Studio Wildcard has finally updated players on what to expect in the future forArk: Survival Ascended.Ascendedwill reach its second anniversary in October 2025, and while it has been a rough road, it has largely accomplished its goal of being a technical upgrade forSurvival Evolved. This has come with many other new features like premium mods, creature packs, and DLC add-ons. Though some of these topics have been highly debated on their benefit to the franchise.
The prehistoric survival title recently released the beloved andcontent-richExtinctionDLC, which provided the first glimpses ofArk’s future. Initially,Ark 2was to be released years ago, with numerous delays pushing it back to late 2024. However, there was no information about the game’s release as this date quickly approached. Given that the end of the year has passed, a new roadmap has been shown, and no official new date has been set, the status ofArk 2is hidden.
Ark: Survival Ascended’s Planned Content For 2025
A Welcomed New Story
2025 will be a big year forAscendedand is arguably a make-or-break period for the franchise.Everything starts in March whenASAwill upgrade to Unreal Engine 5.5. The main piece of this upgrade is improving performance, which has arguably been the biggest problem of the upgrade. It is unlikely it drastically improves things, but it may open the door for more players or at least a cleaner experience. The second piece of this is thatAscendedwill have all the DLCs separated, so players can choose to uninstall the undesired maps for more storage space.
After that,2025 will see the return of the popular Ragnarok and Valguero maps. These are not canonical parts ofArk’s story but are fun and creative maps to experience for the first time or inASA’s updated fashion. These maps will also come with two new free creatures and two new Fantastic Tame creature packs. There will also be a new premium map added in June, which, while paid for, could be extremely fun. Many ofArk: Survival Ascended’s best premium modscan be game-changing and worth the price tag.
However, the biggest part of 2025 will be theLost Colonyexpansion in November. Not much is known about this DLC, butit will be largely story-based and used to fill in the gaps betweenExtinctionandGenesis. This story will also be relevant wheneverArk 2is released, which is also the only confirmation given thatArk 2has not yet been canceled.
Ark: Survival Ascended’s Planned Content For 2026
Wrapping Up The Recap
2026 will be a smaller year numbers-wise but will likely have just as much impact on the franchise.The big releases will be parts one and two ofGenesis. These maps are some of the most important parts of the franchise and could have even more clues about whereArk 2is going. Because they make up most of 2026 and are being released afterLost Colony, there is a chance new features will be added.
The other map planned for 2026 is the non-canon Fjordur. This is another Norse-inspired map that adds unique and creative ways to experienceAscended.Fjordur will also have the only free new creature of the year, with the rest coming from three Fantastic Tame additions. Mini-DLC packs will also return in 2026 withBob’s True Talesparts one and two, likely to be loaded with tons of new items for players.
The last bits of the roadmap show plans for the Crystal Isles and Lost Island maps, but with no concrete dates. The likelihood here is 2027 since Fjordur is releasing in December 2026, but it could be moved ahead, delayed, or even canceled depending on the state ofAscendedandArk 2. Both of these maps would be fun additions to the game but could be done without, or delayed, if it meant moving on to the sequel sooner.
What Is The Status of Ark 2
Stuck In Delay Limbo
These recent announcements are both good and bad news for the status ofArk 2.SinceLost ColonyandGenesisare being put out,it means thatArk 2is still a plan. However, given the track of the roadmap, it likely won’t be out until 2027 at the earliest. This is somewhat concerning for a game that was supposed to be out years ago. It is meant to be a major upgrade for the franchise, so it is understandable it would take some time, but major delays of this length are worrying.
One possibility is whetherAscendedis causing the bulk of these delays. Originally,Ascendedwas only planned to be a remake for the first few mapsto hold over fans tillArk 2was ready, but it may now be the priority for Studio Wildcard. The game seems to still be making money, so it is not a failed effort, but reception could begin to turn the longer fans go without Ark 2. There is also a chanceArk 2is being simplified to fit into the current title, meaning thefranchise would continue withArk: Survival Ascended.
At this point,it seems unlikelyArk 2gets canceled, but the possibility does exist. The flip side to this is, with the amount of years the game has, it should be released in the best state it could. Some bugs are to be expected, but launching with a lack of content or direction could spell doom for the franchise. This is why this roadmap is a high-risk-high-reward situation for Studio Wildcard.
Overall, the future ofArklooks promising but has to be taken with some caution. Delays are never fun, and ones that go on for this long usually spell doom for games. There is a chance much of the hype forArk 2is gone by the time it releases, which could be a reason to have the game ready sooner rather than later. The ideal launch currently would be early 2027 so it can followGenesis, and the two other maps forArk: SurvivalAscendedcould get pushed back.
Ark: Survival Ascended
ARK: Survival Ascended is a reimagined version of the 2017 action-adventure survival MMORPG by the developers at Studio Wildcard and Grove Street Games. Built in Unreal Engine 5, players will return to ARK to build tribes, fight and tame dinosaurs, and brave the elements as they battle to survive in a unique sandbox where crafting and resource management is essential.
