ARK: Survival Evolved

 PlayStation 4
User Score
5.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 365 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 138 out of 365
  2. Mixed: 69 out of 365
  3. Negative: 158 out of 365
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  1. SuperkenGaming
    Aug 31, 2017
    6
    ARK Survival Evolved
    Theres something here, but its half baked
    ARK Survival Evolved is out of BETA, but unfortunately it doesn’t quite feel like it.. Fair Warning im awful at survival games and they don’t keep my attention for long…so if youre looking for an in depth review on all the survival stuff, youre not going to get it here, As a casual survival game fan, Ark survival is    ARK Survival Evolved
    Theres something here, but its half baked
    ARK Survival Evolved is out of BETA, but unfortunately it doesn’t quite feel like it..
    Fair Warning im awful at survival games and they don’t keep my attention for long…so if youre looking for an in depth review on all the survival stuff, youre not going to get it here,
    As a casual survival game fan, Ark survival is probably the most half baked one ive played..
    The hardest part of this game is actually getting into a server…
    the server numbers don’t make sense as there are some with numbers way over the limit and others that say they are under the limit until you try to join it..
    but once you do find a server, this server is basically your home unless you want a fresh start..
    There are 2 modes you can play in… one having modern technology and one focusing on just primitive technology, but you choose an area to spawn in at ..all with different difficulties with your fresh character and you get to surviving…
    |Knowing how to survive is one thing..
    knowing how the game works is another because this post beta game has no proper tutorial to teach you the game. I had to go to youtube to learn how to pick up stones, im not even joking…
    I found myself doing this a lot when I ran into questions like how to tame a dinosaur..
    oh did I forget to mention dinosaurs..
    theres dinosaurs…
    This game is full of them but theyre not as cool as I thought they would be..
    Theyre essentially jerks that try to kill you while you collect sticks rocks and berries… .
    the game is a pretty steady evolution of equipment which is cool..
    youll level up as you craft, collect, and hunt.. and you can dump skill points into stats but you can also learn how to craft new items like fires to cook raw meat.. btw another youtube trip.. how do you start a fire…
    the higher level you are the better items you can craft and the better dinosaurs you can tame, ill save you the trip.;. you beat them until theyre unconscious and throw a saddle on them,...
    But as a survival game you have to manage your health, hydration, hunger, and body temperature…
    This is done by collecting berries, building shelter, hunting animals with the weapons you craft, or going for a swim..
    this was the coolest part is how easy not dying of thirst is here…
    finaly a survival game gets it.. let me just drown myself until im not thirsty anymore..
    it works in this game as it should…
    but there are pvp and pve servers.. there are other people running around, theyl lbuild huts and fires too, these items cant be destroyed as youre able to lock them, but you can squad up and join tribes.. or be a lone wolf like me cause youre awesome at surviving and you don’t need a tribe…
    theres no real task here… its just dumb fun of running around a map and try to build the coolest stuff you can, sort of like minecraft with none of the fun stuff but with dinosaurs…
    which again are here to kill you…
    when you die you have all of your blueprints and levels… and youre able to rush to your dead body fr your gear if you can remember where you died at.. but other players can pick your gear too so good luck…
    I see the good in this game, I can understand why people love it and how they can have fun within its world…
    of creating your own survival goals and setting out to accomplish them..
    but it’s a half baked game that still feels as though its in beta…
    I cant argue that this game isn’t fun.. but I can argue that there are plenty of better more polished survival games out there on console
    I give ARK Survival Evolved
    a 6/10    … Expand
  2. macscam
    Mar 2, 2020
    5
    Pros:
    1. Graphics are good (granted, most contemporary AAA games have amazing graphics, but for someone who's been 'out of the loop' for a while it still continually amazes me).
    2. Concept is good (dinosaur-themed survival/crafting). 3. Content is good (lots of detail in the stats and item attributes, neat animals, etc) 4. Gameplay is somewhat addictive - even though I died before    Pros:
    1. Graphics are good (granted, most contemporary AAA games have amazing graphics, but for someone who's been 'out of the loop' for a while it still continually amazes me).
    2. Concept is good (dinosaur-themed survival/crafting).
    3. Content is good (lots of detail in the stats and item attributes, neat animals, etc)
    4. Gameplay is somewhat addictive - even though I died before level 5 repeatedly and had no idea what I was doing, I was still laughing and wanting to play one more round).

