Is ARK Survival Ascended Cross Platform? Crossplay in 2026

Yes. ARK: Survival Ascended is cross platform: PC players on Steam, the Epic Games Store and the Microsoft Store (including PC Game Pass) play on the same servers as Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 players, on the official network and on private servers alike. There is no Ascended version for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2 or mobile, so players on those cannot join.

There are three catches. Studio Wildcard also runs console-only official servers, the owner of a private server can lock platforms out, and one PC-only mod is enough to stop a crossplay server from starting. Below is how each of those works, how console players find a private server, and what the official server sunset on 29 November 2026 means for tribes that mix PC and console.

Quick answer: which platforms play together

The Steam, PlayStation and Epic store pages all carry Wildcard's own line for it, "form your online tribe across different gaming platforms", and the Xbox store lists "Xbox cross-platform multiplayer". Wildcard's Epic launch announcement sums up the platform list as "PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, Steam, and Epic Games Store".

Two things people ask about are not there. In January 2026 Wildcard hinted at "a certain portable console port of the crossplatform game" (Community Crunch 490), but it has not announced a Switch 2 version or a date. ARK on the original Switch is Survival Evolved, a separate game; the ARK wiki describes Ascended as the remaster for PC, Xbox Series and PS5. Cross-progression, one player taking the same account from one platform to another, has not been announced for Ascended either.

How crossplay works on official servers

Official servers have been crossplay since the consoles arrived. Before the Xbox launch, Wildcard wrote that the Xbox version would "launch directly into crossplay with the PC version", and that PlayStation would launch with "Cross-platform with Steam and Xbox" enabled on day one (Community Crunch 385). The same post added "console-specific servers" for players "who do not want to play on crossplay".

Both kinds still run. On the current sunset list, the console-only servers carry "Consoles" in their names, for example Asia-PVP-Consoles-LostColony1325, and the same post describes Snail Games' official Conquest servers as "open for PC, Xbox and PlayStation" (Community Crunch 528). If you play on console and want to stay away from PC players, look for "Consoles" in the server name.

Transfers work on every platform. Wildcard announced full transfers on official servers "across all platforms" (Community Crunch 392) and switched them on in February 2024 for "items, creatures, and characters" (Community Bite). You upload at an obelisk, terminal, supply crate or Tek Transmitter and download onto another official server of the same game mode (ARK wiki). A tribe can mix platforms, which is exactly what the store text promises.

What does not move is a survivor from the official network to a private server: official downloads only land on official servers. That matters for the sunset below.

How crossplay works on private servers

A private or community server, an unofficial server in ARK terms, is crossplay by default too. ark.wiki.gg, which Wildcard links as its official wiki in its Community Crunch posts, documents a -ServerPlatform launch option that sets which platforms a dedicated server accepts: "With no option specified, crossplay is assumed and ALL platforms will be allowed." The wiki also notes that Wildcard has not documented the option itself.

You combine values with a plus sign: -ServerPlatform=XSX+PS5 makes a console-only server and -ServerPlatform=PC a Steam-only one. Watch two traps. The wiki's own example, PC+XSX+PS5, leaves out WINGDK, so by the wiki's description it shuts out Microsoft Store and PC Game Pass players. And the wiki gives no value for Epic players; its entry for the old -epiconly flag still says ASA is not on Epic. If someone in your group plays on Epic, leave the option out, or test with them before you rely on a list.

Older guides tell you to add -crossplay. That flag is from Survival Evolved, where it let Steam and Epic players share a server. For Ascended the wiki marks it obsolete and points to -ServerPlatform.

Console players can find servers that Nitrado does not host, but only once they tick a box. In December 2023 Wildcard changed how unofficial servers are listed, and its PlayStation patch notes for client v32.27 say: "To see non-commercially (non-Nitrado) hosted Unofficial Servers, please enable the checkbox 'Show Player Servers' and refresh the session list." The PC patch notes carry the same line, and the Xbox patch notes list fixes to the same checkbox.

Mods are the last rule. Wildcard's note for server version v66.47 (PC patch notes), released on 13 June 2025, reads: "Server will no longer boot if it is set as crossplay and a PC only mod is enabled." More on that in the mods section.

