ARK: Survival Evolved release date, gameplay, videos, features - everything you need to know
The latest survival sensation already has millions of players, but when will you be able to get your hands on the final version?
ARK: Survival Evolved release date on PS4, Xbox One and PC
If you haven't already heard of ARK: Survival Evolved, that's all about to change. With more than 2 million early access players on PC and over 1 million pre-release Xbox One players, the survival sensation will go live with a final version this summer across all major platforms.
ARK: Survival Evolved centres on two main concepts: survival, along the same lines as DayZ or H1Z1, in which everything in the world wants to see you dead; and the capturing and training of dinosaurs, such as pteranodons, raptors and tyrannosaurus rexes. This unforgiving simulation is proving to be extremely popular among PC and console players alike, so expect the full release to make waves.
ARK: Survival Evolved release date – when is ARK: Survival Evolved coming out?
The final version of ARK: Survival Evolved will release in June, 2016, for PC, Xbox One and PS4. We still don't have a final release date, but we'll update this article as soon as the developers make the announcement.
Remember you can start playing the pre-release version on PC and Xbox One right now, but bear in mind that this is a preview build.
ARK: Survival Evolved videos and trailers
ARK's announcement trailer should give you a good idea of what you're dealing with here: form a tribe, stay alive, hunt and capture dinosaurs and build settlements.
The latest addition to the ARK universe is the procoptodon, a giant, prehistoric kangaroo capable of carrying two players. Takes all sorts. New dinosaurs are added regularly.
Thanks to its online nature, ARK gets updated with some awesome events, such as this Hallowe'en update including skeletal dinosaurs and some particularly nasty bats.
ARK: Survival Evolved gameplay and features
Playing ARK is a long-term investment, so don't expect much in terms of instant pay-off. The game's central idea is to capture, tame and breed the best dinosaurs possible while trying to stay alive. Remember that death is permanent! Get killed and your character stays dead, so deciding whether or not to trust other players is a major issue during play.
More than 50 dinosaurs are available for training via a process described as "subdue & protect". You and your fellow tribe members will need to wound a creature sufficiently to knock it out, before nursing it back to health and training it. If you train the animal properly it's respond to your commands, and you you don't it won't. ARK rewards patience and time, so be prepared to put the hours in.
Once you have tame dinosaurs, you can start breeding. Successful breeding will mean you pass the best traits on to future generations and secure future survival.
ARK includes a complex crafting system involving thatch, wood, stone and, ultimately, metal. You begin the game naked and stranded, using wooden weapons and basic tools such as campfires and improvised shelters to survive, but will work up to powerful guns and large building complexes in the end-game. Get far enough and you'll have a chance to face off against ARK's ultimate creatures, available only by bring special items to summoning locations. If you and your friends manage to take one of these down you're up for the best drops, but you're going to have to be hard as nails to manage it.
Happy hunting!