ARK Astraeos Mega Update Launches During IGN Fan Fest

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ARK: SURVIVAL ASCENDED ASTRAEOS MEGA UPDATE AVAILABLE NOW

Five-Headed Hydra Boss, The Grand Tortugar Mobile Fortress, and New Desert Wasteland Arrive - Gameplay Trailer Debuts at IGN Fan Fest

SEATTLE, WA - February 25, 2026 - Studio Wildcard today unleashes the “Astraeos Mega Update,” a massive expansion to the mythic, Greek Odyssey-inspired world in ARK: Survival Ascended. This massive update introduces the Pyranthos landmass, a tamable amphibious fortress, and a brutal five-headed Hydra boss encounter. During today’s IGN Fan Fest, the first gameplay trailer revealing the new Pyranthos region debuted and the update is available now to play on PlayStation 5, Xbox X|S, Epic Games Store and Steam.



Originally launched as a community mod by acclaimed creator Nekatus before becoming an Official Partner DLC, Astraeos continues to evolve with new creatures, bosses, cosmetics, and myth-inspired gameplay challenges. The Astraeos Mega Update marks the largest expansion to the map since its debut. This week the Astraeos map is 67% off on Steam and Xbox ($4.94 USD) - the biggest discount yet!

WHAT’S NEW IN ASTRAEOS?

The Pyranthos Wasteland
Astraeos expands with a vast new desert region shaped by myth and ruin. Shifting sands reveal forgotten structures, buried pathways, and unexplored artifact caves, while powerful creatures roam both surface and subterranean depths. This hostile new zone is built for exploration and punishes the unprepared.

The Grand Tortugar
To survive the dangerous wasteland, you’ll need more than shelter. The Grand Tortugar is a colossal amphibious living fortress built for endurance. Traverse land and ocean floor while harvesting valuable resources, open its armored carapace to create a roaming command post, or seal it shut to transform into a nearly unbreakable bastion. It’s not just a mount - it’s a war machine.

A Herculean Challenge Arises!
Buried deep within the Pyranthos ruins lies Astraeos’ greatest threat yet! The five-headed Hydra will demand teamwork, timing, and overwhelming firepower. Severing each head from the body changes the flow of combat, forcing teams to work together or fall to the beast.

ARK: Survival Ascended includes access to all of ARK’s worlds, including Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, ARK Genesis Part 1 and Part 2. Available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC and Steam, players will create a Survivor, form a tribe, and then tame, train, breed & ride dinosaurs within a living ecosystem.

For the latest updates, join the ARK Survivor’s conversation on Discord, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, subscribe to us on YouTube, visit our website at playark.com and watch us tame ‘n train leviathan dinosaurs on Twitch.TV.

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ABOUT STUDIO WILDCARD
Since revealing its flagship game ARK: Survival Evolved in 2015, Studio Wildcard has tirelessly strived to bring its dinosaur-filled vision to the masses. With millions of players worldwide, the team has delivered an amazing amount of new content and leveraged cutting-edge technology to keep fans engaged. With a transmedia universe, the ARK story can be discovered on all gaming platforms, within spin-off titles, and now as a new epic narrative featuring a star-studded cast in ARK: The Animated Series on Paramount+. www.studiowildcard.com