The survival MMO ARK: Survival Evolved is currently available for free on the Epic Games Store. Fans originally expected the game last week. However, after a surprise, it is finally here.
Where can I get ARK? Today, on Thursday, June 11, ARK: Survival Evolved has been available for free in the Epic Games Store since 5:00 PM German time. A leak had already hinted that ARK would be coming.
However, according to this leak, the date was already set for last week, June 4th. Instead of ARK, the cooking game Overcooked was released in the store.
But today, the survival hit is finally free. The offer is valid until June 18 at 5:00 PM. If you want to get the game, you should download it soon.
Here’s the link to ARK: Survival Evolved in the Epic Store
ARK: Survival hit free on Epic
What is ARK actually? ARK is among the best survival games of 2020 and is one of the strongest representatives of the genre. It is a fairly classic survival game with strong crafting and building elements.
You land (usually alone) on an island and must survive naked and without any additional tools. The greatest danger in the environment comes from the dinosaurs, which represent the main theme of ARK.
On your journey, you tame these dinos, gather resources, explore technologies, and fight against bosses, for example, in a gigantic volcano. Through updates and expansions, ARK continually offers interesting new approaches as well as additional bosses and even deeper storylines.
What’s happening currently in ARK? In February, the large paid expansion Genesis was released, bringing many new features to ARK. These include a new map, quests, dinos, and a season pass.
Following a delay, a brand new dino will also be introduced with the free-to-play event, a flying dinosaur that you can even transform into a “fighting jet”. Additionally, a new map is now available for free download: The Crystal Isles.
In addition to these new contents, ARK offers many past expansions that you’ll still need to purchase. Currently, Epic is running a promotion where most expansions (except for the Genesis season pass) are available at a 50% discount. However, even without expansions, the base game of the survival MMO is worth a look.
Is ARK worth it?
The game’s strengths are definitely its contents and team play. Even after several weeks and months, there is still plenty to do, and you can spend dozens of hours here with some friends.
The biggest criticism is technical flaws that keep recurring, which most players might hardly notice. They are usually minor details that can be bypassed or ignored. Major issues are typically resolved quickly.
Especially since it is currently free, you can’t go wrong. If you like it, you’ll have a good time with it for a long time. If you don’t, you’ve lost nothing other than the time spent testing.
Benedict Grothaus
Freelance writer and survival expert at MeinMMO
