Lost Ark (Android)

Lost Ark can be played on Android, but the way to do it requires you to stream the game to the Android device rather than download it. If you want to play Lost Ark on Android, you can try cloud gaming or hardware streaming.

Lost Ark is a free-to-play 2019 MMOARPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Action Role-Playing Game) that is developed by Tripod Studios in collaboration with Smilegate RPG. Up until a couple of months ago, the game was only available in South Korea, but on the 11th of February 2022, it was also released for North America and Europe, which is the main reason why the game suddenly gained a lot of popularity.

So, what’s Lost Ark all about?

At first glance, the game may seem quite similar to MMORPG titles, such as World of Warcraft or Star Wars: The Old Republic. After all, like the two other mentioned titles, Lost Ark is a multiplayer game that gives the player control over a highly-customizable character that you get to level up, equip with better gear, and improve in other ways as you progress through the game, complete quests by yourself or with the help of other players, engage in PvP battles, and more. However, there are also differences that set Lost Ark apart from other, more conventional MMORPGs. One of the most notable differences is combat. In games like WoW, while you do have a lot of control over your character, the game uses typical RPG mechanics where you are basically “telling” what ability you want your character to use, and then they use it. On the other hand, Lost Ark employs a more dynamic hack-and-slash type of combat, where you have a lot more control over your character’s movements, so you are no longer “telling” them what to do, instead, you are using their abilities yourself. In that regard, Lost Ark has a combat system that feels more similar to the combat in the Diablo games rather than the combat in other MMORPGs. Whether that’s a good or a bad thing, is up to each player’s own personal preference, but if you are looking for fast-paced, dynamic, and highly-satisfying combat in games, you may like what Lost Ark has to offer.

In fact, the combat in Lost Ark is one of the main draws of the game. It is very smooth, responsive, and bombastic. With over-the-top, exaggerated visuals for every spell that you cast and every move that you make, it would soon start feeling like you are the overpowered protagonist in an anime, who is capable of decimating their enemies by the dozens. All of this is enhanced by the variety of NPC enemies that the game throws at you. In fact, there’s a lot of focus on fighting NPCs in Lost Ark compared to other games of the same genre. Of course, there’s PVP, which, too, is a lot of fun, but it’s nice to also have the option to go up against hordes of AI-controlled mobs or powerful and challenging bosses, just like you would in a single-player RPG. 

Character progression and RPG elements

Another noteworthy difference between Lost Ark and other games of the same genre is how you start and progress through the game. Obviously, since this is an RPG, you begin by creating and customizing your character – you can pick from several character classes: Warrior, Mage, Gunner, Martial Artist, and Assassin. There are also subclasses for each base character class called specializations. So far, pretty standard stuff. However, where Lost Ark separates itself from other MMORPGs is when you actually start the game with the character you’ve created. The first section of the game offers a very linear experience – rather than being released into the wide-open world of the game and left to your own devices to decide how to proceed, maybe helped by the advice of some friendly NPCs, you are instead told exactly what to do and where to go. While eventually, you do get the freedom to go around, explore, and complete side quests, you still need to go through the main quest in order to level up your character to level 50 – the maximum level in the game. This initial progress through the game is the same each time, for every character, and for every player.

On the plus side, this can help newcomers to the game and to the MMORPG genre as a whole to get into the game more easily, as the quests they need to complete are designed to teach them the mechanics of the game and help them progress their characters. However, if you’ve already progressed a couple of characters and want to create a new one, you will likely feel bored and annoyed by having to complete the same quests for the third, fourth, fifth (and so on) consecutive time. Additionally, the freedom that the player has about what to do and how to do it that’s typical for most MMORPGs is somewhat diminished there, replaced by the need to complete specific quests in order to reach maximum level, and this could turn away a lot of players away from the game. On the other hand, if you like the more linear progression typical for single-player games, you may enjoy the way Lost Ark starts off.

Something worth noting here is that, once you reach level 50 after completing the main storyline, you can still keep improving your character, but from that point on, improvements are done by acquiring better gear and stronger items. While this is fine in and of itself, the way better and more powerful items are acquired starts to get grindy after a while, especially once you get to the really high-tier stuff.

Conclusion

Lost Ark is a lot of fun – its combat can keep you entertained for hours on end without getting stale and its character progression and RPG elements, while a bit unusual, are unlikely to take away the overall enjoyment of playing Lost Ark. Now if you want to play this game on an Android device even though Lost Ark is only available for Windows, have a loot at the guide we’ve prepared for you down below.

Can you play Lost Ark on Android?

It’s possible to play Lost Ark on Android even though the game isn’t supported for mobile devices of any type. The way to play Lost Ark on Android is to use a streaming service or stream the game from a PC to your Android device.

Currently, Lost Ark is only available for Windows which greatly limits one’s options of playing it on other platforms. However, even though you cannot download it and play it natively on an Android device, you can still play it on Android via game-streaming. Just like you can stream videos and music to your smartphone or tablet, so can you stream games. Obviously, the Internet connection requirements for good quality game streaming are higher compared to video or music streaming, yet it’s still perfectly possible and also very easy to do. In the next guide, we will show you the two main methods of streaming Lost Ark to Android.

