ARK Spinoff Reaches Major Player Milestone with Free-to-Play Model

Summary

• ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition surpassed 3 million downloads in just 3 weeks after its launch.
• The game faces mixed reviews but continues to rise in popularity on iOS and Android.
• Grove Street Games plans to add new maps and content to the dinosaur-infested world in the future.

ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition, a free-to-play survival game, has achieved a remarkable milestone by reaching three million downloads within three weeks of its launch on December 18, 2024. This spin-off, set in the same universe as the 2017 hit ARK: Survival Evolved, has quickly captured the attention of mobile gamers on iOS and Android.

Despite receiving mixed reviews at launch, the original ARK: Survival Evolved sold well, surpassing one million downloads even before its official release. Its success led to a remastered version, ARK: Survival Ascended, which entered early access in 2023 with significant graphical enhancements. The ARK franchise, owned by Studio Wildcard, has since expanded with various spin-offs, including the latest, ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition, developed by Grove Street Games. This mobile version allows players to gather resources, craft weapons, build settlements, and tame dinosaurs, mirroring the gameplay of its console counterparts.

On January 10, 2025, Snail Games, the publisher of ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition, announced that the game had been downloaded over three million times in its first three weeks. This impressive launch performance surpassed the 2018 mobile port of ARK: Survival Evolved by 100% in terms of player downloads. Snail Games also revealed that Grove Street Games is actively working on expanding ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition with new maps like Ragnarok, Extinction, Genesis Part 1, and Genesis Part 2.

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

The game's success is further evidenced by its rising popularity on both the App Store and the Play Store. Currently, ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition ranks 24th among adventure games on iOS and 9th among top-grossing adventure games on Android. Despite its strong performance, the game has received a 3.9 out of 5 rating on the App Store based on 412 reviews, and a 3.6 out of 5 rating on the Play Store from over 52.5K user scores. This launch adds to Grove Street Games' notable achievements, having previously developed an improved Nintendo Switch port of ARK: Survival Evolved in 2022.

Following its debut on mobile platforms last month, ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition is slated to be available on the Epic Games Store in 2025, offering players more options for accessing the game. Meanwhile, Studio Wildcard has released an updated roadmap for ARK: Survival Ascended, detailing future content updates. Fans are eagerly awaiting news on ARK 2, which missed its anticipated late 2024 release window, raising concerns about its development progress.