ARK: Survival Evolved vs Ascended: what’s the difference?
Published on 3 October 2026
Pick ARK: Survival Ascended if you want the newest ARK, with crossplay between PC, Xbox and PlayStation 5 and mods that also work on consoles. Pick ARK: Survival Evolved if your group plays on PC only, has older computers, or relies on Workshop mods and maps that haven’t made it to Ascended yet. For your server the difference is big: Ascended needs far more memory and a fast CPU. Here’s how the two compare.
What’s the difference between Evolved and Ascended?
ARK: Survival Evolved is Studio Wildcard’s original ARK, built in Unreal Engine 4. It entered early access in 2015 and fully launched in August 2017. ARK: Survival Ascended is the Unreal Engine 5 remaster. It came out on PC on 25 October 2023, followed by Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 in November 2023. Ascended is still in early access and keeps getting new maps and updates.
They are two separate games that you buy separately. Worlds, characters and tamed dinos don’t carry over from one to the other, and players and server always run the same version.
One date matters for Evolved: Studio Wildcard shut down its official servers on 30 September 2023. You can still play online, just on community servers or your own. The game isn’t frozen in time either: in July 2025 Evolved got a new paid map on Steam, Aquatica.
| Topic | Evolved | Ascended |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | Unreal Engine 4 | Unreal Engine 5 |
| Status | Released in 2017 | Early access since October 2023 |
| Official servers | Shut down on 30 September 2023 | Yes |
| Crossplay on your own server | Steam and Epic | PC, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 |
| Mods | Steam Workshop, PC only | CurseForge, consoles too |
| PC memory (Steam minimum) | 8 GB | 16 GB |
| Server with us | Standard or Premium, from 6 GB | Premium only, from 16 GB |
How much server does Ascended need?
Ascended looks a lot better, and the server feels it too. An ARK server keeps track of the whole map: wild dinos, the tames in your base, buildings, storage boxes and the weather. In Unreal Engine 5 that takes more memory and more processing power than in Evolved. Add a long mod list and a tribe that tames everything with a pulse, and the server has its work cut out.
That’s why we only offer ARK: Survival Ascended on Premium, with the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X or 9950X and DDoS protection through Cloudflare Magic Transit. Our Ascended plans start at 16 GB. Evolved is lighter: it starts at 6 GB, on Standard or Premium. For the difference between those two lines, read Standard or Premium: which game server is right for you?
The gap is just as big on your players’ PCs. Steam lists 16 GB of RAM and a GeForce GTX 1080 or Radeon RX 5600 XT as the minimum for Ascended, against 8 GB and a GeForce GTX 670 for Evolved. If one of your friends can’t run Ascended smoothly, playing Evolved together is often the better call.
How do mods and crossplay work?
Ascended gets its mods from CurseForge. A mod made on PC also runs on Xbox and PlayStation 5 through CurseForge, so console players can join a modded server. Your server downloads the mods and their updates every time it starts. In our game panel you search for them in the Mods tab, or you add the mod IDs to MOD IDs in the Startup tab.
Crossplay is on by default on an Ascended server: players on PC, Xbox and PlayStation 5 share the same world. Want PC players only? Limit it with -ServerPlatform=PC in the extra launch options.
Evolved gets its mods from the Steam Workshop, and those only work on PC. Crossplay is more limited too: with the -crossplay launch option, Steam and Epic players can play together on your server, but players on Xbox or PlayStation can’t join an Evolved server running on PC.
Which maps are on Evolved and Ascended?
Evolved has every familiar map, from The Island and Scorched Earth to Genesis and free extra maps such as Crystal Isles, Lost Island and Fjordur. Ascended is getting them back one by one, rebuilt in the new engine. This is where things stand in October 2026:
- Already on Ascended: The Island, Scorched Earth, The Center, Aberration, Extinction, Ragnarok (June 2025), Valguero (October 2025) and Genesis: Part 1 (July 2026).
- New and paid on Ascended: Astraeos (February 2025) and Lost Colony (December 2025).
- Not on Ascended yet: Genesis: Part 2, Crystal Isles, Lost Island and Fjordur.
If your favourite map isn’t there yet, Evolved is for now the only way to run it on your own server. Picking a paid map? Check that everyone in your group owns it first, or half your tribe will be watching from the sidelines.
An ARK server for your tribe? At CakeHosting, ARK: Survival Ascended runs on Premium from €34.95 a month, and ARK: Survival Evolved starts at €6.95 a month. Cancel any month.
Which server suits your group?
- You play on different platforms. Go with Ascended. It’s the only version where Xbox and PlayStation 5 players can join your own server.
- You’re new to ARK or want the latest content. Go with Ascended, where the new maps and updates land.
- Everyone plays on PC and you have a fixed Workshop mod list. Go with Evolved, especially if those mods never moved to CurseForge.
- You want Fjordur, Lost Island, Crystal Isles or Genesis: Part 2. Evolved, for now.
- You still have an old Evolved world. Go with Evolved and upload your save files to the server over SFTP.
Then the size. For Ascended, 16 GB is a good start for a tribe or a small community; with lots of mods, a big map or more players, pick a bigger plan. For Evolved, 6 GB is enough for a small group on a standard map. Not sure? Our server size calculator gives advice per game. When your tribe grows, you can move to a bigger plan without losing your world. Like a good cake, there’s always room for another layer.
Does your group play other survival games as well? Our game server hosting page lists them all.
