Ark Survival Evolved is great fun to play. You can tame dinosaurs, build bases, and craft items to survive the most difficult of environments. And you can do all this with your friends as your aide.
But can you play Ark Survival Evolved with your friends who are on a different platform? That is a burning question among players who play this on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation.
With the release of Ark’s next-gen update for the PS5, more players want this feature. So, let’s answer this question right in this article and steer you clear of any confusion.
Is ARK Survival Evolved Cross Platform?
Yes, Ark Survival Evolved is a cross-platform game. The crossplay is available between PC and Xbox players. You can also play it with your friends on iOS and Android. However, you do not get cross-platform support between PlayStation and PC players.
But Ark Survival Evolved has limited support when it comes to cross-platform play. It has not reached the level of Fortnite or Call of Duty, where players from PCs and consoles can play together simultaneously.
But with the title’s remaster coming for PS5, developers are looking to introduce a universal multiplayer experience.
You can play Ark Survival Evolved on every major platform, such as PC, Mac, Xbox One and Series S/X, PlayStation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android. The developers have targeted a wide range of audiences for this title.
Does ARK Support Crossplay Between Xbox and PS4?
No, Ark does not support crossplay between Xbox and PS4. It is only available between the same cross-generation of consoles. That means Xbox Series X/S users can crossplay with Xbox One players, and PS4 players can join multiplayer matches with PS5 users.
This is also applicable to players on the next-gen consoles. So someone on PS5 cannot cross-play with an Xbox Series X/S user. Ark’s developers have limited the multiplayer between players from the same brands of consoles. That takes away some fun when your friend is on another platform, but that’s how it is right now.
But the saving grace for you is Ark is backward compatible on both consoles. That means if you have upgraded to PS5 or Xbox Series S/X, then your copy of Ark for the older console will totally run. Yes, you need to update it for sure, but at least you do not need to shell out money.
How Does Crossplay Work on Ark Survival Evolved?
Crossplay on Ark Survival Evolved works like this: Steam and Epic Store players can play together. But if you are on Game Pass for PC, you can cross-play with Xbox. As for consoles, PS4 and PS5 players can cross-play, while Xbox One users can play with Xbox Series X/S.
So basically, ark players on PlayStation and Xbox cannot join each other’s servers. But if you are on the same platform, the ability to join the game is there.
The situation on PC is baffling, though. Why would the developers limit Game Pass and Steam players from playing together? I guess modding is the reason for this. You can install mods on the PC version available on Steam and Epic games. But that is not supported on the Ark for Game Pass.
Ark allows cross-platform on mobile devices between Android and iOS. If your device supports Ark, it can join the server created by the other users.
Nintendo Switch, however, is left out of all the action. You cannot play Ark with any platforms other than itself. So, only the switch players can create and join the games between them.
Will Ark Support Universal Crossplay in the Future?
Studio Wildcard has stated that they plan to bring crossplay compatibility between all platforms with the release of Ark Ascended. This is a remaster of Ark Survival evolved made in Unreal Engine 5. Then one can truly play the game with any player, irrespective of the devices they are playing from.
Ark Ascended will bring Ray-Tracing, Improved visuals using Unreal Engine 5 goodies such as Nanites, Lumen, etc. It will also support installing mods which is great news for console gamers.
As of now, Ark Survival Evolved will continue as before. We don’t expect the developers to make cross-support for all platforms to this title which is over seven years old. So maybe they are planning for the future, where they will bring all the good stuff from Ark into a unified platform.
How to Play Ark With Your Friends?
To crossplay Ark, you must ensure both you and your buddies are on the supported platforms. After that, create a dedicated or non-dedicated server from the Host option inside the game. Alternatively, you can simply search the server and enter its credentials to join it.
Now there are many ways to play Ark with your friends. You can set up a dedicated server to accommodate many players. Or you can set up a non-dedicated server for a small group. There is also the option to simply join any of the Official servers hosted by the developers.
Creating dedicated servers is another topic that we will not go through today. There are companies that host the game for you on their servers, requiring you to pay a monthly subscription fee.
For a small group, a non-dedicated server is the way to go. It requires minimal configuration and is easy to manage.
So, first, let’s take a look at how you can set up a non-dedicated server and then see the steps to join one if it already exists.
Here are the steps to create a non-dedicated server on Ark:
- Click on Host\Local from the Main Menu.
- Press on Host Non-Dedicated Session.
- Set a name and password for the session.
- Mark the checkbox near Private Match.
- Press the Accept button.
Your PC hosts the match as long as the game client is running.
Now, share the Ark server details with your friends. So, how do they join it from their device?
Let’s look at that now.
Here are the steps to join your friends on Ark:
- Click on Join Ark.
- Select Non-Dedicated Sessions from Session Filter.
- Search for the hosted game from the search bar.
- Click the server name from the list and press the Join button.
- Enter the password of the server when prompted.
Once everything connects properly, you should find other players on the map.
Is there Cross-Progression in Ark?
Ark supports cross-progression only between Xbox and Windows 10. Even though you get crossplay between other platforms, progress saving between such versions is not supported. That means if you switch from the PS4 to the PS5, your profile data will not carry over.
The reason Ark supports cross-save between Xbox One and Windows has to do with their underlying architecture.
The Microsoft Store version of Ark is a barebones version of what you get on Xbox. Both are the same, so it is easier for the devs to manage the saved data between them. That also explains how Ark is also available with Game Pass.
Maybe when the Ark Ascended releases for the next-gen PlayStation, you can see cross-progression becoming available across all platforms. But we can only speculate it at this moment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you crossplay Ark between Switch and PC?
No, crossplay is not available between Nintendo Switch and PC. If you are on Switch, you can play Ark with other Nintendo Switch players.
Is Ark Survival cross-platform between PS4 and Switch?
No, PS4 users can only crossplay Ark with PS5 users. The ability to play Ark with players on Nintendo Switch is not available. Players on Nintendo Switch have no cross-platform support right now.
Final Words
Cross-platform is something every game needs to have right now. As for Ark, this feature is widely requested by users. Hopefully, the developers will honor that with Ark Ascended, enabling platform play in Q4 of 2023.
Until then, enjoy playing Ark in its current state.