    Cons:
    1. My main gripe is that the single player experience is terrible. There is no tutorial - just some screenshots that you can only access from the main menu. Even these screenshots are so terse that it's basically impossible to just "figure out" the game with them. It seems like it was designed with multiplayer in mind, and single player was just added as an afterthought (the single-player mode is the same as the multiplayer server except you are the only player). There's no plot, and no quests.
    2. It seems very grinding-oriented. Punching trees to get wood, and spamming Y button to pick hundreds of berries as you sprint through bushes? I would prefer a bit of a slowed-down farming experience.

    Summary: Game feels like it's very difficult to make any progress in without a massive time investment, which is quite a waste because they clearly put a lot of work into it. Would have been way better with a better tutorial / single-player experience and reduced reliance on grinding    … Expand
  3. ruaxxijun
    Dec 25, 2020
    7
    ARK Survival Evolved.
    Though what may seem like a waste of time, ARK survival evolved is one of THE greatest games ever. Having spent almost a full year on the game, and seeing multiple updates along the way, I can say that I've watched this game grow immensely. With an impressive panoramic view of the Jurassic World, combined with phenomenal survival-style gameplay, this game has kept me    ARK Survival Evolved.
    Though what may seem like a waste of time, ARK survival evolved is one of THE greatest games ever. Having spent almost a full year on the game, and seeing multiple updates along the way, I can say that I've watched this game grow immensely. With an impressive panoramic view of the Jurassic World, combined with phenomenal survival-style gameplay, this game has kept me and my pal busy throughout quarantine.

    Unfortunately, there was a major issue that I had personally come across in my time of ark; BUGS!!

    4/5 Story Arks INCLUDING the DLCs that I paid for were extremely buggy and unplayable. Some areas of the map were clearly unfinished, and to be very honest, were rushed. My Pal and I finished "The Island" and "Ragnarok", then proceeded to purchase the DLCs... WORST DECISION OF MY LIFE. The paid DLCs aren't cheap, so you would expect some high-quality gameplay. I can't stand by and let my fellow gamers make the same mistake.

    Aside from the bugs in this game, ARK Survival Evolved offers a great gaming experience. 7/10    … Expand
  4. Sevenfold71
    Sep 24, 2017
    5
    Un jeu avec vraiment beaucoup de potentiel et de très bonne idée. Grosse faune et flore, pas, mal de loot, de truc à construire. Une ambiance sonore relativement bonne. Mais le jeu est malheureusement injouable sur console, l'ergonomie global du jeu laisse vraiment à désirer et je pense que vous mettrez pas longtemps à vous tirez les cheveux. La faute à un mappage de touche extrêmement malUn jeu avec vraiment beaucoup de potentiel et de très bonne idée. Grosse faune et flore, pas, mal de loot, de truc à construire. Une ambiance sonore relativement bonne. Mais le jeu est malheureusement injouable sur console, l'ergonomie global du jeu laisse vraiment à désirer et je pense que vous mettrez pas longtemps à vous tirez les cheveux. La faute à un mappage de touche extrêmement mal choisi, et le guide de survie vraiment mal fichu, ça reste jouable juste si on avance et qu'on récupère nos matière nécessaire à la construction.
    Bon point en ce qui concerne l'évolution du perso avec les points de compétences et la création des games personnalisables.
    Graphiquement également pas ouf sur PS4 même si cela peut être excusé via la taille de la Map et la durée de vie du jeu qui enfaîte ne ce fini qu'une fois que vous en avez marre. Pour résumer le jeu est bon mais sur PC, le portage console est vraiment moyen d'ou ma note de 5/10    … Expand
  5. fasher2cool
    Jun 17, 2020
    7
    it's hard to play this kind of games in ps4 but i have a lot of fun while playing it solo and with my friend
  6. INU4SH4
    Jun 22, 2020
    6
    I won't lie. I played this game for possibly over 800 hours. The gameplay was quite addictive but terrible. I never really played in official servers so I cannot comment on that but I used to mess around with a few friends on private servers we created. The single-player experience is also decent at times.

    Vast variety of creatures to tame, places to explore and stuff to build but Ark    I won't lie. I played this game for possibly over 800 hours. The gameplay was quite addictive but terrible. I never really played in official servers so I cannot comment on that but I used to mess around with a few friends on private servers we created. The single-player experience is also decent at times.

