In the world of survival games, there is one particular AAA blockbuster that has been dominating the genre for years. It's ARK: Survival Evolved. The game is still going strong 4 years after its initial release, boasting a 50,000 concurrent player peak in the last 24 hours. But should you get ARK? Maybe this article on ARK system requirements and reviews can help you decide!

About ARK

ARK: Survival Evolved was released in 2017 as an action-adventure survival video game. It was a collaboration between 4 studios: Studio Wildcard, Instinct Games, Efecto Studios, and Virtual Basement. The game features one primary goal: to thrive on an island full of roaming dinosaurs and prehistoric animals, natural hazards, and even other players.

ARK: Survival Evolved is pretty similar to Minecraft in the sense where players have to collect available materials to craft tools and weapons to advance. On top of that, you can proceed to build bases on the ground and on some creatures.

Ark Wars
ARK: Survival Evolved is a 2017 action-adventure survival video game

But what makes the game interesting is that players can actually tame the animals. Currently, there are 176 creatures populating the world of ARK. You can choose whether to take them on yourself in single-play or with friends in multiplayer servers.

ARK: Survival Evolved was released in August 2017 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux. Later in 2018, the game introduced versions for Android, iOS, and Nintendo Switch. A Google Stadia version is scheduled for release in early 2021.

ARK System Requirements

To start worrying about food, clothing, and a plethora of other things in ARK: Survival Evolved, you'll need quite a system. Here are the details on ARK system requirements PC.

Ark Dinosaurs
Let's see whether your system meets the specs!

ARK: Survival Evolved Minimum System Requirements

  • CPU: Intel Core i5-2400/AMD FX-8320 or better
  • RAM: 8 GB
  • OS: Windows 7/8.1/10 (64-bit versions)
  • Video Card: NVIDIA GTX 670 2GB/AMD Radeon HD 7870 2GB or better
  • Pixel Shader: 5.0
  • Vertex Shader: 5.0
  • Free Disk Space: 60 GB
  • Dedicated Video RAM: 2 GB

ARK: Survival Evolved Recommended System Requirements

  • CPU: Intel Core i5-2400/AMD FX-8320 or better
  • RAM: 8 GB
  • OS: Windows 7/8.1/10 (64-bit versions)
  • Video Card: AMD Radeon RX 470 4GB or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB
  • Pixel Shader: 5.0
  • Vertex Shader: 5.0
  • Free Disk Space: 120 GB
  • Dedicated Video RAM: 4 GB
Ark System Requirements Android
You can also check out the Android version of ARK: Survival Evolved.

Also, if you plan to play a lot of multiplayer, you will need a stable Broadband Internet connection.

ARK Survival Evolved PC Sized

ARK: Survival Evolved is a heavy game. The base game alone requires about 60 to 70 GB of disk space already. And as you download more maps, updates, or mods, the number will rise significantly. Each map takes up about 10-15 GB of space.

ARK System Requirements 2021 Hardware Optimization

If you want to achieve the recommended specs for ARK: Survival Evolved, you will need a high FPS rate. However, even the most powerful systems may still struggle, just a little bit, in densely populated areas. You can notice a dramatic drop of FPS in locations with lots of torches, too.

Ark Dilo
Keep the game at 30-50 FPS constantly

To optimize for playing in minimum requirements, try lower graphical settings. You want to keep the game constantly around 30-50 FPS on higher. If that means you have to sacrifice other graphics performance, do it!

ARK: Survival Evolved Reviews

Overall, the reviews for ARK are quite mixed. Survival players love this game, well, most of them. The crafting system looks great and can be rewarding to have. You will like you have got a gigantic advance whenever you can craft another piece or armory or weapons.

Ark Inventory
You start the game with nothing

However, this game takes a very long time to get to the point where you can sit back and enjoy it. ARK is challenging in the sense where you have various factors affecting your fatality. Also, it relies heavily on grinding and teamwork. The game starts out as a nearly impossible mission, and you will need your teammates or tribemates to get you through the early game.

Regarding performance, ARK: Survival Evolved is quite optimized on all systems. But, there is criticism towards its performance issues on the Nintendo Switch version.

Should You Get ARK: Survival Evolved?

So, should you buy ARK: Survival Evolve? The answer depends on your preference and system. If you're a big fan of survival games, you will have a blast with ARK, especially with your friends. Building your own tribe, bases, and hunting dinosaurs for pets sound like a great way to lose track of time.

Ark Recipes
Unlock more recipes as you advance further into the game

Even if you're not a fan of the survival genre, or new to it, we still recommend you download ARK. This AAA blockbuster may change your whole mindset on the genre.

However, be a smart consumer and wait for sales or promotion campaigns to buy the game. The base game alone costs about $20, and the expansion packs cost a little bit more. But if you buy ARK at the right time, you will get a better value.

Ark Tame Dido
Tame your animals and bring them to war

That's everything you need to know about ARK system requirements and reviews. If you like our article here, be sure to check out more at our website GuruGamer.com.

>>> Also Read: Epic Games Gave Away ARK For Free