Ark: Survival Ascended's Xbox & PS5 Versions Are Worth Waiting For

11.11.2023 - 12:27 / screenrant.com

still hasn't released on the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5, but holding out just a little longer to see the console launch should be worth the wait. Initially slated for an August 2023 release, was pushed back to an October window that the PC version ultimately landed. Last-minute problems discovered in the Xbox and PS5 versions, however, pushed them back to November. The Xbox version is currently on track for a November 14 release, while the PS5 port isn't going to appear until the end of the month.

For longtime fans, this situation can be frustrating, especially in the midst of more significant delays for the highly anticipated is a rebuild of the original in Unreal Engine 5, the same engine as, which should act as a reasonable diversion until the sequel finally appears. It hasn't been without its share of criticism, as owners of the original game have now lost official servers and will still have to pay to move over to, but it's hard to argue that it's not at least a graphical upgrade.

Related: Ark: Survival Ascended — Release Date, Differences, & Graphics Comparison

Although the last-minute delay of on consoles might be disappointing, the issues that caused the shift are arguably helping the game out in some regards. If the Xbox and PS5 releases had met their original October window, they would have likely been plagued with many of the same troubles that met the PC port upon its initial release. A recent community update from the official website promises that the Xbox version "" when it becomes available on November 14, and the PlayStation version is likely to be prepared to the same standard when its time comes.

Of course, some optimization issues and bugs are likely to be unique to different platforms, so there's no guarantee that everything will be smooth sailing the moment it drops. Optimization for consoles has less potential to run into severe problems, however, as standardized hardware means that it should be easier to establish a clear idea of what performance looks like ahead of launchand troubleshoot slowdowns or glitches. Whether it maintains a perfectly stable frame rate on consoles remains to be seen, but the odds are in favor of avoiding the game-breaking problems that some PC setups faced.

Related: Ark: Survival Ascended’s Release Date Is Great News For Ark 2

The console release of is also set to hit the ground running when it comes to online play. Cross-platform with Steam will be available on November 14 for the Xbox launch, and cross-platform with both Steam and Xbox will be available day one for PS5. Each release will consequently see the overall playerbase grow by a significant margin, ensuring that servers will be appropriately populated for each launch date. Anyone