    Vast variety of creatures to tame, places to explore and stuff to build but Ark just has the worst AI, most repetitive combat, and thousands of glitches.    … Expand
  7. Volsyden
    Apr 29, 2019
    5
    I gotta say, this game was very time consuming. This game is a leech on life, it requires you to consistanly watch your stuff... so if you got a job like i do and a life this game keeps you logged in and people steal or kill all your stuff all the time. Other than that (wich is the game pretty much) building and taming your dinos for war is actually pretty cool. now that i play withI gotta say, this game was very time consuming. This game is a leech on life, it requires you to consistanly watch your stuff... so if you got a job like i do and a life this game keeps you logged in and people steal or kill all your stuff all the time. Other than that (wich is the game pretty much) building and taming your dinos for war is actually pretty cool. now that i play with friends it seems it much easier to stay alive but this is still a brutal survival game. I would have given this a higher score but with the lag and the constant people glitch the game, such as DDOS your server or purposely causing roll backs, can get very annoying. there is a lot of cheaters in this game and with the lag spikes it generally makes it worse. if those issues were solved id rate this game a 7 or 8.… Expand
  8. Ullaa
    Jul 27, 2021
    7
    Good game, the only bad thing is the glitches awaiting to be fixed though other than that great game....
  9. Lord_F
    Sep 17, 2022
    7
    I love this game, its one of my favorite games of all time. However, its flaws are extremely apparent. Poor optimization, Busted PvP system and devs that are more focused on selling merchandise than fixing the game. I really hope they fix the games flaws. But with the final year of updates coming in, its not looking good. Even then, I highly recommend this game. I have met some of my bestI love this game, its one of my favorite games of all time. However, its flaws are extremely apparent. Poor optimization, Busted PvP system and devs that are more focused on selling merchandise than fixing the game. I really hope they fix the games flaws. But with the final year of updates coming in, its not looking good. Even then, I highly recommend this game. I have met some of my best friends on here and its such a good time despite the flaws.… Expand
  10. TheResistente
    Nov 12, 2017
    5
    As an idea, it's fine. The problem is how they execute it. The pros and cons are:

    Pros:
    -Visually beautiful

    Cons:
    -FPS low
    -Bugs
    -The way to "conquer" animals does not make sense

    Conclusion: I do not recommend this game at all. If you fix the problems you have can be a good game.
  11. Easyman
    Jul 31, 2018
    6
    It was fun while it lasted, until you realize... they’re never going to fix it!!
  12. Codofwisdom
    Jan 4, 2017
    7
    If you can't stand Lag, this game is not for you (currently). It can go from smooth running to borderline crashing in moments depending on how crowded an area is. If you can look past this (a big if), the game has a lot to offer. Practically all the content that was on the PC is here, including a more limited painting option (Can't paint the dinos themselves currently).
    If you haven't    If you can't stand Lag, this game is not for you (currently). It can go from smooth running to borderline crashing in moments depending on how crowded an area is. If you can look past this (a big if), the game has a lot to offer. Practically all the content that was on the PC is here, including a more limited painting option (Can't paint the dinos themselves currently).
    If you haven't played before, be prepared to die a lot in the beginning. This game does not treat you kindly until you can make a base of operations and get some friends.
    If you can get past the hazing of the start, you'll find a lot of options in terms of the games building and taming systems, as well as a wide variety of crafting options.
    The game is very Multi-player focused, with mid and end game items requiring more material than any one person can reasonably get.
    All in all, if you're looking for a challenging survival game, you could do much worse than giving ARK a look. Just be warned that, due to the nature of the game, it may never run at a smooth and consistent framerate.    … Expand
  13. Dal_ReviewedDat
    Feb 23, 2017
    7
    This is a 7, so close to a perfect 10.

    For £24, i was hoping for a good survival game in some jurassic park / Farcry mashup. I read reviews and was intreagued enough to give it a go. Last night i slept for just 2 hours. TWO HOURS. This game is much deeper than i expected, and ive barely touched the sides. ARK is either played out on The island or The Centre (Scorched Earth Dlc not    This is a 7, so close to a perfect 10.

    For £24, i was hoping for a good survival game in some jurassic park / Farcry mashup. I read reviews and was intreagued enough to give it a go. Last night i slept for just 2 hours. TWO HOURS. This game is much deeper than i expected, and ive barely touched the sides.

