Ark 2 has disappeared from view. The highly anticipated upcoming survival game was announced over two years ago, with developer Studio Wildcard promising massive overhauls to the series' core systems and declines.
While we had been anticipating a late 2024 release we are now left hoping that the next set of Ark 2 news we receive comes with a 2025 date and a fresh look at gameplay. The reason we are so keen to see more? That probably has something to do with Ark 2 being the sequel to one of the best survival games, with this new experience promising a massive expansion on the foundations of its predecessor.
It certainly doesn't hurt that Vin Diesel is on board as an executive producer and set to play a leading role in the Ark 2 story. So, while we wait for more info, keep reading to find everything we know so far about Ark 2.
Ark 2 release date remains TBC
There is no Ark 2 release date or release window confirmed. It was widely expected that the new survival game would launch late 2024, although that period has come and gone without an update from Studio Wildcard.
It's now believed that Ark 2 will arrive as one of the new games for 2025, although this remains speculative and thanks to news of an upcoming expansion for Ark: Survival Ascended, 2026 seems more likely now.
According to a recent press release for Ark: Lost Colony, the new expansion "connects the storylines of Ark's Extinction and Genesis expansions and leads into the events of Ark 2." Lost Colony will be released in November this year and is the first expansion for Ark: Survival Ascended (aka the Unreal Engine 5 remake of the original Ark: Survival Evolved). For more information, you can watch the Ark: Lost Colony trailer below.
But, if you want to skip the teaser, the important information to keep in mind regarding the expansion is that Actor Auli'i Cravalho will appear as Meeka (Vin Diesel's character's daughter). With that in mind, since it’s meant to be the bridge to the new game, we're guessing that Lost Colony will have to be released first before Ark 2 launches.
That means we're looking at a potential 2026 release window rather than 2025. However, this is just speculation on our part, and we may get an announcement sooner rather than later. So, keep your eyes on this page for more details.
Ark 2 platforms
Ark 2 is one of the most anticipated upcoming PC games and upcoming Xbox Series X games, but there's also a window of console exclusivity to consider.
Ark 2 is a launch exclusive for Xbox Series X; Studio Wildcard announced this partnership with Microsoft Gaming alongside its reveal of the game. Ark 2 will also be added to the Xbox Game Pass list from day one.
Will Ark 2 come to PS5?
The question of whether Ark 2 will come to PS5 remains unanswered by developer Studio Wildcard, however it is only listed as a "console launch exclusive" for Xbox Series X. This means that Ark 2 will only be on PC and Xbox Series X for an undetermined amount of time, before coming to other platforms – such as the PS5.
Given that ARK: Survival Evolved found success on PS4, it wouldn't be all that surprising to see this sequel head to PlayStation once its exclusivity window with Xbox expires.
Ark 2 trailer
The first Ark 2 trailer was revealed in 2020, as part of The Game Awards. The Ark 2 reveal trailer was fully captured in-engine, though Studio Wildcard has since confirmed that development has moved to Unreal Engine 5.
While this reveal trailer doesn't feature any gameplay, it does set the tone of the upcoming sandbox, reveal some famous faces that are joining production, and hint at some of the new features we can expect to see when Ark 2 finally launches.
The Ark 2 trailer that dropped at E3 2022 though is captured in Unreal Engine 5 and looks utterly stunning. Although it's not gameplay, it sets the tone for the game's storyline, which takes place in a world long after a massive battle.
Of course, in a world filled with dinosaurs, every day is still a battle, but thankfully Vin Diesel's character and his daughter are ready with their very own pet T-Rex complete with bone armor.
Ark 2 development
Studio Wildcard is yet to confirm whether there will be an Ark 2 early access period, however it is worth noting the developer's history in this area. When Ark: Survival Evolved first released in 2015, it did so as a console launch exclusive in the Xbox Game Preview program.
This placement allowed Studio Wildcard to gain "valuable feedback from Xbox One players along the way before launching in August 2017."
