Game · High risk
Is ARK: Survival Evolved safe for your child?
Age guide
13+
We advise ARK: Survival Evolved from age 13 and up. Overall risk 7/10 (high risk).
- 5-8
- This game is not suitable for this age group due to its complex survival mechanics, frequent combat, and realistic depictions of prehistoric creatures, which can be frightening.
- 9-12
- Children in this age range may be drawn to the dinosaur taming and exploration, but the game's open-world PvP (player versus player) elements and unmoderated text chat on official servers require close parental supervision to ensure a safe experience.
- 13-15
- Teenagers can engage with ARK's advanced base building and tribe systems, but parents should discuss strategies for managing interactions with strangers and avoiding griefing or cyberbullying, especially on public servers where player-versus-player combat is common.
- 16+
- Older teens can navigate the game's social dynamics and complex crafting systems independently, though ongoing conversations about responsible online behavior and managing time spent in the demanding game world are still beneficial.
ARK: Survival Evolved is an open-world action-adventure survival game where players are stranded on a mysterious island inhabited by dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures. Players must hunt, gather resources, craft items, build bases, and tame dinosaurs to survive.
- Age guide
- 13+
- Overall risk
- 7/10
- Violence
- 6/10
- Toxic behaviour
- 6/10
- Stranger contact
- 7/10
- Addiction risk
- 9/10
- Language
- 5/10
- Influence
- 7/10
What parents should know
ARK: Survival Evolved is a complex survival game featuring dinosaur taming and base building, but its open-world nature and player-versus-player combat on public servers present significant interaction risks. Parents should prioritize private server play or strict communication settings to mitigate exposure to unmoderated chat and potential griefing from other players.
What to do about ARK: Survival Evolved
Free with a Parentwise account. The age-by-age verdict needs your child's age, which is why it lives behind the account.
- The age-by-age verdict
What we advise for under 8, 8-12 and 13+ - our age guide for ARK: Survival Evolved is 13+, and the answer changes with your child's age. - The one setting to change tonight
The exact ARK: Survival Evolved setting that cuts the most risk, with the steps to find it. - What to say
Word-for-word openers for talking about ARK: Survival Evolved without a row. - Red flags to watch for
The signals in ARK: Survival Evolved that mean it is time to step in.
ARK: Survival Evolved age rating and parents guide: common questions
What age rating is ARK: Survival Evolved?
Parentwise puts ARK: Survival Evolved at 13+. We advise ARK: Survival Evolved from age 13 and up. Overall risk 7/10 (high risk). Violence scores 6/10, language 5/10, stranger contact 7/10 and addiction risk 9/10.
Can a 10 year old play ARK: Survival Evolved?
Not by default: we advise ARK: Survival Evolved from 13+, so at 10 it needs your supervision and the settings changed first. Children in this age range may be drawn to the dinosaur taming and exploration, but the game's open-world PvP (player versus player) elements and unmoderated text chat on official servers require close parental supervision to ensure a safe experience.
Can a 12 year old play ARK: Survival Evolved?
Not by default: we advise ARK: Survival Evolved from 13+, so at 12 it needs your supervision and the settings changed first. Children in this age range may be drawn to the dinosaur taming and exploration, but the game's open-world PvP (player versus player) elements and unmoderated text chat on official servers require close parental supervision to ensure a safe experience.
Can a 13 year old play ARK: Survival Evolved?
Yes, 13 is at or above the age we advise for ARK: Survival Evolved (13+). Teenagers can engage with ARK's advanced base building and tribe systems, but parents should discuss strategies for managing interactions with strangers and avoiding griefing or cyberbullying, especially on public servers where player-versus-player combat is common.
Is ARK: Survival Evolved appropriate for kids?
ARK: Survival Evolved is a complex survival game featuring dinosaur taming and base building, but its open-world nature and player-versus-player combat on public servers present significant interaction risks. Parentwise rates ARK: Survival Evolved overall as high risk (7/10), with stranger contact at 7/10 and addiction risk at 9/10.
Is ARK: Survival Evolved family friendly?
ARK: Survival Evolved is one of the higher-risk titles we rate, so treat it as supervised rather than family viewing. Parents should prioritize private server play or strict communication settings to mitigate exposure to unmoderated chat and potential griefing from other players.
ARK: Survival Evolved parents guide: what should a parent know first?
ARK: Survival Evolved is a complex survival game featuring dinosaur taming and base building, but its open-world nature and player-versus-player combat on public servers present significant interaction risks. The parts that most often catch parents out are stranger contact (7/10) and how hard it pulls for more time (9/10).
Is ARK: Survival Evolved safe for kids?
We advise ARK: Survival Evolved from age 13 and up. Overall risk 7/10 (high risk). Parents should prioritize private server play or strict communication settings to mitigate exposure to unmoderated chat and potential griefing from other players.
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Release and popularity data comes in part from RAWG, TVMaze (CC BY-SA) and Wikidata (CC0). Safety guidance is written by Parentwise.