    ARK is either played out on The island or The Centre (Scorched Earth Dlc not played, yet). Two maps of mediocre size. Not the biggest, but as a living world it is impressive. These maps are 24/7 servers that are still playing whilst your asleep, meaning defence and forming Tribes becomes useful in PVP. This also is why im vey addicted to the game, as base building is a major part of surviving.
    First however, you create a character (very limited) and enter with just a pair of boxers on. ive not delved much into The Centre yet, as i wanted to learn a map well for PvP. Ive dabbled on unofficial servers in pvp, but my current character is a lvl 63 in PVE. Crafting and leveling, and lots of grinding is seriousoy rewarding in Ark. The early game is incredibly challenging, especially alone. In pvp people tend to group up for safety, but pve is usually a few well established groups of friends, and a lot of loners, as i was. Each server on the ps4 has a 70 capacity. Ive read tbat early days they had 80+ players in, causing crashes. My official pve server usually has 40/70 players on at any peak time and down to 20/70 in other. These low activity times are some of the best moments ive had in game, as the games huge flaw is lag time. The constant rendering of trees and dinosaurs often causes epic lag. It becomes part of the survival, getting used to it glitching back 5 seconds, its particularly tedious when on a boat. Theres a few AI glitches, but given the density of whats on screen, its acceptable. I think others like me that can see this being a longterm affair with Ark, theres hope in that the devs are relentlesly releasing updates. If they fix it, nothing would stop this being a 9 or 10. The graphics, when i saw the trailer, really didnt blow me away, mainly the buildings. What i didnt realise from the trailer are tribes build those towns in a minecraft style together.
    The freedom of how to play is brilliant in that you can train many different mounts, from sabres to t-rex or the meglo from the deep. You can train winged reptiles so large that you can make a portable base on their backs, same with some land and sea dinos. You can craft rafts and make ships from them, or build a perch top base on a mountain. But do expect a long grind to get what yoy want. This can be helped by using the dinos you train, which in itself is a slog to train the larger dinos (hours).
    The survival element hits the nail on the head flr fans. The map is large enough to get lost early game, and random respawns, a map that doesnt show where you actually are, or any landmarks as such, it really does start hard. This can be made outright impossible if you join a server that happens to be at mkdnight. In the pitch black, youll either fall to your death or more likely be eaten. Theres a nice horror element to nightime also. Resource crates come down from a beacon of light in the sky at night, inside could be a game changing tool or blueprint, but running over the hill with a naked flamed torch with dino snarls amongst the trees, it really does keep you on edge. In PVE/PVP mode, i also witnessed a played bludgeon another to death over a resource crate. Obviously with any mmo style game, community matters. So far, so good. Pvp is ruthless as desired, and pve often full of friendly neighbours.

