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

Summary

• ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition has surpassed 3 million downloads in just 3 weeks since its launch.
• Despite mixed reviews, the game's popularity continues to grow on both iOS and Android platforms.
• Grove Street Games is set to expand the game with new maps and additional content in the future.

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

Despite receiving mixed reviews at launch, ARK: Survival Evolved itself had a strong start, surpassing one million downloads even before its official release. The success of the original led to its remastering and early access release in 2023 as ARK: Survival Ascended, which featured significant graphical enhancements. The ARK franchise, owned by Studio Wildcard, has since expanded into several spin-off titles, with ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition being the latest addition developed by Grove Street Games. Available on both iOS and Android, this mobile version allows players to engage in survival activities such as resource collection, crafting weapons, building settlements, and taming 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 significantly outpaced the 2018 mobile port of ARK: Survival Evolved, boasting a 100% increase in player downloads. Additionally, Snail Games disclosed that Grove Street Games is actively developing new content for ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition, including new maps such as 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 downloads on the App Store and Google Play Store reflect strong market interest, with ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition climbing the popularity rankings. Currently, it ranks 24th among adventure games on iOS and 9th among the top-grossing adventure games on Android. User ratings are currently at 3.9 out of 5 on the App Store, based on 412 reviews, and 3.6 out of 5 on the Play Store, with over 52.5K user scores. This launch further solidifies Grove Street Games' reputation, following their successful work on the 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 shared an updated roadmap for ARK: Survival Ascended, outlining planned content updates for the coming months. Fans are also eagerly awaiting news on ARK 2, which missed its anticipated late 2024 release window, prompting concerns about its development status.