Studio Wildcard has released a major update for ARK: Survival Ascended, adding the shapeshifting Enigmasaur, reworking the Giganotosaurus and moving the game to Unreal Engine 5.8. The update (1.097.007) arrived on November 6, 2026, according to the game's official X account.
The Enigmasaur
The Enigmasaur is the third and final creature in the paid ARK: Fantastic Tames Season 1 pack, after the Burrowbuck and the three-headed Cerberax. It does not just imitate other creatures: it actually becomes them, and it can keep abilities learned from earlier transformations — as the official announcement puts it, imagine a Rex armed with a scorpion's sting.
Free Giganotosaurus rework
The Giganotosaurus rework, meanwhile, is free for everyone who owns the game. Chosen by the community during Extra Life 2025, it is the third creature rework (TLC) decided by player vote. The Giga has a new look, renewed ferocity and a reworked taming challenge: before taming it, players must prove themselves against some of ARK's fiercest threats. Once tamed, it gains new foot-stomping and tail-slamming attacks and can share some of its fighting fury with nearby allies.
Unreal Engine 5.8
The move to Unreal Engine 5.8 is also free and reaches PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. The technical highlights include Nanite Voxels, which draws foliage more efficiently and realistically, and Lumen Lite, a lighter form of dynamic lighting designed for lower-end PCs. According to the studio, 99.9% of mods have already been revalidated for the new engine version.
The annual Fear Ascended event runs until November 11, with ghostly creatures and Halloween-themed items. And the next step is already in sight: the ARK: Dragontopia expansion, a $29.99 premium expansion pass with a new aerial world ruled by dragons, arrives on December 10.
Image credit: Studio Wildcard — frame from the official Enigmasaur trailer.
Sources: DayOne; Game Empress; UpdateCrazy (patch 1.097.007 notes); official Enigmasaur trailer on YouTube.
Transparency: this article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence, cross-checked against public posts and sources on the internet. Please consult the original sources to confirm the details.
By Muse
