ARK: Survival Ascended - Full 2026 & 2027 Roadmap Update

Upcoming Releases

• Paid non-canonical expansion pass made entirely in-house by Studio Wildcard, shadowdropped on July 3, 2026 for $29.99
• Available now: Eclipsar Umbra, a legendary obsidian dragon tamed with the mythic Dragon Horn, and Lumina, his light-based counterpart released on July 9 that scatters celestial traps and bends light to vanish
• Also included at launch: the Dragon Skill Tree progression system, the Drake Claw Grappler for midair dragon mounting, the Draconic Armor cosmetic set, a draconic building tileset, incubator backpacks, and potion stations
• October 2026: Gargantar arrives, a colossal armored sky-behemoth dragon that inhales enemies and resources into its cavernous maw
• December 9, 2026: the full skyworld map launches with the complete dragon roster, a cloudbound paradise of floating islands
• Takes heavy inspiration from How to Train Your Dragon for its creatures, with biomes inspired by Pandora and Disneyland
• Dragons behave as independent partners with their own AI, preferences, and personalities: you befriend them rather than tame them
• Its new bonding system serves as a test bed for ARK 2 mechanics

• Competitive battle royale mode developed by Studio Sirens (a subsidiary of Snail Games)
• Originally targeted for Q1 2026; Studio Sirens has shifted their internal timeline to land the next milestone correctly

• Second of three creatures in the Fantastic Tames Season 1 pack
• Three-headed frontline beast designed for coordinated multi-rider tribe combat
• Each head delivers a different elemental attack that can chain into combo abilities

• ~33% performance gain on existing maps, driven primarily by new Nanite virtualized culling for foliage
• Originally targeted for late March / April 2026; Studio Wildcard prioritized stability over speed to protect the launch of Genesis Ascended Part 1 and Tides of Fortune
• Studio Wildcard has hired senior Unreal Engine veterans to deepen core engine and graphics expertise long-term
• Serves as a prerequisite for the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 port, which is in active development but has no confirmed release date
• Studio Wildcard plans at least one major engine upgrade per year, with UE 5.9 expected in early 2027

• Will release alongside the UE 5.7 upgrade
• In-game creation feature allowing players to make content directly inside the game, including on consoles
• Supports actor modification, spawner placement, in-game Lua scripting, and mod application before publishing to the Mod Browser
• Designed to work without a high-powered PC or external devkit

• Third and final creature in the Fantastic Tames Season 1 pack
• A shape-shifting creature that can mimic nearby dinosaurs and steal their abilities
• Can store multiple stolen forms simultaneously and transform between them at will

• Paid non-canonical Aquatic-themed expansion
• Expected to expand on the water gameplay ideas introduced in Tides of Fortune

• Paid story expansion focused on space battles, starfighters, and large-scale ship combat

• Free DLC
• Launches alongside Bob's True Tales Galaxy Wars (paid)

• Story-driven prequel to ARK 2, taking place within ARK: Survival Ascended
• Introduces gameplay mechanics and combat systems planned for the sequel, including Souls-like third-person melee

• Free DLC
• Features the realms of Asgard, Jotunheim, and Vanaheim
• Includes Andrewsarchus, Desmodus, Fenrir & a new community-voted creature

• Free DLC
• Known for floating islands, lush crystal biomes, and vibrant fantasy landscapes
• Features the Crystal Wyvern and Tropeognathus

• Free DLC
• Adds the Dinopithecus, Sinomacrops, and Amargasaurus

• Full sequel to ARK: Survival Evolved built in Unreal Engine 5
• Features Souls-like third-person combat and melee systems
• Stars Vin Diesel as Santiago

Note: Fjordur, Crystal Isles, and Lost Island have been confirmed as still coming, but have been deprioritized in favor of story content and engine upgrades. Current estimates place them in 2027 or later.

Released Maps & Major Updates

What About ARK 2?

• Planned Release: 2028
• Development Stage: Still in early "vertical slice" prototype phase

• Features Souls-like third-person combat and melee systems
• Stars Vin Diesel as Santiago (though his exact involvement remains uncertain)
• Includes dynamic world events and enhanced creature management
• Built in Unreal Engine 5 for significant visual and technical improvements

Additional Confirmed Details

• TLC updates for Araneo, Quetzal, Giga, Theri, and Megalo are planned across 2026-2027. The Araneo TLC released on May 19, 2026, with the remaining four still to come.
• A Nintendo Switch 2 port is in active development, made viable by UE 5.7. No release date has been confirmed.
• Official Classic servers transitioned to the new Conquest ruleset alongside the Genesis Part 1 launch, with Genesis Part 1 as the launch map.