ARK: Survival Evolved

 Switch
User Score
2.8

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 75 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 75
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 75
  3. Negative: 55 out of 75
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  1. youthcats
    Dec 17, 2018
    9
    The game is ugly, but far from "unplayable." I have played 70+ hours between single player and online in both handheld and docked mode. Runs about as smoothly as the XB1 and PS4 ports, but with the necessary visual downgrades. The draw distance is low, textures are blurry, and lighting/shadows are pretty bad. It is pretty jarring at first, but I got used to it pretty quickly. The map takesThe game is ugly, but far from "unplayable." I have played 70+ hours between single player and online in both handheld and docked mode. Runs about as smoothly as the XB1 and PS4 ports, but with the necessary visual downgrades. The draw distance is low, textures are blurry, and lighting/shadows are pretty bad. It is pretty jarring at first, but I got used to it pretty quickly. The map takes about 3 minutes to load and it sometimes takes a few tries to log-on to the server. Aside from some minor gripes, there is a great time to be had here. Ark is an incredibly-deep open-world crafting survival adventure game with a virtually-endless amount of content and more DLC to come. If you've been waiting for a proper survival game to come to the Switch, don't let the bad reviews dissuade you. You'll likely have a smoother experience on other platforms, but the portability is worth the graphical compromises.… Expand
  2. jcice773
    Dec 13, 2018
    10
    Its a good game on a bad system for this kind of game. Still fun . Graphics might be bad, but its the same game as the other versions.
  3. CEPR
    Dec 16, 2018
    10
    El mejor port de la historia, gracias Jino por dar a conocer esta joya, una obra maestra. ¡Sólo mira esos gráficos, esa estabilidad, esa resolución, ese precio! ¿Cómo dudais de este juego? Es candidato a GOTY 2019.
  4. SaltehTSS
    Aug 2, 2019
    8
    This was ( pretty much ) my first time playing Ark. I didn't like the mobile version, and this was the 3rd switch game I ever got. I've always been watching gameplay, which made me want to play it. When I found out that many people didn't like this version, I was still thankful that I got it.
  5. BiggestFurret
    Jun 9, 2022
    9
    Despite crashing once when I tried to start the Dragon Boss, the lone fact ARK can run on such faulty hardware is a miracle.
  6. Ohwy
    Jun 19, 2021
    8
    Good Game in general, but a horrible port to match it was not needed with choppy graphics.
  7. Loncia
    Dec 18, 2022
    9
    The massive overhaul some months ago completely changed the game for the better by a long shot. Graphics are actually good, it is getting up to date with the other versions, and gameplay is doable and fun now. There are some minor bugs but nothing game-breaking (in regards to dedicated servers and single-player only since that's what I play on). It's a proper good port with an actualThe massive overhaul some months ago completely changed the game for the better by a long shot. Graphics are actually good, it is getting up to date with the other versions, and gameplay is doable and fun now. There are some minor bugs but nothing game-breaking (in regards to dedicated servers and single-player only since that's what I play on). It's a proper good port with an actual active and attentive dev team behind it. I give it an 8.7.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

91
#91 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
29

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 12
  3. Negative: 11 out of 12
  1. Gaming Age
    Feb 21, 2019
    0
    Even if this were the most balanced game ever, even if it made picking it up and playing a breeze — ARK: Survival Evolved would still be a strong contender for the worst game on the Switch. It looks like garbage and it plays even worse, and no matter how great the intentions behind it or what crazy ambition it shows, there’s no reason why anyone should willingly seek it out and play it.
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  2. Switch Player
    Feb 11, 2019
    20
    Set in a Utopian island inhabited by dinosaurs, ARK: Survival Evolved engages the player on a survival gameplay loop that could have been as engaging as it is punitive – if it wasn’t plagued by so many technical issues.
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  3. Cubed3
    Jan 18, 2019
    20
    Is this the worst game on the Switch? It is very close. Ark: Survival Evolved is easily the most poorly converted game on the system, which makes it feel like it could be the worst. If things worked and it didn't look like computer generated vomit, it might have been an average survival game at best. Nothing would distinguish itself. It is unfortunate that the one aspect it has that makes it stand out is just how much of a porting disaster it has proven to be.
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