ARK: Survival Evolved PC Hardware Guide
Official requirements explained
The official minimum for ARK: Survival Evolved is an Intel Core i5-2400 or AMD FX-8320 or better processor, paired with an NVIDIA GTX 670 2GB or AMD Radeon HD 7870 2GB or better graphics card. By today's standards that is a very old entry-level setup. The CPU lands roughly around the Intel Core i3-3220 level, and the GPU is close to a Radeon HD 7850, which sits in the integrated or very old entry band.
For memory, the minimum is 8GB of RAM and 60GB of storage. An SSD is not required according to the listing. The publisher has not listed a recommended configuration, so the official data does not tell you what a comfortable mid-range setup should look like. That matters when buying: the minimum gets the game running, but it does not mean smooth play at comfortable settings.
In practice, if you want the game to look good and run smoothly at medium or higher settings, you should aim well above the official minimum, roughly a generation or more newer. The Radeon HD 7950 and Core i5-4570 reference points are only our internal ranking guides, not an official recommendation from the publisher.
Recommended builds for three budgets
The entry build suits players who want to get in on a tight budget and accept lower settings. It pairs an AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4GB with an AMD Ryzen 3 3100 or Intel Core i3-10100F, and 16GB of RAM. This is well above the official minimum and should keep the game stable at base settings.
The mainstream build is the option most players will find more sensible. It moves up to cards such as the GTX 1660 Super or RTX 3050 8GB, with six-core chips like the Ryzen 5 3600 or Core i5-10400, again with 16GB of RAM. If you want to play at medium-high settings with some headroom, this tier is usually the most balanced choice.
The high-end build is aimed at players chasing maximum visuals or running heavy background tasks, using cards such as the RTX 4090 or RX 7900 XTX with a Ryzen 7 9800X3D or Core i9-14900K. For this game alone it is far more than needed; its value is mainly in longer-term flexibility. 16GB is still a sensible starting point here, and 32GB makes sense if you multitask heavily.
Graphics settings with the biggest impact
In an open-world survival game with a lot of terrain, creatures and objects, the settings that usually cost the most are shadows, volumetric effects, reflections, and view distance along with creature and object density. Higher shadow and reflection quality puts a clear load on the graphics card, while view distance adds pressure on the CPU and memory because more distant objects and creatures must be loaded.
If you need more performance, start by lowering shadows, volumetric effects and reflections by one or two steps, and keep anti-aliasing and key texture detail where possible. That preserves most of the image quality while reclaiming a fair amount of GPU time. Ray tracing is usually not worth enabling in this game, since its visual gain is modest compared with the extra cost.
Upscaling technologies such as NVIDIA DLSS, AMD FSR and Intel XeSS generally render at a lower internal resolution and scale the result up, reducing GPU workload with limited loss of image quality. Supported cards and versions vary, so choose the option that matches your hardware.
Laptops and handheld PCs
Laptop graphics chips often share names with desktop cards but run with lower power limits and smaller cooling systems, so they usually perform below their desktop namesakes. When buying a laptop, check the graphics power limit (TGP) rather than just the model name. Under long sessions, weak cooling can cause throttling, which makes frame pacing less consistent.
Handheld PCs such as the Steam Deck or ROG Ally can run ARK, but their CPUs and GPUs are mobile-class parts, so you will usually need lower settings and resolution for a steady experience. Memory capacity and storage speed also affect loading and overall smoothness, so pair the device with an SSD and keep some free space. We do not have Steam Deck verification data for this title, so these are general handheld guidelines rather than any specific rating.
Storage and memory
The official minimum is 8GB of RAM, but with 8GB the system and game can run short when other programs are open. 16GB is a more practical starting point, giving the game and background software more room. Install memory in dual-channel configuration, meaning two matching sticks in the correct slots, which increases memory bandwidth and helps overall performance.
For storage, the official requirement is at least 60GB, but updates and mods can grow the installation, so leave extra space. The listing does not say an SSD is mandatory, only that it is not forced. An SSD noticeably shortens loading times, which matters if you often travel between maps or servers. A hard drive will still run the game, but loading will be slower.
Installing on an SSD and cleaning out unneeded files regularly helps keep read speeds consistent and leaves room for future updates.