What the official server sunset means for crossplay groups

Wildcard is shutting down 468 inactive official servers on Sunday 29 November 2026. The list came with Community Crunch 527 and was repeated unchanged in Community Crunch 528 on 17 October. Before the date the servers get a "SUNSET" prefix and drop out of the in-game favourites, so you have to search for yours by hand to reconnect.

Both kinds of server are on the list. 68 of the 468 are console-only PvP servers with "Consoles" in the name; the other 400 are PvE, PvP, Small Tribes and modded servers in Europe, North America, Oceania and Asia. For a mixed tribe that leaves three options:

1. Stay official. If your server still allows uploads, move your survivors, items and creatures to an official server that is not on the list before the 29th. Buildings do not transfer, so the base stays behind.
2. Go private. For now that means a fresh start. Wildcard's only line on the saves is that it is "working with our partner at Nitrado to offer these saves after the scheduled sunset through Nitrado's interface", with details still to come, and official transfers do not reach private servers.
3. Keep a console group console-only. On your own server, -ServerPlatform=XSX+PS5 does the job a Consoles server did. Leave the option out if you want your PC friends in.

Our guide to the official server sunset breaks the list down by region, mode and map, covers the history of Wildcard's save offers since 2024 and lists what to check before you pick a new server.

How to set up a crossplay private server

The launch line for a crossplay server on The Island with 20 slots and two mods looks like this:

ArkAscendedServer.exe TheIsland_WP?SessionName=MixedTribeIsland?ServerPassword=changeme?MaxPlayers=20?ServerAdminPassword=adminpass -port=7777 -mods=111111,222222

There is no platform option in it, and that is the point: without -ServerPlatform, every platform is allowed. The steps:

1. Get a server. Rent one, or run the Ascended dedicated server yourself. It installs through SteamCMD as app 2430930 and needs Windows or a Windows-like environment, because ASA has no native Linux server (ARK wiki). Our ASA server hosting guide covers memory and hardware.
2. Set the launch line. The wiki's notes for ASA: ?ServerAdminPassword= has to be the last ? option, and the port goes in as -port=, not ?Port=. Leave -ServerPlatform out, or list every platform your group uses.
3. Give it a name people can find. SessionName is what shows in the server browser. Without it the server is called ARK # followed by six random digits, which is hard to search for.
4. Add only cross-platform mods. The numbers after -mods= are CurseForge project IDs (the ones above are placeholders), and the server updates those mods each time it starts. On each mod's CurseForge page, the Platform field under Details should say Cross-Platform. With one PC-only mod, a crossplay server will not boot.
5. Start it and check the list. Once the server runs, it shows in the in-game list of unofficial servers.
6. Get the console players in. They open the server browser, tick "Show Player Servers", refresh and search for the server name. Then they add it to their favourites: since v63.6 in March 2025, favourites stay in the list even while the server is offline (PC patch notes).
7. Link maps into a cluster if you want more than one. Give each server the same -clusterid and the same -ClusterDirOverride storage path (ARK wiki). Unofficial transfers have been possible since v34.83 in February 2024 (same patch notes), and nothing in the cluster setup refers to platforms.

Mods and crossplay

Mods are a big part of why ASA crossplay works at all. They come through the in-game mod browser and are hosted on CurseForge, and Wildcard sells "cross-platform modding & multiplayer" as one feature. Its Epic launch announcement puts it plainly: "On all platforms, players can also download & play thousands of powerful user-created mods". A console player and a PC player install the same CurseForge project.

Not every mod is cross-platform, though. Authors can publish PC-only mods. In July 2024 Wildcard said cross-platform mods go through moderation of up to 24 hours, while "PC-only mods are not affected by this level of moderation, and are instead published immediately" (Community Crunch 417). On CurseForge, the Platform field in a mod's Details tells you which kind it is; a mod that works everywhere says Cross-Platform. Anything else does not belong on a server with console players, and since June 2025 the server refuses to boot as crossplay with it.

