ARK: Survival Ascended Marks 10th Anniversary With New Content, Unreal Engine 5.5 Update, and Lemnokis Island Expansion

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ARK: Survival Ascended, the revamped version of the long-running dinosaur survival game, is celebrating a decade since the original ARK: Survival Evolved launched in Early Access. Over the last ten years, the ARK franchise has become a staple in the survival genre, known for its blend of dinosaur taming, base building, and open-world exploration across PC, console, and mobile platforms. The game has seen steady updates, expansions, and even an animated TV adaptation, making it one of the most recognized names in multiplayer survival gaming.

Now, ARK: Survival Ascended is rolling out a major anniversary event alongside a technical leap to Unreal Engine 5.5 and a significant new content drop for the Astraeos DLC. These updates are available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, aiming to keep both new and veteran players invested in the evolving world of ARK.

10th Anniversary Event (June 5–17): Players can participate in a limited-time in-game celebration, collecting cake slices for buffs, finding Party Dinos, and unlocking cosmetics like the Birthday Suit and Party Hat skins. New emotes and a Club ARK island makeover are also included.
Unreal Engine 5.5 Upgrade: The update brings improved rendering, faster load times, and a reduced base installation size. PlayStation 5 Pro s can expect up to 30% higher frame rates and enhanced long-range shadows.
Lemnokis Island Expansion (Astraeos DLC): The first major content update for Astraeos introduces Lemnokis, a new island map created by community modder Nekatus. The map features varied biomes, hidden caves, ancient ruins, and the return of Snow Owls. It also debuts the game’s first duo minibosses, Kalydonios and Erymanthian, and new adventure areas such as deep-sea zones and a glacier cave.

For those unfamiliar, ARK: Survival Ascended is an updated reimagining of the original ARK: Survival Evolved, built on modern tech to higher-fidelity visuals and new features. The survival sandbox formula—creating a survivor, forming tribes, and taming dinosaurs—remains at its core, but Studio Wildcard continues to expand its scope with regular updates, community-driven content, and technical improvements. The Lemnokis expansion follows a tradition of large-scale, mod-inspired maps that have kept the ARK community active for years.

ASA Unreal 5.5 Upgrade, Anniversary Event, Astraeos Update