After a Month – Why I Played ARK: Survival Evolved on Nintendo Switch

Even on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, ARK: Survival Evolved has been a problematic title for numerous people. Sure, it runs better on some platforms over others, but to say it runs flawlessly on all – or even one – would be an incorrect statement. And yet somehow, I’ve logged a few hundred hours into my various maps on Xbox One; despite the flaws, there is a game here that I really enjoy. But how will it perform on Nintendo Switch?

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that has played ARK is that it won’t run as well on Nintendo Switch as it does on other platforms. The console simply isn’t powerful enough. So how did I look past the issues and play for an entire month on this platform? It’s pretty easy actually: portability.

As a precursor to what I say next, let me get this out of the way: for the most part, ARK is a disaster on the Nintendo Switch, and if you aren’t prepared to deal with subpar graphics, frame rate issues, and a few glitches, you probably should walk away now. But if you want a fun experience – despite the issues – read on!

ARK: Survival Evolved on Nintendo Switch is playable, and it’s far from a complete disaster. Outside of some graphical problems, my issues with glitches and frame rate drops were infrequent, perhaps a few times per hour. It’s not like ARK crashes continually, or doesn’t register inputs, or anything like that. What is turning off the masses is the graphical downgrade. Get past that, and you’ll have one of the best survival experiences on a handheld, and 100% portable.

I’ve played ARK at the doctor’s office, waiting for my car to get serviced, on a train trip for work, and in many other places. I can pass the time building bases and finding dinosaurs, levelling up and more. And after a while, the issues sort of meld into the background, and you can, at times, almost forget about them.

Would I play ARK on Nintendo Switch docked, if I already owned it on PS4, Xbox One, or PC? Absolutely not, as those experiences are going to be much better. But you don’t have another option to play this portable, and with so many people taking their Nintendo Switch units on the road, this does make an ideal travel companion.

But this is my opinion: what is yours?