ARK: Survival Evolved

In short: ARK: Survival Evolved is a simulation game released in 2017 by Studio Wildcard, available on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo and Mobile. Our score: 7.5/10 (worth buying, especially on sale).

ARK: Survival Evolved

ARK: Survival Evolved is an open-world survival simulation game where players are stranded on a mysterious island inhabited by dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures. Players must hunt, gather resources, craft items, build shelters, and tame dinosaurs to survive.

ARK: Survival Evolved is an expansive open-world survival game that thrusts players onto the shores of a mysterious island, ARK, teeming with prehistoric creatures, from docile Dodos to formidable T-Rexes. The core gameplay loop revolves around basic survival needs: avoiding starvation and dehydration, seeking shelter from the elements, and defending against hostile wildlife and other players. Crafting is a fundamental aspect, allowing players to fashion tools, weapons, armor, and elaborate structures from gathered resources. As players progress, they unlock more advanced engrams, enabling the creation of complex machinery and fortifications. One of ARK's most distinctive features is its creature taming system. Nearly every creature on the ARK can be tamed, providing players with mounts for traversal, beasts of burden for resource gathering, and powerful allies in combat. Taming is a meticulous process, often requiring specific foods and careful management of a creature's torpor. Once tamed, creatures can be bred, allowing players to create stronger offspring with improved stats and unique color mutations, adding a layer of depth to base building and tribe warfare. The game offers both player-versus-environment (PvE) and player-versus-player (PvP) experiences. In PvE, players can focus on exploration, building, and taming without the threat of other players, often collaborating to tackle the island's many challenges, including powerful boss encounters. PvP introduces an addi…

Game details

Our review

ARK: Survival Evolved offers an ambitious and often exhilarating survival experience. The core gameplay loop of gathering, crafting, and taming dinosaurs is incredibly engaging, providing a unique blend of prehistoric fantasy and persistent world mechanics. The sheer scale of the world and the variety of creatures are truly impressive. However, the game is frequently plagued by technical issues, including performance drops, bugs, and a sometimes clunky user interface. The grind can also be significant, and new players might find the learning curve steep. Despite its flaws, ARK delivers unforgettable moments of exploration, dinosaur encounters, and base-building, especially when played with friends. The constant struggle for survival against both the environment and other players (in PvP) keeps things exciting, even after hundreds of hours. If you can look past the rough edges, there's a deeply rewarding and expansive experience to be had.

Pros

Cons

FAQ

What is ARK: Survival Evolved?
ARK: Survival Evolved is a survival simulation game developed by Studio Wildcard. Players are stranded on a mysterious island inhabited by dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures, where they must hunt, gather resources, craft items, build shelters, and tame creatures to survive.
On which platforms can I play ARK: Survival Evolved?
ARK: Survival Evolved is available on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, and Mobile platforms.
When was ARK: Survival Evolved released?
The game was released in 2017.
Who developed and published ARK: Survival Evolved?
ARK: Survival Evolved was developed and published by Studio Wildcard.
What is the main goal in ARK: Survival Evolved?
The main goal in ARK: Survival Evolved is to survive the harsh environment, build up your tribe, tame dinosaurs, and eventually uncover the mysteries of the ARK.

More about this game

Similar games

Last updated: 01/04/2026