On This Page Show
Ark: Survival Evolved is one of the best action-adventure survival games in the market and is available on every modern-day platform that money can buy.
Since Ark is an online game, players naturally need to be on different machines in order to play with each other.
However, not every game is limited to online play and some offer local multiplayer too. For games like Ark: Survival Evolved that have a large map, split-screen multiplayer is the solution so that the two players can freely explore the environment on the same screen.
So, does Ark: Survival Evolved has Split-screen multiplayer? Can you play Ark with your friends on the same screen? Let’s investigate the game and find out!
Is Ark: Survival Evolved Split-screen?
The answer to whether Ark has split-screen is both yes and no because it depends on what platform you have the game on.
Ark: Survival Evolved has split-screen multiplayer on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game. By extension, the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 versions of Ark: Survival Evolved have split-screen too since it’s the same game but with a better framerate.
The only catch is that players can’t stray too far from each other and split-screen doesn’t work on dedicated servers – but it’s still a fun way to play the game on the same screen.
Ark: Survival Evolved does not have split-screen multiplayer on the PC and Nintendo Switch platforms. There is a misconception that the Windows Store version of Ark: Survival Evolved has a split-screen, but that is not true and it’s just a rumor fueled by the fact that it was once planned.
So, if you have Ark: Survival Evolved on the PC or Nintendo Switch, you can’t play it split-screen. However, if you have Ark: Survival Evolved on the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, you can play split-screen with your friends on the same screen.
There’s no real reason behind the PC version of Ark not having split-screen multiplayer other than the fact that it’s generally not assumed that PC gamers play together on the same screen. As for the Nintendo Switch, it’s a handheld console so not having split-screen does make some sense.
If PC gets split-screen for Ark: Survival Evolved, we will be sure to update our guide with the news!
Ark: Survival Evolved Split-Screen Explained
If you don’t know what Ark: Survival Evolved Split-screen means, let’s quickly explain what split-screen gaming is.
Before online gaming became as normal as it is today, people only played multiplayer on the same TV while sitting next to each other. Fighting games were easily playable on the same screen as you and your friend moved together on every stage. However, shooting and racing games require larger maps and players cover more ground in them – so the solution to split the screen between 2 (or 4) sections was invented.
Called split-screen multiplayer, this allowed players to play on the same TV while everyone had their dedicated piece of the screen to look at. And something like this is very useful for a game like Ark: Survival Evolved since it lets players work together on the same couch.
Is Ark: Survival Evolved Split-screen on Windows Store?
There is a rumor that Ark: Survival Evolved on Windows Store has a split-screen for the PC version of the game. Unfortunately, it’s not true and it was merely planned at one point but ultimately scrapped.
No version of Ark has a split-screen on PC.
What Platform is Ark: Survival Evolved Split-screen on?
Ark: Survival Evolved has split-screen multiplayer on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. By extension, Ark has split-screen on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S too.
If your question is ‘does Ark have split-screen on Nintendo Switch’, then the answer to that is no despite it being a console version of the game.
Where can I play Ark: Survival Evolved?
You can play Ark: Survival Evolved on the PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Android, and iOS.
Not all versions of the game are similar to each other, so there are several differences between which one is cross-play and which one isn’t. And only the PS and Xbox versions have split-screen too.
If you wish to know whether Ark: Survival Evolved has cross-play multiplayer or not, check out our dedicated guide for that question!
