Free to Play ARK Spinoff Hits Major Player Milestone

Summary

• ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition achieved over 3 million downloads within three weeks of its launch.
• Despite mixed reviews, the game enjoys growing popularity on iOS and Android platforms.
• Grove Street Games plans to expand the game's dinosaur-infested world with new maps and content.

The free-to-play mobile game, ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition, celebrated a remarkable launch, surpassing three million downloads in just three weeks. Released on December 18, 2024, this survival game is a spin-off within the same universe as 2017's ARK: Survival Evolved.

While initial critical reception was mixed, ARK: Survival Evolved itself saw considerable success, exceeding one million downloads even before its official release. This popularity led to a remastered version, ARK: Survival Ascended, released in early access in 2023, featuring significant graphical improvements. Beyond the main series, the Studio Wildcard-owned IP has spawned several spin-offs. The latest, ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition, developed by Grove Street Games, is now available on iOS and Android. This free-to-play title offers players a familiar experience: resource gathering, crafting, settlement building, dinosaur taming, and more, mirroring the core gameplay of its console counterparts.

On January 10, 2025, Snail Games, the publisher of ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition, announced the game's impressive three-million-download milestone within its first three weeks. This launch significantly outperformed the 2018 mobile port of ARK: Survival Evolved, boasting a 100% increase in downloads. Snail Games also confirmed that Grove Street Games is actively developing new content, including maps like Ragnarok, Extinction, Genesis Part 1, and Genesis Part 2, to further enrich the game's world.

ARK Mobile Game Sees Promising Launch Stats, Marks Another Strong Release by the Developer

The strong download numbers on the App Store and Google Play Store indicate promising prospects for ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition. The game continues to climb popularity charts, currently holding the 24th position among adventure games on iOS and 9th among top-grossing adventure games on Android. While user reviews are mixed, with a 3.9/5 rating (412 reviews) on the App Store and 3.6/5 (over 52,500 reviews) on the Google Play Store, this launch represents another success for Grove Street Games, following their work on the improved Nintendo Switch port of ARK: Survival Evolved in 2022.

Following its release on major mobile platforms last month, ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition is slated for release on the Epic Games Store in 2025, offering players expanded platform choices. Recently, Studio Wildcard unveiled an updated roadmap for ARK: Survival Ascended, providing a glimpse into upcoming content. Fans now eagerly await updates regarding ARK 2, which unfortunately missed its projected late 2024 release window.