Despite It Being 2025, There’s Still No ARK 2. Where Is It?

It’s now 2025, and the absence of an imminent release for Ark 2 becomes increasingly worrisome. Announced in 2020, the follow-up to Ark: Survival Evolved (and its enhanced remake Survival Ascended) has been subjected to numerous delays, eventually slipping out of a planned 2023 launch window. The last official word on the subject promised a late 2024 window for the game, but as we ring in the second month of 2025, it’s clear that Ark 2 has missed its deadline.

After Ark 2 didn’t keep its 2023 plans, Ark: Survival Ascended, an Unreal Engine 5 remake of the original game, ultimately slid into its place. The Ark IP clearly isn’t dead, with several DLCs released in the past year, and many more on the way. But despite the continued activity of the franchise, none of that has been accompanied by updates on when the sequel can be expected.

Ark 2 Set Its Sights On A 2024 Release

A Delay, Followed By Another Delay, Followed By A Third, Quieter Delay

Ark 2 was first announced at The Game Awards in 2020, and was initially scheduled for release in 2022. That year, the developer, Studio Wildcard, put out a statement announcing that Ark 2 would be delayed until 2023. The last update on Ark 2‘s timeline was made available on the official Ark website in March 2023. This update explained that the game would be delayed until the end of 2024, when it would exclusively launch on Xbox, Game Pass, and PC.

But as the year dragged on, that release window began to close, until fans insisted it’d be revealed as a late 2024 release in the final months of the year. But its release date didn’t hold true; 2024 came and went with no official word on when Ark 2 would be out.

At the time, the company justified the initial delay as a result of the switch to Unreal Engine 5. Fully incorporating the new technology would be an involved process, and Ark: Survival Ascended was positioned as a way to help bridge the gap and prepare for the sequel. Optimizing the game for console and working on cross-platform systems could help the team understand the true scope of the challenges for Ark 2, hopefully leading to a better-finished product.

But there’s been no word from Wildcard since that 2023 delay. Even as the 2024 deadline came and went, there were no updates on a potential release – scarcely even a statement to say Ark 2 was delayed until an indeterminate time in the future. Fans were left disappointed, with only one question to ponder.

What Happened To Ark 2?

Studio Wildcard Ignores The Existence of Ark 2

Ark’s team has been juggling a lot in the past several years, including the release of both Ark: Survival Ascended and its multiple DLC expansions, as well as the new TV series, Ark: The Animated Series. These other projects have possibly taken priority over Ark 2, and the mixed public reception of both hasn’t likely sped anything up. Studio Wildcard may have further delayed the project to focus on delivering a solid product with Ark 2, or, based on recent company changes, continued to allocate resources to Ark: Survival Ascended updates.

Furthermore, the financial situation at the studio seems to be complicated. A 2023 SEC filing revealed that Studio Wildcard owner Snail Games received a several-million-dollar loan from Marbis/Nitrado that came with some ties. When it comes to repayment, the conditions state that Ark: Survival Ascended had to be officially launched by October 31, 2023, and if not, they would have to pay Nitrado back an amount equaling 20% of the monthly gross revenue from Ark: Survival Evolved until the loan has been paid off in its entirety.

Snail Games’ 2023 financial results also showcased a net loss of $9.1 million USD, adding another level of concern to the picture. At the moment, it might be necessary to keep the focus on Ark: Survival Ascended to generate the necessary revenue for the company’s continued development of the Ark franchise. This would align with the recent behavior of Studio Wildcard, and despite the lack of news surrounding Ark 2, the studio has continued to deliver content updates for Survival Ascended.

Will Ark 2 Release In 2025?

Ark 2 Seems To Still Be In Production, As Far As Anyone Knows

It’s entirely possible that Ark 2 will come out in 2025, but honestly, no one seems to know the answer. Wildcard seems to have renewed its focus on Survival Ascended DLC, and hasn’t given any official notice that it’s still working on Ark 2, let alone whether it comes out. If any news does come soon, it’s more likely going to be the belated official announcement of another delay, which may or may not come alongside a new release window for the game.

It’s also possible that Ark 2 has quietly been canceled, and Wildcard has opted to develop more content for Survival Ascended instead. Of course, Wildcard hasn’t said anything on this subject, either, so this is just speculation. At the very least, it’d likely put out a statement to inform fans who have been waiting patiently for it, which it hasn’t done. Ark 2 is still listed as “to be announced” on Steam, and appears prominently on the homepage of Studio Wildcard’s website. There’s no reason to believe it’s been canceled, even if there’s been no official statement to the contrary.

In January 2025, Wildcard put out a new roadmap for Ark: Survival Ascended, declaring the original defunct after missing multiple deadlines on its 2024 calendar. ASA‘s upcoming expansions were all pushed back to later release dates – notably absent from the 2025 roadmap, however, was Ark 2.

Ragnarok is now due in April 2025, Valguero in August, and Lost Colony in November.

So, at present, Ark 2 doesn’t appear to be part of Wildcard’s 2025 plans – or its 2026 plans, either. The roadmap actually extends beyond December of next year, when Fjordur is due out. The last two items on the timeline, Crystal Isles and Lost Island, are listed with release dates “tbd,” meaning they very well could be released as late as 2027, and Ark 2 may yet follow.

The largest frustration surrounding Ark 2 is the lack of communication, and an increase in publicly available information about the state of the project could go a long way. Despite the now-broken promise of a 2024 release, though, it’s now been almost two years since we last got any kind of update on Ark 2‘s development cycle or potential release date. Suffice it to say that it might still be a while before Studio Wildcard and Snail Games fully align their goals with Ark 2.

Sources: Survive the Ark/Studio Wildcard, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Snail Games