Upon its full release in 2017, ARK: Survival Evolved received mixed reviews from critics but it gained quite the following. Additionally, with the ability to add some crazy unique mods, one of my favorite things to do in the game, it really took off!
The recent release of its remaster, ARK: Survival Ascended, adds a new aspect to the game’s legacy. In this article, I’m going to go over everything you need to know to decide if ARK: Survival Evolved is still worth it in 2024.
Current State of ARK: Survival Evolved
Since its release, ARK: Survival Evolved has seen remarkable growth and transformation. We got 12 DLCs for the game, some free and some paid, as well as new creatures! However, it was known amongst fans that its optimization was not great and you needed a pretty beefy gaming PC to get it to run smoothly.
However, Studio Wildcard has released a remaster of the game, ARK: Survival Ascended. The game is better optimized and has better graphics breathing new life into the ARK universe. Studio Wildcard will no longer be updating ARK: Survival Evolved since they’re putting all of their focus on the remake.
Gameplay Experience
ARK: Survival Evolved became so popular because of the unique and immersive open world that it offered. There was no game like it! The ARKs have over 80 unique dinosaur species for you to encounter, each with its own behaviors and characteristics.
Depending on the map you choose, you can explore forests, mountains, or oceans and uncover the hidden secrets of each ARK. As you survive, you gain new knowledge and can craft more advanced tools and items. There are even tech items but I won’t say anything else, I don’t want to spoil anything!
This tracks for both the original and the remake but I would like to mention that there will be no official ARK: Survival Evolved servers going forward. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t play, unofficial servers and single-player will still be available.
Performance and Technical Considerations
While ARK is an amazing game, if you’re looking for something that will run well and have consistent updates. You’re better off going with Ark: Survival Ascended. ARK: Survival Evolved is not as well optimized as the remake and will not have any updates going forward because the developer is focusing on the remake.
You can check out the minimum requirements for the game on Steam, but players have reported that the game is not playable even with the minimum requirements. While the remake is having some hiccups the performance is considered better overall.
Longevity and Replayability
At this point ARK: Survival Evolved does not have much when it comes to longevity. However, it does have great replayability! Will you get a lot out of the base game? Sure, but it’s important to keep in mind with paid DLC and no more updates it will likely get stale after a while.
Now, this could be a different story if you pay for the DLCs but I don’t recommend it. While the base game is currently only $15, each DLC is $15 apiece. Even if you go for the ultimate survivor edition, which includes all DLCs, you’re paying $35.
For only $10 more you can get Ark: Survival Ascended, and all of its DLC for free. This is the SAME DLC as Evolved. You get a better-performing and better-looking game as well as consistent updates and new content specific to the remaster only.
It’s important to note that developers are currently remaking all of the DLC so not all of them are released yet. You can currently play The Island and Scorched Earth, The Center was delayed and is supposed to launch on June 3rd, 2024.
Check out the Ark: Survival Ascended Roadmap for a complete timeline and release dates.
The Choice is Yours
ARK: Survival Evolved is a great game, in fact, it’s my favorite game! It holds a special place in my heart and we wouldn’t have Ascended without it. Unfortunately, in my opinion, it’s not worth purchasing in 2024, with the remake being available.
However, the choice is yours. If you don’t want to wait for all of the DLCs to be remade in Ark: Survival Ascended and don’t care about missing out on official servers, ARK: Survival Evolved may be perfect for you!
For More Great Content
If you liked this, check out our Gaming content here!
Total Apex is an all-encompassing content producer. We provide heavily-detailed articles every day on entertainment, gaming, sports, and so much more! Check out all our great sports content Total Apex Sports. Check us out on X @TotalApexEandG and our other sites: Total Apex Entertainment, Total Apex Gaming, Total Apex Sports Bets, and Total Apex Fantasy Sports. For more articles by Brianna Goulet, click here!
