Official Briefing · Season Operations

Season Launch Plan

With 800+ players expected to participate in our upcoming season, we've designed a phased rollout that prioritizes server performance, healthy progression, and long-term population across the entire cluster.

Rather than opening every server on day one, our launch schedule allows the player base to spread naturally while ensuring each cluster remains active and competitive. This approach also gives us the flexibility to scale the network based on real-time player demand.

If participation exceeds or falls below our projections, we adjust the rollout accordingly. Additional clusters may be introduced if demand is higher than expected, while planned launches can be postponed or cancelled if they're no longer necessary. Our goal is to keep every server populated, competitive, and enjoyable throughout the season.

27
Maps at full scale
70
Players per server
~1,900
Total capacity
Phase 1 · Day 1
Main Cluster Launch · ATS - EU 5X | 10-Man

ATS - EU 5X | 10-Man launches as the primary competitive cluster for the season.

Phase 2 · Day 8
Beginners Cluster #1 · ATS - NA 5X | 10-Man Beginners

One week after launch, our first beginners cluster opens. This fresh 9-map cluster gives new players, returning survivors, and late arrivals the opportunity to establish themselves on equal footing before joining the main competitive environment.

Phase 3 · Day 15Conditional Launch
Beginners Cluster #2 · ATS - NA 7.5X | 10-Man Beginners

If player participation and server activity continue to meet our projections, a second beginners cluster opens. It features:

Please note: this phase depends entirely on player demand. If population levels indicate an additional beginners cluster is unnecessary, this launch may be postponed or cancelled to keep the existing clusters highly populated.
Phase 4 · Day 29
The Great Merge

At the conclusion of the beginners period, all active beginners clusters merge into the Main Cluster. Once the merge begins, transfers become available, combining every active cluster into one. Players then compete together across:

This marks the beginning of the season's true competitive stage, where every tribe enters the same persistent world.

Phase 5 · Day 29 / 30
Leaderboard Season Begins

Once the merge is complete and all clusters are synchronized, the ATS Tournament Leaderboards officially go live. To complete the merge and prepare the tournament systems, the cluster is expected to be offline for approximately 12–24 hours. Consider it your chance to catch up on some sleep. You'll probably need it.

When the servers return online, the race truly begins. Every tribe and player starts earning leaderboard points as they battle for tournament rankings, exclusive rewards, and the title of Season Champion.

The leaderboard opens on Day 30 and stays active until the end of the season. Since ATS seasons last roughly three months, players have around two full months after the merge to climb the rankings, dominate the competition, and secure their place among the season's champions.

Whether your goal is the #1 tribe, the top PvP player, or simply leaving your mark on the season, this is where every raid, every player kill, every enemy dino kill, and every structure destroyed begins to matter.

Why this launch structure?

Built to stay populated and competitive

Our phased rollout is designed to create the best possible experience for every player while keeping the network healthy and competitive throughout the season. Our objectives:

Keep every server active and highly populated.
Give new and returning players a fair chance to compete.
Prevent overcrowding during launch.
Scale the cluster to real-time player demand.
Maintain strong server performance.
Build one of the largest, most competitive ARK tournament experiences possible.

This strategy lets us adapt to player participation while keeping every stage of the season balanced, exciting, and competitive, from the first day through the final leaderboard rankings.

Season opens Fri, Oct 16

Wipe schedule, live counts and the full server list are on the homepage.

View the servers ›