Given that Microsoft Gaming has maintained a close relationship with Studio Wildcard. Ark: Survival Evolved was one of the first games to be optimized for both the Xbox One X in 2017 and the Xbox Series X in 2021, and the sandbox survival experience has remained a constant fixture in the Xbox Game Pass library since 2019.
If Ark 2 early access happens, it's likely the Xbox Game Preview program will be involved once again.
Ark 2 story
The Ark 2 story is set to take place after the events of Genesis: Part 2 – the fifth and final paid DLC expansion pack released for ARK: Survival Evolved in 2021 – on an unknown, alien planet.
While Studio Wildcard is yet to detail all that much around the Ark 2 story, we can begin to piece together some clues by looking at the Genesis: Part 2 ending. The expansion, which is set onboard a colossal colony vessel, ends as the Genesis Ship is ruptured in two.
One half (Rockwell's corrupted ring world) crashes into a gas planet, while the other is dormant in space. In Genesis: Part 2's closing moments, we see one of the Santiago clones wake up from stasis – just in time to be fired from the debris of the Genesis Ship towards a mysterious Earth-like planet. It's likely to be the planet Ark 2 is set on.
We also know that Ark: Lost Colony (the upcoming expansion for Ark: Survival Ascended) will have narrative links to Ark 2, featuring characters such as Santiago's daughter Meeka. So, we'll have a clearer idea on the future story once we get our hands on that in November this year.
Ark 2 Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel is set to star in Ark 2 as the hero character, Santiago. For those of you not keeping up-to-date with the overarching series story here, Santiago is a clone of the ARK: Survival Evolved player-character Santiago da Costa.
Fans can learn more about his character by watching the Ark: The Animated Series, which released its first set of episodes in 2024 on the streaming service Paramount Plus.
As for Vin Diesel's involvement, he actually holds the title of 'president of creative convergence' at Studio Wildcard. Now, we can't even begin to explain what that means, but Microsoft says that the Fast and The Furious star is a massive fan of the series, having logged over 1,000 hours in ARK: Survival Evolved.
Studio Wildcard CEO Doug Kennedy says Diesel is putting that experience to good use: "He understands the game intimately and is providing direct feedback to the development process."
Ark 2 gameplay
We are yet to see any direct Ark 2 gameplay, but developer Studio Wildcard has started to tease what we can expect. Originally, Ark 2 was set to be much like its predecessor, aka a 'sandbox survival experience' but things have changed somewhat.
In fact, Studio Wildcard is making big changes to core elements of play – including the addition of "Souls-like melee combat", with Wildcard CEO Doug Kennedy going so far as to say that Ark 2 will do "something which has never been done" in video games before.
As for that this Souls-like melee combat will look like – you'll be able to target-lock, block, dodge, pull off combos, staggers, and even special attacks.
Ark 2 will also have a heavier focus on primitive-only weaponry and "strict" third-person mechanics and character traversal systems – such as sliding, swinging, free-climbing, mantling, parkour, and more.
Ark 2 is set in a massive new alien environment of Arat – with the sequel taking place after the events of Genesis: Part 2 – which will offer up dynamic world events that happen independently to what you're up to.
The choice whether to interact with them will then yield their own rewards and challenges. You'll also be able to craft weapons and tools from various modules to design their look and functionality, making for millions of possible combos. Materials will also affect the look of these items too.
Ark 2 mods
Studio Wildcard also confirmed as part of its E3 2022 announcements that Ark 2 will feature mod.io's cross-platform mod and user-generated content support. What that means is that it will enable mods and UGC to function across PC and Xbox platforms.
"ARK 2's fully stackable, user-created mods will open the door for players to generate new dinosaur and creatures, items, and gameplay features, with maps distributed across all platforms — including onto Xbox — and support for modded servers, via mod.io!" reads the developer's statement.
While you wait for more info on Ark 2, why not jump into one of the best dinosaur games.
