Free to Play ARK Spinoff Hits Major Player Milestone

Summary

• ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition achieved over 3 million downloads in its first three weeks.
• Despite mixed reviews, the game enjoys growing popularity on iOS and Android.
• Grove Street Games plans to expand the game's content with new maps and features.

Released on December 18, 2024, the free-to-play mobile game ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition is a spin-off of the 2017 title ARK: Survival Evolved, set within the same universe. This survival game quickly surpassed three million downloads within its first three weeks.

While initial critical reception was mixed, ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, ARK: Survival Evolved, which achieved over one million downloads before its official release. The original game's success led to a remastered version, ARK: Survival Ascended, released in early access in 2023. Studio Wildcard, the IP owner, has also overseen several spin-off titles, with ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition, developed by Grove Street Games, being the latest addition to the franchise. Available on iOS and Android, it offers players a familiar free-to-play experience featuring resource gathering, crafting, base building, dinosaur taming, and more.

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, representing 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.

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 reflect the game's rising popularity. At the time of writing, ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition holds the 24th position in iOS adventure games and 9th place among top-grossing Android adventure games. While user reviews are mixed (3.9/5 on the App Store based on 412 ratings and 3.6/5 on the Google Play Store with over 52,500 user scores), the game's performance marks another successful launch for Grove Street Games, following their work on the improved Nintendo Switch port of ARK: Survival Evolved in 2022.

Following its release on mobile platforms last month, ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition is slated for release on the Epic Games Store in 2025, expanding player access. Recently, Studio Wildcard unveiled an updated roadmap for ARK: Survival Ascended, outlining upcoming content. Fans eagerly await further updates regarding ARK 2, which unfortunately missed its projected late 2024 release window.