If you’re a long-time Ark: Survival Evolved fan hyped for the new entry, one of the first questions you’re probably asking is is ark 2 only 3rd person. I’ve spent over 20 hours in the closed playtest for Ark 2, and I’ve messed with every camera setting, tested first-person access across every activity, and even talked to a few devs at a recent preview event to get all the details. This guide breaks down exactly what camera modes are available, when you’re locked into a specific view, and how to tweak settings to fit your preferred playstyle.
Is Ark 2 Only 3rd Person? Breaking Down Default and Unlockable Camera Modes
The short answer is no, Ark 2 is not only 3rd person, but third-person is the default and mandatory view for a lot of core gameplay activities. When you first boot up the game, you won’t even see a camera toggle option in the main menu, and you’ll be locked into third-person through the entire opening tutorial sequence. That choice was intentional on Studio Wildcard’s part, as they wanted the core Ark 2 experience to focus on tactical, situational awareness that only a wider third-person field of view can provide. For on-foot PVE exploration and small-scale crafting, you will unlock the option to switch to first-person after you complete the first set of starter quests, which takes roughly 30 minutes of playtime. But don’t expect to play the entire game in first-person, even after you unlock the toggle. I tested this repeatedly during my playtest, and every time I tried to stay in first-person for a full play session, I got kicked back to third-person eventually for one activity or another.
Key Restrictions for First-Person Mode in Ark 2
Studio Wildcard has been pretty transparent about why they restrict first-person access: it’s to balance PVP play and keep the core survival experience consistent for all players. Even on PVE servers, there are specific activities where you will not be able to use first-person mode, no matter what settings you tweak. The main restricted activities are:
- Mounted combat and riding any tamed creature, including flying mounts, water dinos, and even ridable small creatures like direwolves
- All story-related cutscenes and boss fight entry sequences, where the devs want to show off full character and creature animations
- Crafting at large workstations like forges, industrial grills, and chemistry benches, where you need to see the full interaction area to avoid placement mistakes
- Official PVP server play of any kind, where first-person would give players an unfair advantage to peek around corners without exposing their hitbox
It’s a bit frustrating if you’re someone who prefers first-person for immersion, but the restrictions do make sense after you play a few PVP matches. In the original Ark, players would abuse first-person mode to spy on enemy bases without being seen, which made raiding way too unbalanced for smaller groups. First-person mode is only allowed on private PVE servers and single-player play for on-foot activities right now, so if you only play official servers, you’ll be stuck in third-person almost full time.
How to Switch Between First and Third Person in Ark 2
Once you unlock the camera toggle after completing the starter quests, switching between modes is pretty straightforward. For PC players, the default toggle key is V, the same as the original Ark, but you can rebind it to any key you want in the controls menu. For Xbox and PlayStation players, the default toggle is down on the D-pad, and you can also rebind that in the console control settings if you use a custom layout. If you don’t like the default third-person camera position, there are a ton of tweaks you can make in the settings menu to make it more comfortable. You can adjust the third-person camera distance, shoulder offset, and field of view in the accessibility menu to reduce motion sickness or get a better view of your surroundings. I have the camera distance set to max for PVP play, and I turn the shoulder offset all the way to the left so I can see more of the area to my right when I’m holding a rifle. If you get motion sickness from the default third-person camera sway when you run or ride a dino, you can turn that off completely in the graphics settings, which made a huge difference for me during long play sessions.
Which Camera Mode Should You Use for Different Playstyles?
The best camera mode for you depends entirely on what you’re doing in Ark 2, and I recommend switching between both depending on the activity to get the most out of your playtime. If you’re just exploring the map solo on a PVE server, first-person mode is way more immersive, and it makes it easier to spot small resources like berries, fiber, and rare mushrooms that are hard to see from further away. If you’re doing any kind of PVP play, even on private servers, you should stick to third-person almost exclusively. Third-person view gives you a 360-degree view of your surroundings, so you can spot enemies sneaking up behind you or see if a dino is approaching while you’re looting a cache. For base builders, mixing both modes is the most efficient: use first-person when you’re placing small decor items or wiring electrical systems, and switch to third-person when you’re lining up large walls, foundations, or dino gates to make sure everything is even. If you’re a new player still learning the map and enemy spawn locations, stick to third-person for your first 10 to 20 hours of play, as the wider field of view will help you avoid surprise attacks from raptors and other aggressive small dinos that like to spawn behind you.
So now you know the answer to is ark 2 only 3rd person: it’s the default view and mandatory for many core activities, but you can use first-person for select on-foot PVE play if that’s your preference. Studio Wildcard has mentioned they’re open to adding more camera options in future updates, including a first-person mounted toggle for private servers, so we might see more flexibility down the line. Don’t be afraid to mess with the settings and test both modes to see what works best for you, I still switch between them multiple times per play session depending on if I’m exploring, building, or gearing up for a raid.