All maps in ARK: Survival Evolved, Ranked

Ark: Survival Evolved has a collection of maps to choose from, all with unique features. These maps have different terrains ranging from forests, deserts, volcanoes, and mountains. With Studio Wildcard announcing that Ark 2 is in development, there is no better time to start playing the dinosaur-filled survival game.

This article will rank all the maps in Ark: Survival Evolved from worst to best based on community opinion and how fun they are to play.

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What are the best and the worst maps in Ark: Survival Evolved?

12) Genesis 1

While Genesis 1 has a variety of environments, it can feel too claustrophobic at times due to the map being divided into small areas. There are way too many missions, all of which consist of doing the same things repeatedly.

The companion NPC, HLNA, also gets annoying after hours of playing the map. These reasons combine to make Genesis 1 the worst Ark: Survival Evolved map.

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11) Scorched Earth

Scorched Earth is a desert-based map (Image via Studio Wildcard)

Scorched Earth may be the best map to farm bosses and elements, but it is one of the most difficult to survive. Constant fatigue and overheating make this map very dull to play with.

There are also hardly any great base locations and a lack of water, making this map the worst in the game.

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10) Extinction

Extinction by far worst map by u/lokiwraithxbox in ARK

Extinction is one of the most challenging maps to complete in Ark: Survival Evolved, making it one of the most hated maps. The variety of the biomes and their sizes are pretty large, which is hated by some players and loved by others.

A wild combination of themes, including dinosaurs in apocalyptic Earth, Titans, and giant Meks all in one map, can sometimes be too overwhelming, making Extinction rank low on this list.

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9) Genesis 2

The beautiful visuals of Genesis 2 (Image via Studio Wildcard)

Genesis 2 was released as a DLC in 2021 and has received mixed reviews from the fans of Ark. It moves away from the typical grind aspect of the Ark maps as players receive a Tek suit with almost infinite durability, making survival much more effortless.

However, the map's incredible visuals, versatile PvP, and single-player modes compensate for any wrong parts.

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8) Crystal Isles

Crystal Skies has a massive variety of dinosaurs (Image via Studio Wildcard)

Another large and beautiful map, Crystal Isles, has plenty of positives. A breathtakingly large ocean, a wide variety of dinosaurs, and the easy presence of crystals and other gems make Crystal Isles one of the more fun maps to play in Ark: Survival Evolved.

There are still plenty of negatives about this map to go with the positives, certain areas of the map seem barren with a lack of spawns, and the ocean also doesn't offer much gameplay.

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7) The Center

Stunning rock formations in The Center (Image via Studio Wildcard)

The Center has the largest ocean in the game and a variety of weather and geological locations. It is one of the tougher maps in the game and can be a challenge to complete.

There aren't many flaws with this map except for specific small bugs and glitches and a lack of new dinosaurs.

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6) The Lost Island

The Lost Island was originally a mod map before being officially released in 2021. It is a vast map consisting of several different biomes. The map combines aspects of various Ark maps and puts them into one.

With a collection of new dinosaurs and breathtaking mountains, The Lost Island is an enjoyable map to play and explore. The fact that it feels like a reboot of specific older maps, such as Ragnarok and The Island, is the only reason it misses out on a top 5 spot in this list.

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5) Aberration

Aberration contains many underground caves (Image via Studio Wildcard)

Abberation is one of the newest Ark: Survival Evolved maps and a fan-favorite. The map adds new gameplay elements, such as Radiation and Earthquakes making it much more unique and exciting than previous maps.

The map also introduces new creatures, such as the Nameless and the Reaper, into the game. These elements and a beautiful background score make Aberration a worthy contender for one of the best maps.

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4) Valguero

Valguero contains many beautiful landscapes (Image via Studio Wildcard)

Another DLC map containing various biomes, Valguero, is a popular choice amongst Ark: Survival Evolved players. It may not be the most extensive map, but Valguero features beautiful landscapes, rainbows, and shooting stars.

It also adds elements like Skeleton Gorge and the Lost Temple. The Aberration Trench in Valguero allows players to get all the items on Abberation on this map as well.

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3) The Island

A map of The Island (Image via Studio Wildcard)

The Island is the first map players get introduced to in Ark: Survival Evolved and is undoubtedly the most popular map in the game. Combining familiarity and nostalgia makes this map rank in the top 3.

The Island offers a great blend of biomes and dinosaurs and is the perfect map for beginners. However, The Island still requires a lot of grinding and shows the players a taste of what will come next.

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2) Ragnarok

Ragnarok fits a large amount of content into an extensive map. Containing elements from Scorched Earth and The Island and a variety of new features, Ragnarok is a perfect blend of many of the maps in Ark: Survival Evolved.

The map also contains many secrets for players to find, making exploring extremely fun. The presence of features such as an active volcano, meteors, and ruins makes Ragnarok one of the most fun and exciting maps.

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1) Fjordur

A still from Fjordur in Ark: Survival Evolved (Image via Studio Wildcraft)

Fjordur was the last map added to Ark: Survival Evolved and is up there with the best. The map is based on Nordic mythology and implements creatures such as Desmodus, Fenrir, and Fjordhawk.

Fjourdur contains intricate cave systems and many artifacts for players to find, including deep sea crates. A mix of old gameplay elements and new exciting features make Fjordur the best Ark: Survival Evolved map.