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The excitement surrounding the Ark 2 release date, its story, and more has steadily been building ever since the game was initially revealed back at the 2020 Game Awards. Featuring none other than Fast & Furious star Vin Diesel in the leading role, the opening showcase gave viewers a look at the features and creatures that could be expected in the sequel.
Unfortunately, the series’ loyal fan base has been let down after the developers revealed that the game’s launch would be heavily delayed. Now that it’s been pushed back, players can’t help but wonder when they can expect the long-awaited sequel. Here’s what we know so far about the Ark 2 release date.
Ark 2 release date speculation
The Ark 2 release date is expected to be in 2024. Game developer Studio Wildcard revealed the decision in a community post on the official Ark website in March 2023, stating that the delay to the game was made to provide the best product they can to players through the study and use of Unreal Engine 5. As of October 2023, we still haven’t heard anything concrete from the developers.
“We’ve put much thought into delaying ARK 2 for the betterment of the final product and the team’s well-being,” Studio Wildcard wrote. “This news will be disappointing to many – we feel it too – but we’re confident this heavy decision is the right one. So why the delay? Our goal is to make ARK 2 the best game it can be and provide a truly exceptional and rewarding experience for players.”
Many had been looking forward to the sequel being released in 2023 since this was the window that was announced during the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase of 2022.
Similar to the first game, we expect it to go through an early access period, which is what the new 2024 release date is likely referring to.
Ark 2 trailers
We’ve had a few trailers for Ark 2. Of course, there was the cinematic reveal trailer that we saw back in 2020 at The Game Awards.
More recently, we’ve seen some extra footage expanding on story and setting at the Xbox & Bethesda showcase in 2022.
Ark 2 gameplay
The base experience is looked to follow the groundwork laid out by the first game but develop on it significantly. While at heart, we know that Ark 2 will still be a sandbox survival experience, what little we have on gameplay at the moment suggests that most of the changes will expand on and improve the systems from the first game. For example, we know that the sequel promises “advanced character traversal mechanics” including mantling, parkour, and swinging. With this in mind, it’s shaping up to be a much more advanced game than its predecessor.
Ark 2 story
As well as the voice and likeness of the actor who plays Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy, Ark 2 also promises a new epic story and a new alien environment to explore. Set after the events of Genesis: Part 2 – the final DLC expansion for the first Ark Survival Evolved game, the story will follow a clone of Santiago, played by Vin Diesel, on a new alien planet.
Ark 2 platforms
Ark 2 will be coming out on PC on launch. Since Xbox is helping to publish the game, it’ll also come out on Xbox Series X/S, being an exclusive for the console, at least. This partnership also means that the game will be available on launch at no extra cost to Game Pass subscribers, which is a great bonus for those on the service. There have also been promises of cross-platform modding between the PC and Xbox versions.
Hopefully, we’ll get to hear more about the game soon. With its release now set for 2024, we can expect to see a bit more footage and glean a bit more of an insight into the game later down the road in 2023. We’ll be sure to keep you updated as we learn more.
Will Ark 2 be free?
While the first Ark Survival Evolved is now free-to-play, Ark 2 will be a paid-for experience. We’re expecting it to cost the standard AAA fee of $60.
Will Ark 2 be first-person?
Ark 2 is a third-person game and will feature “Souls-like combat”, which means it sounds vastly different from the first game.
