ARK Maker Will Let Survival Ascended Players Build Custom Maps In-Game
Studio Wildcard has announced ARK Maker, an in-game world-building mode for ARK: Survival Ascended that will let players create, edit, share, and play custom maps without using the traditional PC mod kit.
The mode was revealed at IGN Live 2026 in Los Angeles, with Studio Wildcard targeting a Q3 2026 release on PC and consoles. That puts it sometime before the end of September 2026, assuming the date holds.
The pitch is pretty straightforward: modding has always been a big part of ARK, but the existing tools have mostly been for PC players willing to install a separate development kit. ARK Maker moves that process into the game itself, which should make custom map creation more approachable, especially on console.
Studio Wildcard also has more ARK content coming much sooner. On June 25, ARK: Survival Ascended gets the free Genesis Ascended Part 1 remaster alongside the paid Tides of Fortune expansion. According to the Steam post, Tides of Fortune adds physically simulated oceans, dynamic weather, customizable ships, large-scale naval warfare, and a rideable Axolotl.
The studio also shared that ARK: Survival Ascended has sold four million copies. Part two of ARK: The Animated Series is also still on the way to Paramount+, though the bigger game news here is clearly the move toward in-game creation tools for the survival sandbox.
