ARK Survival Ascended Lost Colony release time countdown

After a final round of two-day delay, ARK Lost Colony seems to be en route for its confirmed release time later today (December 18, 2025). For its first-ever original paid Expansion (that is, not featured previously in ASA), Lost Colony will bring a lot of novel concepts, from the first-ever look into the setting featured in the animated series, to seeemingly Element-corrupted humans.

Considering it doesn't get a last-minute delay yet again, here is when you can expect ARK Survival Ascended Lost Colony to drop in your regional time.

When will ARK Survival Ascended Lost Colony go live?

As of the last official blog update regarding the launch of ARK Lost Colony, the release time is now slated for 12 pm PST (midday) on December 18. This means that players in Australia/NZ and most of Asia will technically get the update on December 19.

Here's what the release time of ARK Lost Colony looks like across various regional timezones:

• United States and South America: 12 pm PST / 1 pm MST / 2 pm CST / 3 pm EST / 3 pm BRT (December 18, 2025)
• Europe: 8 pm GMT / 8 pm UTC / 9 pm CEST / 10 pm EET (December 18, 2025)
• Africa: 10 pm SAST (December 18, 2025)
• Asia: 12 am GST (midnight December 19) / 1:30 am IST (December 19) / 3 am PHT (December 19) / 3 am CST (Beijing Time; December 19) / 4 am JST/KST (December 19, 2025)
• Australia: 7 am AEDT/ 9 am NZDT (December 19, 2025)

The Expansion's release is concurrent across all platforms, so this is when you'll get to enjoy Arat Prime on Xbox. However, we should point out that cert issues have been known to be a factor in delaying consoles from intended release times of ARK updates in the past.

That being said, if you're eagerly awaiting ARK Lost Colony and your timezone is not listed above, here's an exact countdown to the known release time:

Is ARK Survival Ascended Lost Colony a free map?

It's another $30 DLC (Image via Studio Widlcard)

No, ARK Survival Ascended Lost Colony, as well as the Arat Prime map, is an exclusive new DLC not available for free. It is priced at $29.99 for all owners of the base game, and prior to release, it has been available as an "Expansion Pass" you can purchase to get an early taste on some of its new creatures and features.

Those who own the game via Game Pass subscription will also have to purchase this as a $30 add-on.

Stay tuned for more ARK Survival Ascended news and guides on Sportskeeda.

Edited by Sambit Pal