How to play Lost Ark on Android

To play Lost Ark on Android, you can stream the game from a game streaming service – one such service that has Lost Ark in its library is Boosteroid. Alternatively, you can also play Lost Ark on Android by streaming it from a Windows PC.

The first of those two options – the game streaming service variant – is the one that most users will likely go for. The only requirements there are that your Internet is relatively fast (50 Mbps or more should typically be enough) and stable and also that you have an active subscription to the game streaming service that you’ve chosen to use. If the two requirements are met, you’d be able to play Lost Ark anywhere, at any time.

The second option – the PC-streaming one – has more conditions that need to be met. For starters, the PC you’d be using for streaming must be able to run the game and the game would need to be installed on it. Also, the Android device and the PC must use the same network which de facto means that you cannot go too far from the PC and the network router if you want to be able to play Lost Ark on your Android device. This option is mainly for users who already have a PC capable of running Lost Ark and who simply want to play the game on their phones/tablets while at home.

Now, without further ado, here are the different methods of playing Lost Ark on Android.

How to play Lost Ark with Cloud Gaming

To play Lost Ark with a Cloud Gaming service like Boosteroid you will first need to purchase the game.

Next, redeem your game on Steam.

Now you will need to register on Boosteroid. This allows you to add Lost Ark to their Cloud Gaming Library.

For an in-depth explanation of how to play Lost Ark with cloud gaming continue with the text below.

Play Lost Ark with Boosteroid

Boosteroid is a cloud gaming service that can allow you to stream Lost Ark to your Android device.

1. Create a Boosteroid account on the service’s site.
2. Get the Boosteroid app from the Google Play Store.
   
3. Open the app, sign in with your account, go to your profile settings, and tap Subscribe.
   
4. Choose a paid subscription plan and preferred payment method and activate the subscription.
   
5. Search for Lost Ark in the Boosteroid app, tap on the game to go to its page, and tap Play.
6. Tap OK, let’s go, then select the keyboard from the top-left and use it to enter your Steam login details.
7. Once you log in to Steam, you can start playing Lost Ark. If you don’t have a controller connected to your Android device, tap the small controller icon in the top-left of your screen to get touch-screen controls.

How to download Lost Ark on Android

You can’t download Lost Ark on Android, but you can still play it on such an Android device by streaming the game. You can download Lost Ark on a PC and stream it to Android from there, or you can use a game streaming service.

We showed you how to use the Boosteroid game streaming service to play Lost Ark on your Android device, and so now we will explain how you can use your own PC to stream the game to Android. We will tell you about three tools that you can use for this task and each of them is free. However, note that the game must already be installed on your PC before you can stream it to Android. Also, note that the computer must be capable of running Lost Ark for this method to work. In other words, your PC must meet the minimum and, preferably, the recommended requirements for the game. Another important requirement is that the two devices (the PC and the Android device) are using the same network. Otherwise, you won’t be able to pair them and start streaming.

Streaming Lost Ark with Steam Link

1. Get Steam installed on your PC if you don’t already have it there and then open the app and log in with your Steam account.
2. Download Steam Link from the Google Play Store on the Android smartphone/tablet.
   
3. Launch Steam Link, and choose a controller option or simply tap Skip if you don’t want to connect a physical controller to the device.
4. Next, wait for the app to scan for available PCs – if all the necessary conditions are met, your PC’s name should show up in Steam Link. If you see your PC there, tap on it.
   
5. Next, see what passcode appears on your phone/tablet and enter that code on your PC to confirm the pairing of the two devices.
6. Once the devices are paired, tap on the Start Playing button, and you should get a Steam interface screen on both the PC and the Android device.
   
7. After that, simply navigate to your Steam games library and launch Lost Ark.
   

Streaming Lost Ark with Moonlight (only for PCs with Nvidia GPUs)

1. First, you must register on Nvidia’s site and download from it to your PC a free app called GeForce Experience.
2. Install the app on your computer, open it, log in with your Nvidia account, and go to the app’s settings (indicated by a gear icon in the top-right).
3. Next, open the Shield section (left panel) and enable Gamestream.
   
4. On your Android device, go to the Play Store, download Moonlight Game Streaming, and open the app.
   
5. Tap the name of your PC when it shows up in Moonlight and then enter the passcode that appears in the verification box on the computer.
   
6. Confirm the connection and once the two devices are paired, tap the Steam tile that should now be show in the Moonlight app.
7. You should now get a Steam interface on your phone/tablet, from where you can go to your Steam games and start Lost Ark.

Streaming Lost Ark with AMD Link (only for PCs with AMD Radeon GPUs)

1. Install the AMD Link app on your Android device – you can get the app from the Play Store.
   
2. Go to AMD Radeon Settings on the computer that will be used for streaming and open the AMD Link section.
3. Make sure that the AMD Link Server option is enabled and then click Add Device to get a QR code you must scan with your phone/tablet.
4. On the Android device, open AMD Link, accept the terms of use, tap the QR Scan option, and scan the code on your PC screen.
   
5. The PC and Android device should pair shortly – once they do, click the Gaming section on your PC, and then click on Lost Ark – this should start the streaming process, enabling you to play the game on your phone/tablet.