Is ARK: Survival Evolved Cross-Platform? 2024 (PS4, PS5, XBOX, PC)

While there are many open-world role-playing video games that you can play online with your friends and foes, none of them offer the exact same experience that ARK: Survival Evolved has.

The game quickly rose to popularity as soon as it was released due to the fact that it allows you to fight, raise, and mount dinosaurs. But that gimmick is not all there is to it, as it’s a very entertaining game to play and that’s the reason it has such a dedicated player base today across multiple different gaming platforms.

When a game is successful in 2023 through 2024, it’s only natural that players want the game to have cross-platform multiplayer. After all, accessibility is an important thing and no one wants to purchase the same game on multiple different platforms just to be able to play with their friends.

If the game does feature cross-play or split-screen gaming, it allows players to have maximum convenience and even helps the game grow further as people recommend the games to their friends irrespective of what platforms they’re on.

So, the million-dollar question is – is ARK: Survival Evolved cross-platform? Finding the answer to that question can be time-consuming, so we’re going to answer it for you before you end up spending any money. So, let’s get our answer!

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ARK: Survival Evolved Cross-Play Explained

Before we get to the main topic, let’s take a moment to explain what we’re talking about here so that those who don’t know what these terminologies mean can catch up.

There are three variations to cross functionalities in video games. The first one is cross-play, which is the most widely-known thing that more and more games are implementing as of late.

Cross-play multiplayer means that players have the ability to play the same game with their friends regardless of what platform they’re on as long as their games are updated to the latest version.

For example, someone on an Xbox One should be able to play with their friends on PC – and so on.

Secondly, we have cross-progression which means that the game allows players to have the same progress across all platforms. For example, the player does not have to restart their progress if they used to play on a PC and are now playing on a PlayStation 4. Instead, they will start at the same level as they were on the other platform.

Third and last, we have cross-generation multiplayer which means that the game does not have true cross-play and players are only able to play the game with friends on the same brand of console.

For example, someone on a PlayStation 4 should be able to play with someone on a PlayStation 5 – however, they can’t play with someone on a PC and Xbox.

Now that we have the explanations out of the way, let’s answer the question of whether ARK: Survival Evolved has cross-platform multiplayer or not.

Is ARK: Survival Evolved Cross-Play?

AKR: Survival Evolved is available on a long list of platforms, which include the PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, Google Stadia, Linux, Windows, and macOS. Since the game is available on so many different platforms, it’s only natural that people wonder whether ARK has cross-platform multiplayer or not.

Unfortunately, ARK: Survival Evolved does not feature cross-platform multiplayer as every single platform that it’s on is limited to its own ecosystem.

However, it does have cross-generation multiplayer on some of the platforms that it’s on – and it even has cross-play multiplayer in a few cases. Let’s list all of them.

• ARK: Survival Evolved is cross-play enabled between Android and iOS platforms, as they can play with and against each other. However, this version cannot play with any non-mobile devices or even the Nintendo Switch.
• ARK: Survival Evolved has cross-play multiplayer between PC and Xbox One, but only if you buy the game from the Microsoft Store.
• ARK: Survival Evolved has cross-generation multiplayer between PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 if you run the game on that console. ARK has cross-generation multiplayer on the Xbox One and Xbox Series X and S too.
• ARK: Survival Evolved has cross-play between all Steam versions, such as Linux, Mac, and Microsoft Windows. However, this does not work if you buy the game on different storefronts, such as the Epic Games Store and the Microsoft Store.
• ARK: Survival Evolved on the Nintendo Switch is the worst-case scenario, as it does not have cross-platform or cross-generation multiplayer in any way.

It’s highly unlikely for the game to have better cross-play multiplayer in the future, especially since Sony charges such a hefty fee to allow it and the fact that the game has too many different versions spread out between multiple platforms.

However, a sequel to ARK might perhaps someday see broader cross-play if the budget and profits are sufficient, as the game would be created with cross functionalities in mind.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ARK: Survival Evolved coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X?

ARK: Survival Evolved has not officially come to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, as it did not receive any specific patches that make it run better on these platforms nor does it have any potential things coming soon.

However, like any other game at the moment, you can still run ARK: Survival Evolved on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and it runs a bit better on its own due to the better hardware in the ninth generation of video game consoles.

There might be a new patch released someday that enhances performance on these consoles. However, the developers might be focusing their resources on the upcoming ARK 2 instead which was revealed not too long ago – which we saw in a unique trailer that featured none other than the Fast & Furious star Vin Diesel himself.

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And that wraps up our topic of whether ARK: Survival Evolved has cross-platform multiplayer or not.

The answer is certainly a complicated one, but it’s fortunate that it does have some cross capabilities that make the overall experience a little bit less frustrating than some other games which don’t feature these things at all.

And of course, we can keep our fingers crossed for a better future in the upcoming sequel.

We hope that this answered all of your questions, and we’re here to answer anything else that you have in your mind. And while you’re here, make sure to check out some of the other helpful gaming guides on our website too!

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