If you’re a Nintendo Switch owner who’s sunk dozens (or hundreds) of hours taming dinosaurs, building cliffside bases, and fighting off rival tribes in Ark: Survival Evolved’s portable mode, you’ve almost certainly asked will Ark 2 be on switch. The original Ark port for Switch had a rocky launch, but years of updates turned it into one of the most popular survival games on the platform, with a dedicated player base that’s been waiting eagerly for news of the sequel’s arrival. We’ve pulled together every official update, industry rumor, and hardware analysis to answer that question as clearly as possible, plus break down what you can expect if a port does get announced.
Will Ark 2 Be on Switch? Current Official Status
As of the latest public statements from developer Studio Wildcard, there is no confirmed release date or even confirmation that Ark 2 is coming to Switch at all. Studio Wildcard has not officially confirmed or denied a Switch release for Ark 2 as of latest updates, and the only platforms announced for the game’s initial launch are PC and Xbox Series X/S. That doesn’t mean a Switch port is off the table, though.
For context, the original Ark: Survival Evolved first launched on PC, Xbox One, and PS4 in 2017, and didn’t arrive on Switch until late 2018. That two-year gap between initial launch and Switch port is a common pattern for bigger open-world games, as developers prioritize higher-powered hardware first before investing resources into optimizing for the Switch’s less powerful specs. The original Ark: Survival Evolved Switch port sold over 1 million copies in its first 6 months, making it a clear commercial success for Studio Wildcard, so there’s clear financial incentive to bring the sequel to the platform too.
Studio Wildcard has a history of supporting as many platforms as possible for its Ark franchise, too. The original game is available on everything from mobile phones to last-gen consoles, so it’s unlikely they’d write off the Switch’s 139 million+ install base entirely.
Key Barriers to an Ark 2 Switch Port
While the odds are in favor of a Switch port eventually launching, there are some very real barriers that Studio Wildcard will have to overcome first, most of them tied to hardware. Unlike the original Ark, which ran on Unreal Engine 4, Ark 2 is built exclusively on Unreal Engine 5, Epic Games’ latest game engine that’s designed to leverage the power of current-gen consoles and high-end PCs. Unreal Engine 5's core advanced features are not natively supported on the original Nintendo Switch hardware, so Studio Wildcard would have to put in significant work to strip back or modify those features to run smoothly on the Switch.
The biggest challenges they’d face include:
That said, persistent rumors of a next-generation Nintendo Switch launch in the near future change the math significantly. A more powerful Switch model would be able to handle Unreal Engine 5 features far more easily, and would require far less optimization work from Studio Wildcard to get Ark 2 running well. A potential next-generation Nintendo Switch would eliminate most of the current hardware barriers for an Ark 2 port, so many industry analysts expect that if a Switch port is planned, it will launch alongside or shortly after the new console’s release.
What Features Would an Ark 2 Switch Port Include?
If Studio Wildcard does announce an Ark 2 Switch port, you can expect a few key tradeoffs to make the game work on the platform, just like you saw with the original Ark. The core gameplay loop that made the franchise famous will almost certainly stay fully intact, though. That means you’ll still be able to tame over 100 different dinosaur species, build custom bases anywhere on the map, team up with friends for PVE missions, and fight against rival tribes in open world PVP.
Any future Ark 2 Switch release will almost certainly prioritize core survival gameplay over high-end graphical effects, so don’t expect the same level of detail you’d see on the Xbox Series X/S or PC version. You’ll probably see lower resolution textures, simplified lighting effects, and shorter draw distances to keep performance stable, especially in handheld mode.
There are a few features you might miss out on if you only play Ark 2 on Switch, too. Mod support is extremely unlikely, as Nintendo’s platform restrictions limit user-generated content far more than PC or even current-gen consoles. You also might not get access to the same large-scale PVP servers that are available on other platforms, as the Switch’s hardware struggles to handle dozens of concurrent players in a single open world instance. Cross-play will probably be limited to Xbox and PC players if it’s available at launch, though that could change post-release with updates.
For most Switch players, those tradeoffs will be worth it for the ability to play Ark 2 on the go. I still play the original Ark on my Switch during work trips, even though I have a high-end PC at home, because the convenience of portable play beats graphical fidelity for me most of the time.
What to Do While You Wait for an Ark 2 Switch Announcement
Since there’s no official announcement yet, you don’t have to rush to pre-order anything or make big purchase plans for Ark 2 on Switch right now. There are a few things you can do to stay in the loop and get the most out of your Ark experience while you wait, though.
First, if you haven’t already, check out the latest updated version of the original Ark: Survival Evolved on Switch. The 2022 performance update fixed most of the frame rate drops and graphical glitches that plagued the original launch, and all of the game’s DLC packs are available on the platform too. You can sink hundreds of hours into the new maps and tames while you wait for the sequel.
Second, follow Studio Wildcard’s official social media accounts and community forums for updates. The team usually announces new platform plans 6 to 12 months before the planned release date, so you’ll have plenty of warning before a Switch port launches. Don’t trust random leaks from unofficial sources, either – most of them are just guesses, and Studio Wildcard has a history of debunking false release date rumors quickly.
Third, if you have access to an Xbox Series X/S or PC, you can try the early access version of Ark 2 when it launches to get a feel for the new gameplay mechanics. The sequel adds a lot of new features like soul-like combat, a fully voiced story campaign starring Vin Diesel, and improved dinosaur AI, so playing early will give you a big head start if you pick up the Switch port later.
Finally, don’t pay for any pre-orders or “special edition” listings for Ark 2 on Switch from third-party sellers. None of them are legitimate, and you’ll end up wasting your money if a port never gets announced, or if the final version is far different from what they advertised.
At the end of the day, we don’t have a concrete yes or no answer to will Ark 2 be on switch right now, but all signs point to a port being released eventually, especially if the rumored next-generation Nintendo Switch launches in the next year or two. The original game was a massive commercial success on the platform, and Studio Wildcard has a long track record of supporting as many players as possible across all devices. We’ll update this post as soon as any official news drops, so you’ll be the first to know if a Switch port gets announced. Until then, you can keep enjoying the original Ark on your Switch, or try the sequel on other platforms if you can’t wait to dive into the new world.