Paid premium mods need one more check. When they launched, a server running a premium mod stopped players who did not own it from joining. In May 2024 Wildcard said creators would get an "Unrestricted Premium Mod" type that "does not prevent you from joining it if you do not own the mod" (Community Crunch 408). On CurseForge, premium mods show Type: Premium in their Details. Read the mod page before you add one, so nobody in the group is locked out on the first evening.

Our ASA mods guide covers finding mods, installing them and load order.

Common issues

• Console friends cannot see the server. Check that they ticked "Show Player Servers" and refreshed, then search for the exact server name. Clear any map filter as well: Wildcard has had to fix filters that left the server list empty, with Valguero and Ragnarok among them (PC patch notes).
• The server stopped starting after you added a mod. Look for a mod that is not cross-platform. A crossplay server will not boot with a PC-only mod.
• Only Steam players get in. Check the launch line for -ServerPlatform. If it is there, it needs XSX and PS5 for consoles and WINGDK for Microsoft Store and PC Game Pass players.
• An Xbox player sees no crossplay servers. The game has an Xbox-Only Multiplayer setting, and Wildcard fixed a bug in December 2023 that forced it on (Xbox patch notes, client v32.11). Check that it is off.
• Nobody can join after a patch. Wildcard ships big updates to servers and clients together, and its notes label them "Major version for Servers and Clients", so update the server before you look for a crossplay problem. The Unreal Engine 5.8 update lands on all platforms on 28 October (Community Crunch 525), and our UE 5.8 checklist covers the server side.
• One Steam player cannot join while everyone else can. If they joined the Public Test Realm, they are on a different build: Wildcard's PTR guide says that on the PTR branch "you will not be able to connect to servers running the current live version of the game". Switching back to Default Public Version in Steam fixes it.
• A console player cannot play online at all. On PS5 the store page says "PS Plus required for online play", and the Xbox store page says the game needs an online multiplayer subscription on console.
• Your official server is gone from your favourites. Servers on the sunset list get a SUNSET prefix and drop out of favourites; search for yours by hand until 29 November.

Hosting it with us

Our ARK server hosting runs unofficial Survival Ascended servers in nine regions: the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Canada, USA (California), USA (Virginia), Singapore, India and Australia. Plans start at €25.99 a month for 16 GB, one map and up to 20 players (€27.99 in the two US regions). The 24 GB Rex plan (€38.99, or €41.99 in the US) is cluster ready for up to 40 players, and the 32 GB Giga plan (€51.99, or €55.99 in the US) is built for large clusters. Every plan has CurseForge mods from the control panel, full access to GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini, FTP and RCON, three backup slots and DDoS protection, and the server files update automatically when Wildcard ships a new ASA patch. We have not confirmed console access on our ASA servers, so if anyone in your group plays on Xbox or PlayStation, ask our support team before you order. Support is online from 08:00 to 20:00 UTC, seven days a week.

FAQ

Is ARK Survival Ascended cross platform between PC and PS5? Yes. Steam, Epic and Microsoft Store players can play with PlayStation 5 players on crossplay official servers and on any private server that allows both platforms.

Can Xbox and PS5 play ARK Survival Ascended together? Yes. PlayStation 5 launched in November 2023 with crossplay with Steam and Xbox from day one.

Can console players join a private ARK Survival Ascended server? Yes, if the server allows their platform and runs only cross-platform mods. Servers that Nitrado does not host show up in the console server browser once you tick Show Player Servers and refresh.

Is ARK Survival Ascended on Switch 2? No. Wildcard hinted at a portable console port in January 2026 but has not announced a Switch 2 version. ARK on Switch is Survival Evolved, a separate game that cannot join Ascended servers.

How do I turn crossplay off on my own server? Use the -ServerPlatform launch option documented on ark.wiki.gg: PC for Steam only, XSX+PS5 for consoles only. Wildcard has not documented it, so check the server list from each platform after you change it.

Related guides: ARK official servers shutting down | ARK Survival Ascended mods guide | ARK UE 5.8 update checklist | ARK Survival Ascended server hosting guide | Official vs unofficial ASA servers