A player wanted to play ARK: Survival Evolved on Steam again after a long break, but the over 300 GB download of the survival game scared him
How big is the download? The popular survival game ARK: Survival Evolved (ASE) has been around for a few years now and even after the release of a remake in Unreal Engine 5 it still has good player numbers. The download of the game is correspondingly large, as the title has received several DLCs over the years.
Reddit user BacklogGamingJunkie recently shared a screenshot showing the download of ARK: Survival Evolved measuring a gigantic 329.82 GB.
He wanted to play the game again after a long break, but he was shocked when he saw the size of the download: “I didn’t remember it being that big.”
You can see the user’s post including screenshot here:
New maps and dinosaurs eat up your storage space
Why is the player download so large? Even though the system requirements on Steam say 60 GB of available storage space, this value has been outdated for some time.
As shown in the player’s screenshot, the player had last played ARK: Survival Evolved in February 2017. Since then, however, ASE has received some paid DLC and new dinosaurs. Players also enjoyed free maps like Fjördur, which also had a noticeable effect on the storage space required.
One of the new creatures that have been added over the years is the Rhyniognatha. Here you can see the trailer for the huge beetle:
ARK: Survival Evolved showcases the abilities of the Rhyniognatha
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While the base game with some free content “only” holds around 150 GB, with the DLCs it quickly grows to over 300 GB. So it is very likely that the player has DLCs and free content that were also directly downloaded.
The expansion pass, which included the maps Scorched Earth, Aberration and Extinction, is particularly suitable here. He could have bought it for the release of Scorched Earth. He no longer noticed the releases of Aberration and Extinction, but he would still own the maps if he did.
What content has been added since he last played? The Reddit user last played in February 2017. Since then, the official paid DLCs Aberration, Extinction, Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 have been added to the game.
The free DLC maps Ragnarok, Valguero, Crystal Isles, Lost Island and Fjördur were also added.
Players who have played ASE regularly for years are well used to the size of the game. But for the Reddit user, who downloaded the game again after almost 7 years, it was a big surprise.
If you’re thinking about buying the UE5 remake ARK: Survival Ascended, MeinMMO editor Dariusz Müller gives you his assessment of the game:
ARK: Survival Ascended has been on Steam for a month now – how does the game play and is it recommended?