. Where to start. I won't speak about my experiences on beta. It is much more optimised now. You can give this game a chance. But there is problems and pros of the game.

    First of all the games graphics are very good. Atmosphere and textures are well on ultra settings and better than all games in the steam store. It is not only realistic, but it is also beautiful. It is very different type of game and gameplay is very good for that.

    Problems are about server system. There is servers with PVP or PVE settings. PVP servers are unplayable. You can transfer your character to another server easily but server need to be played for 30 days and it makes pvp servers unplayable for new players. Old players ruining every server by going there and dominating with robotic guns in everywhere. And you can challange with them. Also there is trolls and it is ruining the topic. The forgotten topic is "survival game".

    PVE is well and enjoying but becoming pointless after playing for 50 hours. It is turning into building simulator but not survival game.

    There is hardcore servers that makes it survival game and if your character dies in there you lost all. It is good for survival game but also boring in this game. Because ark is so buggy and servers are tresh so you cannot play in hardcore servers without free deaths.

    You can create server by money and play with your friends in there with LAG

    You can create server in your own computer. But it is... burning your own computer also.

    Another problem is character skeleton, it is unrealistic.

    Another problem is character types. You can't customise it so it makes this worse than stereotypes of this game like "Conan"

    Graphics 8/10
    Sounds 9/10
    Gameplay: 6/10
    Stability: 3/10    … Expand
  28. quietgrave
    Aug 20, 2021
    5
    An amazing game overseen by narcissistic nihilists that want nothing to do with it. Good gameplay when everything works right, although there are a LOT of concessions made in terms of its stability. The best way this game can be described is that it's sardines: An acquired taste you either love or hate, if you haven't fallen in love by the 2-hour mark, refund it. The support for the gameAn amazing game overseen by narcissistic nihilists that want nothing to do with it. Good gameplay when everything works right, although there are a LOT of concessions made in terms of its stability. The best way this game can be described is that it's sardines: An acquired taste you either love or hate, if you haven't fallen in love by the 2-hour mark, refund it. The support for the game is circling the drain, soon its only official servers will be basic PvE. The developers will abandon it like they've done with literally every other game they've ever made.… Expand
  29. Brodmaar
    Dec 17, 2020
    7
    Gamers: You should optimize your game!
    Ark Devs: xd
    Gamers: Or fix physics and collisions?
    Ark Devs: lol, nope

    But I had fun ;)
  30. gelbiii
    Jan 30, 2021
    7
    ark ist ein gutes game aber mit den bugs mashes machts einfach kein bock ich war auf eu.crossark aberation alpha tribe aber es war unspiel bar weil die commnity so wie die mashes alles kaput macht ich war fast alpha in smalltribe und da wars genau so aber 2016 hatte es nicht so viele bugs.
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Awards & Rankings

22
#22 Most Discussed PC Game of 2017
72
#72 Most Shared PC Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. PC PowerPlay
    Nov 12, 2017
    70
    Specialises in trick shots before mastering the fundamentals. Deeply flawed, but hard to ignore. [Issue#267, p.58]
    Read full review
  2. DarkStation
    Oct 9, 2017
    70
    Like so many survival/crafting games, from Minecraft to Subnautica, ARK presupposes a player with a lot of time to dedicate to the experience, a high tolerance for repetition, and a fondness for chaos and the unexpected. With its sci-fi inflected single player campaign, ARK at least offers a solo player the chance to get the gist of the game without the threat of anti-social humans ruining whatever progress has been made. For the past two years, ARK has been helping to shape the genre and now that it's finished, it feels like the genre is due for the next stage of evolution.
    Read full review
  3. Games Master UK
    Oct 6, 2017
    85
    It'll delight you, it'll make you despair, but ultimately Ark will leave you with a real sense of satisfaction. [Nov 2017, p.76]
See all critic reviews »