ARK Survival Ascended players have reported various issues related to the game being stuck on the loading screen or not launching at all. If your ARK Survival Ascended unable to get past the initial loading screen, this guide will help you troubleshoot the problem so you can get back to surviving and taming dinosaurs again.
How to Fix ARK Survival Ascended Stuck on Loading Screen Issues
Follow these troubleshooting steps to get ARK Survival Ascended past the frozen loading screen:
1. Update Graphics Drivers
Outdated or corrupt graphics drivers often trigger crashing issues with games. Download the latest GPU drivers:
- For NVIDIA GPUs, get Game Ready drivers fromNVIDIA.com.
- For AMD cards, get latest Adrenalin drivers fromAMD.com.
- Use theNVIDIA GeForce ExperienceorAMD Radeon Softwareto update.
Restart your PC after installing new graphics drivers. This will load the updated drivers required by ARK Survival Ascended.
2. Verify Integrity of Game Files
Corrupted ARK mod files can lead to launch failures or loading crashes. Use Steam to verify and restore mod files:
- Launch Steam and go to Library > Right click ARK Survival Evolved > Properties > Local Files tab.
- ClickVerify Integrity of Game Files. This scans and replaces any damaged or missing game files.
Verifying will check for errors with the base ARK game and ARK Survival Ascended mod files. Let the validation process complete to fix any corrupted data.
3. Close Background Apps
Background software like web browsers, media players and messengers consume RAM and CPU cycles needed by ARK Survival Ascended.
Close memory intensive background apps before launching the game. This prevents conflicts that could cause launch failures or loading crashes.
Use Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager on Windows 10/11. Switch to the Processes tab and end unnecessary background tasks.
4. Add Exceptions to Antivirus
Overzealous antivirus scanners can sometimes detect games and mods wrongly as malware and block them from running.
To avoid conflicts, add exceptions for the ARK Survival Evolved folder and ARKSurvivalAscended.exe file:
- In Windows Security settings, go to Virus & Threat Protection > Exclusions > Add an Exclusion and select the ARK game folder and ARKSurvivalAscended.exe
- For programs like Avast, go to Settings > General > Exclusions and add ARK game files to the exception list.
This prevents your antivirus engine from obstructing ARK Survival Ascended.
5. Validate Base Game Files
A corrupted base ARK Survival Evolved installation can also prevent mods like ARK Survival Ascended from working properly.
Use Steam to verify integrity of the base ARK game files as well. This ensures all core game files required by mods are intact and error-free.
6. Update Visual C++ Runtimes
Many games and mods rely on Visual C++ runtimes for core functionality. Ensure Visual C++ packages are up to date:
- Download the latestVisual C++ Redistributables 2022from Microsoft.
- Run the installer to update x86 and x64 Visual C++ libraries to the latest versions.
Updating Visual C++ runtimes fixes missing DLL errors that can prevent loading of games.
7. Disable Overlays
Software overlays from apps like Steam, Discord, GeForce Experience can clash with games and cause launch crashes or loading issues.
Temporarily disable overlays before launching ARK Survival Ascended:
- In Steam, disable the FPS counter, achievement tracker etc.
- Turn off Discord in-game overlay in User Settings.
- Disable NVIDIA Share overlay in GeForce Experience.
- Similarly turn off overlays in MSI Afterburner, Razer Cortex, OBS etc.
8. Update Windows
Outdated Windows system files can sometimes trigger conflicts and loading issues with games.
Install the latest Windows updates:
- Go toSettings > Windows Updateand click Check for updates. Install all pending updates.
- Enable receiving updates for other Microsoft products to keep Visual C++ and .NET updated.
Restart your PC after updates complete to ensure updated Windows system files are loaded.
9. Set Power Plan to High Performance
Switch your Windows power plan to High Performance to allow CPU and GPU to run at maximum speed:
- Search forPower & sleep settingsand open it.
- ClickAdditional power settings> Choose theHigh performanceplan.
- This allows your CPU and GPU to utilize their full resources for smooth gameplay.
Keep the power plan at High Performance while playing games to prevent throttling issues.
10. Run as Administrator
Try launching the ARKSurvivalAscended.exe file with admin privileges:
- Right click the ARKSurvivalAscended.exe file and select Properties.
- Go to the Compatibility tab and checkRun this program as an administrator.
- Click Apply and launch the game normally. It will now open with admin access allowed.
This grants the permissions necessary for loading files and assets from protected Windows folders.
11. Reinstall the ARK Game
If no other fixes work, backup your ARK saves and mods, then completely uninstall and reinstall ARK Survival Evolved + ARK Survival Ascended mod:
- Uninstall ARK Survival Evolved through Steam.
- Delete the entire ARK folder from Steam\SteamApps\common.
- Also uninstall any leftover ARK files through Windows Settings > Apps > Apps & Features.
- Reboot and install a fresh copy of ARK Survival Evolved through Steam.
- Subscribe again to the ARK Survival Ascended mod on Steam Workshop.
- When launching the game, ensure no other mods are enabled.
Reinstalling will eliminate any corrupted files or conflicts that could be preventing the mod from loading properly.
Conclusion
ARK Survival Ascended crashes and loading hangs can be frustrating after eagerly waiting to play the expansive new mod. But troubleshooting your drivers, hardware, background apps, antivirus, Windows updates and game files can help isolate the cause.
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