Surviving a post-apocalyptic dinosaur world is more fun with friends, and if you’re curious about cross-play and Ark support, we’ve got some good news for you, depending on who you want to play with. In fact, Studio Wildcard has implemented Ark’s cross-play support, but the way it works for PC gamers is somewhat limiting. If you can play with your friends, joining a session is an easy process if you don’t want to host a dedicated server, so you can join your friends almost instantly.
Ark Crossplay and Cross-Platform Explained
Ark cross-platform play only works between PC and Xbox players, and between Android and iOS players. On PC, Ark’s cross-platform includes those who play on the Epic Games Store and Steam. However, this does not include Mac players, who are currently unable to join anyone who is not a Mac user.
If your friends use Nintendo Switch or PlayStation, they can only play with other PlayStation or Switch users at this time. Whether Studio Wildcard will expand on Ark’s cross-platform play in the future remains to be seen, though it hasn’t been mentioned in any of the latest developer updates.
How to join friends in Ark
You can join your friends in various ways. The easiest way is to simply select “Join Ark” from the main menu and select the server your friends are on.
If you want a little more control over the session, choose the Host/Local option instead. From there you can select the “Non Dedicated Server” option, which gives you the ability to use mods and set variables in the rules menu. The caveat here is that a non-dedicated server will prevent someone from straying too far from the session host (ie you). If they leave, an invisible leash forces them to return to their master.
The third option is to host on a dedicated server, although as the name suggests, you actually need to own and run the hardware and software to run that server.
If you’re looking for more things to do in Ark, check out our roundup of the best mods for Ark. Check out Ark’s dinosaurs to find out which ones are worth your time, and if you need a little informal help, use Ark’s console commands to make your life easier.
Source : PC Gamesn
