How to potentially fix ARK Survival Ascended DLSS grayed out problem

Most mid-range PC owners will need DLSS Framegen to run ARK Survival Ascended in a respectable graphics preset. This Unreal Engine 5 remake of the original ARK has infamously substandard optimization, and the DLSS tech can help you quite a bit if you're struggling to find a balance between visuals and competitive framerate.

Unfortunately, many will see that they are outright locked out of the DLSS settings available in ARK Survival Ascended. In this guide, we'll discuss all the known fixes for this problem.

---

Why is DLSS disabled in my ARK Survival Ascended?

If you purchased ARK Survival Ascended on Game Pass, you're out of luck. The PC Game Pass build currently has no DLSS support, as the related SDK binaries are not available in the game files. This has been the case ever since the game came to the service in April 2024.

The option is not up in Game Pass version (Image via Studio Wildcard)

Other than this, if you find the DLSS settings inaccessible in your copy of ARK Survival Ascended, it can be due to the following reasons:

• This goes without saying, but you'll need a DLSS-capable GPU architecture. This is any card in the Nvidia RTX 20, 30, or 40 series.
• There is a version mismatch and you must update the game.
• There is a problem with your game Language files.
• Your graphic drivers are out of date#.

---

Potential fixes for grayed-out DLSS options in ARK Survival Ascended bug

The following are some fixes that might help if you are locked out of the DLSS options on your copy of ARK Survival Ascended:

Update your graphic drivers and verify game files

Check if your Graphic Drivers are compatible and up-to-date, as this can often be the culprit. Studio Wildcard also carries out a lot of hotfixes and regular patches for ARK, so ensure there's no pending update for your game either. If no update is available, verify your game files.

Change your system Language

Go to your system Language files in Windows settings, and make sure the English (United Kingdom) package is installed and activated. Furthermore, set your Steam language to English if it's not (Settings > Interface > Language).

With this language package, the issue may go away in Ark (Image via Studio Wildcard)

Change the settings manually through the game file

Go to the game's root installation directory, then open GameUserSettings.ini in Content\ShooterGame\Saved\Config\WinGDK. Change the following lines in this file:

bEnableDLSS=True

bEnableDLFG=True

bEnableReflex=True

This will enable all the DLSS-related settings. Note that this last method will still not work in the Game Pass version. As discussed earlier, that version straight-up doesn't have DLSS support as of writing.

Disclaimer: These fixes are not guaranteed to work.

Check out our other guides on the game:

• ARK Survival Ascended Aberration release date, Yi Ling, features, and other details
• All Ark Survival Ascended Explorer Notes locations
• Best Ark Survival Ascended tame for every resource
• Cave locations on The Island
• Ark Survival Ascended DLC Roadmap and map release schedule