ARK: Survival Ascended
The first 3 hours are a test
What the data shows
- In the first 2 hours most reviews are negative (73%); after 20h it's 1 in 3 (37%).
- The opening is criticised more than in 97% of games we track.
- The game has no story achievements, so drop-off points can't be measured.
- 74% of owners got the first achievement.
When it gets good
Share of positive reviews by how many hours the reviewer had played when writing the review.
before it gets good opening up fully opened up
Based on all 120,166 Steam reviews in every language. Median playtime in a sample of 297 reviews: 38.4h for positive, 37.2h for negative. Almost every game is rated lower in the first 2–3 hours: that window includes refunds and quick first impressions. What matters is how deep the dip is and how fast the game recovers.
Where players quit
Share of players who started the game and reached each story milestone. 100% is the most common achievement (73.6% of owners), so people who bought the game and never launched it don't count.
This game has no story achievements, so we can't tell where players quit.
All achievements (32)
story milestone ending side
- Your first Dino... You Tamed a Dinosaur! 100%
- Your first Ride... You Rode a Dinosaur! 96%
- Your first day... You Survived a full day and night on the ARK! 87%
- Rex Rider You rode on the back of a T-Rex! 48%
- Map Maker You uncovered more than 80% of the Mini-Map! 46%
- Giga Rider You rode on the back of a Giganotosaurus! 25%
- Lowest Depth You've reached the bottom of the ARK's oceans! 25%
- Highest Peak You've reached the highest mountain peak of the ARK! 24%
- Maximum Dinosaur One of your Dinosaurs reached Maximum Level! 23%
- Veteran Survivor You defeated ARK's first Guardian! 23%
- Beginner Explorer You discovered 10% of the Explorer Notes on the ARK! 23%
- Expert Survivor You defeated ARK's second Guardian! 20%
- Master Survivor You defeated ARK's third Guardian! 16%
- Survivor Evolved You've defeated ARK's three Guardians! And yet... 15%
- Experienced Explorer You've discovered 20% of the Explorer Notes on the ARK! 13%
- Alpha Ascension You Ascended off the ARK, at Alpha level! 11%
- Cure-All You've cured yourself of Swamp Fever! 10%
- Adventurous Explorer You've discovered 30% of the Explorer Notes on the ARK! 9.2%
- Studious Explorer You've discovered 40% of the Explorer Notes on the ARK! 7.9%
- Veteran Explorer You've discovered 50% of the Explorer Notes on the ARK! 7.2%
- Adept Explorer You've discovered 60% of the Explorer Notes on the ARK! 6.9%
- Professional Explorer You've discovered 70% of the Explorer Notes on the ARK! 6.8%
- Expert Explorer You've discovered 80% of the Explorer Notes on the ARK! 6.7%
- Master Explorer You've discovered 90% of the Explorer Notes on the ARK! 6.5%
- Veteran Paleontologist You found the Dossiers of each of ARK's initial Specimens! 6.2%
- Survivor of The Center You defeated the Guardians of The Center! 5.4%
- Artifact Archaeologist You personally retrieved all the Artifacts! 5.2%
- Perfect Explorer You've discovered 100% of the Explorer Notes on the ARK! 4.8%
- Maximum Survivor You reached the Maximum Survivor Level! 4.6%
- Gamma Ascension You Ascended off the ARK, at Gamma level! 4.5%
- Beta Ascension You Ascended off the ARK, at Beta level! 2.0%
- Master Zoologist You tamed all of the domesticable creatures on the ARK! 0.7%