    At half the price of a triple A title, and the fact this is deemed as "in beta" still, this game is excellent. If you can forgive its often shakey server performances, theres an epic challenge to have here, with potentially years in the community. In its current state though, half of gamers wont look past the lag. For me, ive loved it    … Expand
  14. Dex323
    Jul 21, 2020
    5
    Absolutely awesome and then you come online after months of work and find somebody has taken it all. ROFL
  15. clanky9
    Jun 15, 2021
    6
    This game is enjoyable only with friends in offline mode. Online mode sucks community is toxic and everybody tries to kill you with no reasons. This is not GTA V!
  16. ShakesBeer
    Dec 29, 2020
    5
    An awesome premise that is unfortunately ruined by unforgivable bugs and glitches. Despite losing much of my progress over and over and over again, I powered through for about 20-30 hours. I finally had to put it down after a major bug caused me to lose much of what I had built. And there are serious issues in the game design itself for solo players causing you to need to dedicate 100s ofAn awesome premise that is unfortunately ruined by unforgivable bugs and glitches. Despite losing much of my progress over and over and over again, I powered through for about 20-30 hours. I finally had to put it down after a major bug caused me to lose much of what I had built. And there are serious issues in the game design itself for solo players causing you to need to dedicate 100s of hours to assembling all the materials necessary to get to the top of the tech chain and assemble a collection of top dinos. Not very respectful of players' time. I hope they fix all of the above for the sequel.… Expand
  17. M1tbus
    Jan 26, 2021
    7
    One of the best survival games but the Performance is bad. On Ps4 Pro its ok if you take the right settings. there lot of bugs, but the gamebraking bugs a mostly patched. If you like Survival Games, try it, but grab it on sale.
  18. xlostpunkfoundx
    Dec 11, 2016
    5
    This is an Early Access (re: INCOMPLETE) title on Steam for PC which was ported to the PS4. You give the Developers money to play the unfinished game and they will update it over time. Rather than providing this as a Beta or Demo, the only option for playing as of the time of this writing is the $54.99 Surviors Pack Bundle.
  19. dickdastardly41
    Apr 5, 2023
    6
    My opinion on this game is mixed. It is very beautiful, but the requirements to see these are ridiculous. Additionally, the game is soul-crushingly difficult at times. However, I have had an overall positive experience with the game.
  20. tensioly
    Jun 6, 2023
    6
    El ARK Survival Evolved es uno de los mejores juegos de supervivencia, pero el problema más grave de esta versión de PS4 es sin duda su rendimiento. Los fps bajos, la latencia constante, la baja calidad visual y su injugable modo de pantalla dividida, además de la mala interfaz y las físicas poco realistas, hace que el juego sea complicado de jugar en consola. Quitando esos fallos de estaEl ARK Survival Evolved es uno de los mejores juegos de supervivencia, pero el problema más grave de esta versión de PS4 es sin duda su rendimiento. Los fps bajos, la latencia constante, la baja calidad visual y su injugable modo de pantalla dividida, además de la mala interfaz y las físicas poco realistas, hace que el juego sea complicado de jugar en consola. Quitando esos fallos de esta versión, el juego es un buen juego por lo que si realmente de gusta te puedes acabar acostumbrando a estos problemas y puede acabar siendo una divertida experiencia. El juego posee unas muy buenas mecánicas, unas criaturas con un fantástico nivel de detalle, una música memorable y una jugabilidad muy divertida. Recomiendo jugar este juego online y sobre todo con amigos, ya que la experiencia mejora exponencialmente. Una pena la versión de PS4, que podría haber sido mucho mejor y podría haber exaltado mucho más las cualidades de este buen juego. 5,5/10
    (05/2020)    … Expand
  21. Truthsayer93
    Apr 3, 2022
    6
    It could be so much better but they just added more stuff on top of it. Besides that its a really fun and addicting game. The official servers are trash though.
  22. Samuel64
    Nov 25, 2022
    5
    This game is not very good in terms of quality. The visuals are mediocre, and there are bugs and glitches galore. However, it is still an enjoyable game. There is a lot of content to experience, and the game is pretty fun, especially with friends. Despite its downsides, I’d say it’s worth getting.
  23. ExclusiveBaby
    Mar 2, 2023
    6
    fun every now & then but eventually gets boring due to how repetitive it is, and lots and lots of bugs.
  24. TheGvH
    Aug 21, 2023
    5
    Ark: Survival Evolved offers a highly creative survival experience, enriched by updates that introduce new creatures and structures to craft and enjoy. These additions breathe life into the game, enhancing its overall appeal. However, the uncertainty surrounding potential delisting casts a shadow over the experience. The looming changes create a sense of unease, detracting from theArk: Survival Evolved offers a highly creative survival experience, enriched by updates that introduce new creatures and structures to craft and enjoy. These additions breathe life into the game, enhancing its overall appeal. However, the uncertainty surrounding potential delisting casts a shadow over the experience. The looming changes create a sense of unease, detracting from the enjoyment and investment players might otherwise experience. While the core creativity of the game is admirable, the unsettling future prospects lower the overall score. If the game's fate was more certain, Ark: Survival Evolved could offer an even more immersive and enjoyable adventure.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

36
#36 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2017
48
#48 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. Digitally Downloaded
    Oct 25, 2017
    70
    Like a lot of of titles in this genre, Ark: Survival Evolved has a steep learning curve and requires quite the time - and possibly financial - investment. But once you get into the rhythm of it, the endless need to survive, set against the simple satisfaction of slowly building up your capacity to do so, makes this a game that could well turn into a hobby for you, all in itself.
    Read full review
  2. Meristation
    Sep 27, 2017
    70
    ARK: Survival Evolved is a complete survival experience. It could be a little frustrating at the beginning, but once you learn the mechanics and get used to the gameplay, the player has multiple options to develop their characters and enjoy the beautiful but dangerous open world created by Studio Wildcard. However, the console interface isn't intuitive enough, and the performance isn't perfect, with some framerate issues. Even so, it´s very enjoyable to interact with the wild creatures living in this prehistoric island.
    Read full review
  3. GamingTrend
    Sep 20, 2017
    70
    If you have friends, Ark: Survival Evolved is a fun survival game, with options such as PvP or PvE servers to make every player happy. If you primarily play alone, however, this game will require a heavy set of grinding and repetition, turning off any players hoping to just get a taste of some dinosaur action.
    Read full review
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