Uploaded June 2015 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago

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Today I take a look at the current version of ARK: Survival Evolved. I go over the basics and explain the different mechanics in the game and of course ask the question: Is it worth it?

Is it worth it? Yes - if you enjoy difficult survival games that rely on teamwork.

Main points:
- Dinosaurs that you can tame and ride (amazing!).
- Crafting, building, painting.
- It is a difficult game to start out (read up on the wiki to learn about the different aspects of the game).
- It can be very grindy.
- Highly recommended to play with a group of people.
- It can be a ton of fun.
- It's in development by very capable developers (updates almost daily and they really listen to the community).
- Public, developer-supported servers as well as private dedicated servers available.

Game Description:

As a man or woman stranded naked, freezing and starving on the shores of a mysterious island called ARK, you must hunt, harvest resources, craft items, grow crops, research technologies, and build shelters to withstand the elements. Use your cunning and resources to kill or tame the leviathan dinosaurs and other primeval creatures roaming the land, and team up with or prey on hundreds of other players to survive, dominate... and escape!

The following features are in the game on its Day-1 Early Access release. We have many more aspects and refinements planned for the long-term development roadmap, and here's what you get to experience right now in ARK:
- Tame, train, and ride dinosaurs in a living ecosystem.
- Food, water, weather, and temperature.
- Harvest, build structures, and paint items.
- Plant, farm, and grow.
- Summon the ultimate life forms.
- Tribe system.
- RPG statistics.
- Hardcore mechanics.
- Explore and discover.
- Large-world persistence and meta-universe.
- Robust Steam workshop mod support.
- High-end next-gen visuals.

Pick up ARK: Survival Evolved on Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/346110