[Guide] How to play ARK: Survival Ascended with friends across platforms

ARK: Survival Ascended supports crossplay across PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, but access depends on the server you choose. Start by confirming that it supports everyone’s platforms, then have each player join. For unofficial servers, use the in-game server browser.

Choose a server everyone can join

The official Steam listing advertises cross-platform multiplayer. The Snail Games press release dated November 30, 2023 confirms versions for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC, including Steam. This support does not guarantee that every server accepts players from all those versions.

Before choosing a server, establish which version each friend uses and ask its administrator whether the whole group can connect. “PC compatible” does not answer the question for friends on console: the server’s configuration and mods also need to allow their access.

The official FAQ dated September 30, 2023 described full crossplay as Steam, Xbox, PlayStation and Windows players sharing servers across official and unofficial networks. That announcement set out the planned rollout; it does not confirm a particular server’s current compatibility.

If a friend already plays on a PC server, check console support before asking the rest of the group to connect. PC-only mods are among the possible obstacles identified by hosting provider Survival Servers.

Join friends on an unofficial server

Ask your friend or the administrator for the exact server name and its password, if required. The technical wiki from Survival Servers, published by a commercial hosting provider, describes the following connection procedure. The menu and filter names below follow its English instructions.

1. Open Join Game and select Unofficial. This selects the category used for unofficial servers.
2. Search for the exact server name. Use the name supplied by your friend or administrator to identify the intended server.
3. Check the visibility filters. Enable Show Player Servers to display the relevant player servers. If yours requires a password, also enable Show Password Protected Servers.
4. Select the server and press Join. According to Survival Servers, a protected server prompts you for its password after this action.
5. Check access from every platform in the group. Each player should confirm both that the server appears and that they can successfully connect.

A search result on your friend’s PC does not establish that a PS5 or Xbox player can connect. Before settling on the server, have everyone join from the version they intend to use. Share the password alongside the server name so players on a protected server can complete the process.

This procedure covers joining an unofficial server through the browser. Do not assume the same instructions apply to a non-dedicated session.

If the server is missing or the connection fails

First, identify where the process stops. A server that never appears in search and a visible server that refuses a connection are different symptoms. Tell the administrator which happens on each affected platform. “Visible on PC, missing on PS5” gives them a more useful starting point than “crossplay is broken.”

For a missing server, return to the browser checks before changing the server configuration: confirm its name, select Unofficial and review the visibility filters. For a password-protected server, enable the corresponding filter as well; searching for its exact name does not replace that step.

When PC players can see the server but console players cannot find or access it, Survival Servers recommends checking the following:

• BattlEye: ask the administrator whether it is disabled. The hosting provider lists disabled BattlEye among the possible causes of console access problems.
• Mods: have the administrator check for PC-only mods, which can prevent console players from accessing the server.
• Updates: check that the server is up to date before repeating connection attempts.

These checks are troubleshooting leads from the hosting provider, not an exhaustive diagnosis. Give the administrator the affected platforms, whether the server appears on each and the point at which joining fails. After a change, repeat the search and connection attempt from the platform that previously could not join.

If access remains blocked, the group can either wait for the administrator to resolve the issue or choose another server with confirmed support for everyone’s platforms. Waiting lets you keep your chosen server; moving requires the group to agree on another destination. Before settling on the alternative, have everyone complete the connection process there.

Check progression separately before switching platforms

Crossplay and cross-save answer different questions. Crossplay lets players on different platforms play together; it does not, by itself, establish that a character or save will follow someone to another version. In its September 2023 FAQ, Studio Wildcard distinguished cross-platform progression from crossplay and said progression would not be enabled with the full crossplay rollout.

That historical statement does not establish the current availability of cross-save for every combination of versions. If you intend to move from Steam to a console, seek confirmation specifically for those versions before relying on your progress carrying over. Being able to access the same server is not sufficient confirmation.

For a group playing across platforms, choose the server first and verify that everyone can join it. If you are also changing platforms, resolve the progression question before leaving your current version: a successful crossplay connection answers only the multiplayer part.

the ARK: Survival Ascended game page

Official sources

• survivetheark.com

the ARK Survival Ascended crossplay page