Studio Wildcard breaks down Ark: Survival Ascended’s Unreal Engine 5.7 upgrade, the new in-game World Creator with Lua scripting, improved water simulation, and upcoming expansions.

80lv's platform is a resource for game developers and 3D artists, offering insights into game development techniques, industry trends, and visual effects (VFX). Through articles, interviews, and case studies, 80lv offers insights into 3D modeling, texturing, animation, and rendering. Developers and artists can learn about game engines, shader programming, and advanced rendering techniques to create immersive and visually stunning games and animations.

80 LEVEL

Studio Wildcard's Jeremy Stieglitz discussed Ark: Survival Ascended's upcoming updates at GDC 2026. Key highlights include upgrading the live game from Unreal Engine 5.5 to 5.7, which brings significant performance gains via virtualized Nanite mesh culling. A new in-game World Creator tool lets players on PC and consoles build and script custom levels using Lua with a Blueprint API, dramatically lowering the barrier compared to the full dev kit. The Tides of Fortune expansion launches in June with large-scale ocean gameplay, physical ships, and improved water physics. A dragon-themed expansion with a bonding AI system is planned for late 2026.

Ark Devs Break Down Unreal Engine Upgrades and In-Game World Creator