ARK ASA Genesis Part 1 Release Date — Everything Confirmed for June 25, 2026

Posted 27 May 2026

ARK Genesis Part 1 — ocean biome with pirate ship and Palaeoctopus

⏰ 26 days until Genesis Part 1 launches. (Updated live — page last viewed 30 May 2026.)

When is ARK ASA Genesis Part 1 releasing?

ARK: Survival Ascended Genesis Part 1 releases on Thursday 25 June 2026 on PC (Steam, Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The map and its new creature are free to every ASA owner. The paired Tides of Fortune pirate-themed story expansion releases on the same day as paid DLC.

What is Genesis Ascended Part 1?

Genesis Part 1 is the Unreal Engine 5 remaster of the original Genesis expansion from ARK: Survival Evolved — but Studio Wildcard has confirmed it's not a simple remaster. All five Genesis biomes are being rebuilt from the ground up, the ocean biome is being expanded into a full naval sandbox, and the map ships alongside a brand-new paid pirate expansion.

The five biomes

Ocean — the headline upgrade. No longer a small simulation zone; now described by Wildcard as "miles of open water" with randomly generated islands, fortresses and landmasses. Designed for large-scale naval gameplay using physical ships.
Bog — humid swampland with new art and revised level design.
Snow — frozen tundra with full UE5 lighting overhaul.
Volcano — lava and ash biome.
Lunar — low-gravity zone, redesigned for the new physics tools.

Each biome is getting the full UE5 treatment: new art, new lighting, new level design tweaks.

What's the new creature?

Genesis Part 1 brings the Palaeoctopus — the community-voted creature for the free map. It's a Late Cretaceous octopus relative with:

Colour-changing camouflage — blends into terrain
Sheer cliff climbing — can scale vertical surfaces
Crushing tentacle holds — drags survivors into restraint and pressure damage

The Palaeoctopus is included with the free map. The Tidepup (axolotl-like companion that evolves based on how you raise it) comes with the paid Tides of Fortune expansion below.

What is Tides of Fortune?

Bob's True Tales: Tides of Fortune is a paid story expansion launching the same day as Genesis Part 1. It's pirate-themed and non-canonical to the main ARK storyline, featuring:

Physical sailing ships — mountable cannons, modular customisation, full ocean-scale combat
Pirate fortresses and structures
The Tidepup — starts as a shoulder-pet, grows large, evolves permanently based on how you raise it. Goes dormant instead of dying. Eventually amphibious mount.
Karl Urban returns as the voice of "Bob" — first reprised the role in ARK: Lost Colony, now extends that performance into the Tides of Fortune storyline.

Will Genesis Part 1 work on BG Gaming's cluster?

Yes — BG Gaming is going Day 1 on Genesis Part 1. Provided Studio Wildcard doesn't break anything at launch (which has happened on previous major ASA releases), the new map will be added to the BG Gaming cluster on 25 June 2026 — the same day it goes live on official servers. Because it's a free official map, every player on our cluster will be able to join immediately. We'll keep this article updated as we confirm:

Exact moment the map goes live on our cluster (targeting within hours of Wildcard's official release)
Whether Tides of Fortune ships and structures are enabled (depends on official cross-map compatibility)
Spawn rates and tuning for Genesis-exclusive creatures

If Wildcard's launch is unstable (server crashes, save corruption, transfer bugs — we've seen all three on past ASA releases) we'll hold off until the official build is fixed. Your existing tames, structures and inventory are never at risk while we wait.

If you don't already have a server, join BG Gaming — boosted PvE cluster going to 9 maps on Genesis launch day. 5x Taming, 2.5x Harvest, crossplay PC/Xbox/PS5, no wipe ever, 50,000 free coins on signup.

Genesis Part 1 quick FAQ

Is Genesis Part 1 free?

The map and the Palaeoctopus are free for everyone who owns ARK: Survival Ascended. Only the paired Tides of Fortune expansion (ships, Tidepup, Bob storyline) is paid.

What platforms?

PC (Steam + Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S. Same release day for all platforms.

Is this a remaster of Genesis 1?

Yes and no — same map identity, but rebuilt from scratch in Unreal Engine 5 with redesigned biomes, expanded ocean and new naval gameplay. Studio Wildcard has emphasised it's a re-imagining rather than a port.

When is Genesis Part 2 coming?

Genesis Part 2 is planned for 2027, alongside Galaxy Wars. No firmer date yet.

Sources

Article last updated 2026-05-27 — we update this article as Wildcard releases new info.