ARK Survival Ascended The Center release date, Shastasaurus, and other details

Modified Jun 05, 2024 18:08 IST

After a series of delays, Studio Wildcards has confirmed the Ark Survival Ascended: The Center release date. As announced in Community Crunch #404, The Center is going live on June 4 this year for all platforms. It will be a free expansion adding a few legacy ARK Survival Evolved creatures, a new map, as well as the brand-new Shastasaurus dino.

While the new map could slightly differ from the original expansion in ARK Survival Evolved, almost everything else is expected to remain the same. Here's everything you need to know about The Center's release.

Why was the release of Ark Survival Ascended: The Center delayed again?

Giganotoraptor will come earlier than The Center’s release (Image via Studio Wildcard)

In an official dev blog following Community Crunch 398, Studio Wildcard stated the following as the reason for the delay:

“We’ve made the decision to postpone the Center as it wasn’t on track to launch with the level of quality we require. Our dedicated partners – who have been working on the Center while we focus on Scorched Earth – need more time to make sure it meets our expectations, and yours. We’re sorry for this change in plans but we know it will be well worth it when the Center launches!”

The original Ark Survival Ascended: The Center release date was supposed to be sometime in May 2024. Studio Wildcard had pushed back the date as a surprise announcement on the eve of the new year, alongside Scorched Earth DLC, which was released this April.

the hindsight we have now, the implication was that they have outsourced the development of The Center on the new engine to a different developer team, potentially to a third-party studio partner. At any rate, the developers have now confirmed te revised release date for The Center to be June 4, 2024.

Since Giganotoraptor was released as a consolation prize this March after yet another delay, The Center will now ship with Shastasaurus on June 4th.

What to expect from ARK Survival Ascended: The Center

Shastasaurus will ship with The Center's release (Image via Studio Wildcard)

Shastasaurus: new dino coming with The Center

Shastasaurus, the new underwater tame, will be the latest original Ark Survival Ascended creature to release with The Center. Alongside it, all other legacy dino variants from Ark Survival Evolved: The Center are also expected to return.

Here's how to tame a Shastasaurus in ARK Survival Ascended.

The Center map: new biomes and regions

The central part of the expansion is the titular official map. After Scorched Earth, this will be the third map ported from the original Ark Survival Evolved.

The Center had many dangerous biomes, making it challenging for players to wander around without proper map knowledge. It also had underwater biomes, allowing one to make bases deep inside the oceans.

The Center has unique geological locations and challenging biomes (Image via Studio Wildcard)

The original map offered unique environments, with floating islands, caves, Lava Biome, massive waterfalls, and deep oceans, all of which can be expected in ARK Survival Ascended. It also provided an underground ecosystem with a miniature sun map, allowing players to build and explore bases inside them. Furthermore, players can expect tunnels connecting different parts of the underground world.

The upcoming ARK Survival Ascended The Center map may also offer lava rivers and lakes of lava, as seen on the original map. The latter had several additions around the Redwood area, mainly a Mountain with ape statues and a large bridge connecting the snow biome with the Redwoods.

While various geological additions to the Island could be included, the main attraction is the giant floating in the middle of the map called The Center. The ocean in the original one was more bottomless and darker, with the underwater domes allowing players to build their own underwater naval bases.

Here's a list of all the regions in The Center:

North/Northeast