When it comes to great survival games, Ark Survival Evolved has been a particular fan favorite since its release back in 2015, likely due to the iconic feature in the game, dinosaurs. Now we look to the future, and on the horizon, fans are patiently waiting for the arrival of ARK 2.
But when will ARK 2 be released, and what do we know about it so far? To answer those questions, we've compiled everything we know so far regarding ARK 2 below, such as the release date window, trailer, gameplay, and much more.
Update on 8 March 2023 - This article was updated and checked for the latest 'ARK 2' news and leaks.
Latest ARK 2 News & Leaks
Stay tuned as we should learn a lot more about ARK 2 in 2023.
Jeremy Stieglitz from Studio Wildcard has recently explained that they are "not quite ready" to show ARK 2 gameplay just yet. Guess we will have to wait until next year!
ARK 2 will likely show up at The Game Awards 2022 with an official gameplay trailer.
Tune in the watch The Game Awards 2022 via the YouTube stream embedded below. It kicks off on 8 December at 7:30 PM ET / 4:30 PM PT and 9 December at 00:30 GMT.
A 31 January 2023 release date is making the rounds as a rumor/leak for ARK 2. However, don't be fooled, as the stores these leaks originate from are likely placeholders.
The world we will be exploring is called Arat. There's also a bunch of human enemies called the Aratai who will hunt you down. Check out YouTuber WesNemo's video below showcasing some new gameplay details and the word of ARK 2.
ARK 2 Release Date Window & Speculation
At the time of writing, there is no official confirmed release date for ARK 2, but in this article, you’ll find all (if any) information that the developer shared, as well as some speculation from Ginx on when we could see it launch.
The release date for ARK 2 was initially set for 2022, but during the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase in 2022, it was announced that the game would be postponed to some time in 2023.
This is likely due to the unexpected pandemic that took the world by storm and delayed many projects for companies worldwide.
With no other official information from the developers now, we suggest you don't hold your hopes up for a release until late 2023 at the earliest. It's also possible that this game will have an early access period, just like the original ARK.
One thing we're looking forward to once Ark 2 releases is that Vin Diesel will play the hero character, Santiago. For those unfamiliar with the overarching plot, Santiago is a clone of the ARK: Survival Evolved player-character Santiago da Costa.
Studio Wildcard promises that we'll learn more about the character when he appears in the upcoming Ark: The Animated Series in 2022.
Ark 2 Trailers
In December 2020, the Game Awards stage saw the world premiere of the Ark 2 announcement/reveal trailer. Although the ARK 2 reveal trailer was entirely captured in-engine, Studio Wildcard has since confirmed that development has shifted to Unreal Engine 5, which undoubtedly made it look even better, as we'll see later.
While there is no gameplay in this reveal trailer, it sets the tone for the upcoming sandbox, reveals some famous faces joining the production, and hints at some of the new features we can expect when ARK 2 is released.
The following trailer for ARK 2 was released at E3 2022 and fully captured in the new Unreal 5 engine, and as we mentioned, it looks visually stunning. Despite no gameplay in this trailer, it establishes the tone for the game's plot, which takes place in a world ravaged by intense battles and conflict.
And though every day is still a struggle in a world with dinosaurs running rampant, thankfully, Vin Diesel's character and his daughter are prepared with their own pet T-Rex that is armored in bone. So at the very least, the trailer has given us a lot to look forward to in Ark 2.
ARK 2 Gameplay
Although no direct Ark 2 gameplay has been released, developer Studio Wildcard has given us some small teases regarding what we can expect. Originally, Ark 2 was supposed to be similar to its predecessor, essentially a "sandbox survival experience," but things have deviated from this original idea.
Ark 2 will instead feature what they call "Souls-like melee combat," in which you can target-lock, block, dodge, pull off combos, staggers, and even special attacks. To build on this, Ark 2 will now feature a first-person and third-person game, which is a significant change, but it will assist with both the new traversal techniques and the new combat systems.
Plenty of RPG components will be present in Ark 2, primarily in the form of leveling up and progressing through a skill tree with various abilities, parks, and buffs. The world will also now function more dynamically, with events happening regardless of your involvement and giving you options to interact with them and gain the rewards if you choose.
Regarding enemies, the Atarai is a brand-new enemy race in the game that can mount their dinosaurs and attack players from the ground, making them potentially very lethal. So while we don't know what this looks like in practice, we're excited to see more examples of gameplay in Ark 2.
Ark 2 - Pre Order
There are no pre-orders available anywhere as of yet since the release window is the entirety of 2023. However, if PC users want to get a jump on the competition, they can add the game to their wishlist on Steam.
Additionally, it will be available on Game Pass when it launches, so if you have a subscription to that service, you will be able to play it right away. We'll let you know when true pre-orders open for everyone else.
Regarding platforms, unlike Ark: Survival Evolved, Ark 2 will be made available on consoles and computers simultaneously. However, according to Microsoft's website, Ark 2 will only be available for the Xbox Series X/S at the time of its console launch.
This suggests that gamers using the PlayStation 5 won't be able to play for a while. However, we know that there won't be an Xbox One or PlayStation 4 version of the game because it will only be released for PC and next-gen consoles.
