Is ARK: Survival Ascended Cross-Platform? (2026)

Yes, ARK: Survival Ascended supports crossplay between PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam/Epic). However, there is a critical caveat: PC-to-console crossplay on official PvP servers has been disabled since January 2024 and remains restricted as of April 2025.

Console-to-console crossplay between PS5 and Xbox works fully on official servers.

Quick Overview

Is ARK: Survival Ascended Crossplay Between PS5 and Xbox?

Yes, fully. ARK: Survival Ascended supports smooth cross-platform play between PS5 and Xbox Series X|S for both official and private dedicated servers. This is the most reliable crossplay pairing in the game and works without workarounds.

Is ARK: Survival Ascended Crossplay Between PC and Console?

Partially, and this is where it gets complicated. Studio Wildcard originally announced that crossplay with Steam would be enabled on day one for Xbox, PlayStation, and PC.

However, that was rolled back shortly after the game’s console release. Crossplay between PC and console users has been disabled on official PvP servers since January 2024, while Studio Wildcard works with Microsoft and BattlEye to improve anti-cheat measures for the Windows version of the game.

As of 2025, there is no word on when Survival Ascended will allow PC-to-console crossplay on official servers. If you want to play PC with console friends, a private or rented dedicated server is currently the only reliable route and those do support full crossplay across all platforms.

Is ARK: Survival Ascended Crossplay Between PC Launchers (Steam and Epic)?

Yes, fully. PC players on Steam and Epic Games Store can play together without any restrictions on both official and unofficial servers.

How Multiplayer Works in ARK: Survival Ascended?

ARK: Survival Ascended is an open-world survival game where players can form tribes, tame dinosaurs, build bases, and compete or cooperate with others. Here’s how the multiplayer is structured:

Server Types:

There are three main ways to play with others. Official servers are hosted and run by Studio Wildcard, come in PvP, PvE and Small Tribes modes and are the most populated ones.

However, unofficial community servers are player-hosted and often have custom rules, boosted rates or mods. Private/rented dedicatesd servers (commonly through Nitrado) give you full control and are currently the best option for PC-to-Console crossplay.

Player Counts:

Public official servers support up to 70 players. Private local sessions support up to 8 players, and local split-screen is available for 2 players on the same machine.

Tribes:

Multiplayer is built around the tribe system. You form or join a tribe, and all structures, tamed creatures, and resources can be shared between tribe members.

Tribe size limits vary by server type, official servers cap tribe sizes to prevent dominant alliances, while unofficial servers often allow larger tribes.

Game Modes:

PvP servers allow players to raid each other’s bases and kill tamed creatures, making them high-stakes and high-activity.

PvE servers prevent player-on-player damage, making them more cooperative and beginner-friendly. Small Tribes PvP servers have stricter tribe size limits to keep competition more balanced.

Mods:

Cross-platform mod support is available for the first time in ARK: Survival Ascended. Console players can access mods through the in-game mod browser, which was made possible via the ARK Devkit and the Unreal Engine 5 rebuild.

Not every server runs mods, look for “modded” tags in the server browser. All players on a server must have the same mods installed to join.

How to Enable Crossplay in ARK: Survival Ascended?

On PC, crossplay can be enabled in the Host/Local settings before starting a session. On official and Nitrado-hosted servers, crossplay is typically enabled by default.

If hosting locally from PC and wanting console players to join, you must tick “Enable Crossplay” in the world settings before launching.

Is Cross-Progression Available in ARK: Survival Ascended?

Partially. ARK: Survival Ascended supports cross-saves between PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, meaning players can carry their progress across those two consoles.

However, cross-progression or cross-save between PC and console platforms is not officially supported. Your character progress, structures, and tamed creatures are tied to the platform on which you are playing.

In practice, progress on server-based play lives on the server itself — so if you and your friends all play on the same rented dedicated server, switching platforms is less disruptive since your tribe data stays server-side. But your character’s local saves and single-player worlds do not transfer across platforms.

About ARK: Survival Ascended

ARK: Survival Ascended is an action-adventure survival game developed by Studio Wildcard. It is a full remaster of the 2017 game ARK: Survival Evolved, rebuilt in Unreal Engine 5. The game launched in early access for Windows on October 25, 2023, followed by Xbox Series X|S on November 21, 2023, and PlayStation 5 on November 30, 2023.

The move to Unreal Engine 5 was the key reason crossplay became possible at all. The original ARK: Survival Evolved had no crossplay between PlayStation and PC or Xbox — PlayStation players were entirely isolated on their own servers throughout that game’s lifespan. The updated engine allowed Studio Wildcard to develop cross-platform play and cross-platform mod support for the first time in the franchise.

One of ASA’s headline features at launch was cross-platform modding — previously, mods were exclusive to PC players via Steam Workshop. The Unreal Engine 5 rebuild made it possible for console players to access mods for the first time, enabled through the ARK Devkit and a collaboration between CurseForge and Studio Wildcard.

It’s worth noting this is still an Early Access game. ARK: Survival Ascended supports public online multiplayer for up to 70 players, private-session multiplayer for up to 8 players, and local split-screen for 2 players.

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