Ark: Survival Ascended — A Rocky Takeoff with Promising Horizons

The much-awaited "Ark: Survival Ascended" has erupted onto the scene, swiftly clinching a top spot on Steam's best-selling games list. However, this triumphant debut has been tarnished by a slew of performance issues, leaving players frustrated and the launch mired in controversy.

Studio Wildcard's latest offering is a reimagined version of the beloved dinosaur-centric survival game, crafted with the powerful Unreal Engine 5. It quickly found its place among Steam's top 100 played games, yet this initial success has been overshadowed by a 'mixed' user review rating at 42%.

Performance Issues

The bulk of player grievances revolves around glaring performance issues. Players with high-end systems report experiencing multiple crashes, stutters, and frame rate drops, even on the lowest settings. A representative Steam review states: "We shouldn't be allowing game studios to release games to the public like this, especially not a remaster."

System Requirements

MINIMUM: Windows 10/11, AMD Ryzen 5 2600X / Intel Core i7-6800K, 16 GB RAM, AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT / Nvidia GeForce 1080, DirectX 12, SSD Required, 70 GB storage.

RECOMMENDED: Windows 10/11, AMD Ryzen 5 3600X / Intel i5-10600K, 32 GB RAM, AMD Radeon RX 6800 / Nvidia RTX 3080, DirectX 12, SSD Required, 70 GB storage.

Mixed Reception

Despite these tumultuous beginnings, some players acknowledge that the game represents a significant upgrade with enhanced graphics, improved mechanics, and additional content.

Future Outlook

Studio Wildcard announced a delay in the console launch to November, citing "critical issues" in the multiplayer version. Crossplay between Steam and consoles will be disabled until a quicker certification process is implemented.

Conclusion

While "Ark: Survival Ascended" has reached great heights in sales and player count, the journey ahead is steeped in challenges. The gaming community remains hopeful that future updates will address the performance issues and unlock the full potential of this ambitious remake.