Free to Play ARK Spinoff Hits Major Player Milestone

Summary

• ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition achieved over 3 million downloads within its first three weeks.
• Despite mixed reviews, the game enjoys growing popularity on iOS and Android platforms.
• Grove Street Games plans future updates including new maps and content expansions for this dinosaur-filled world.

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 universe of 2017's ARK: Survival Evolved.

While initial critical reception was mixed, ARK: Survival Evolved itself enjoyed considerable success, exceeding one million downloads even before its official release. This popularity led to a remastered early access release in 2023 as ARK: Survival Ascended, featuring significant graphical enhancements. Beyond the main titles, the Studio Wildcard IP has spawned several spin-offs, with ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition, developed by Grove Street Games, being the latest addition to the franchise. Currently available on iOS and Android, this free-to-play title offers players a familiar experience: resource gathering, crafting, base building, dinosaur taming, and more—all hallmarks of the ARK series.

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 revealed that Grove Street Games is actively developing new content, including maps like Ragnarok, Extinction, Genesis Part 1, and Genesis Part 2, to further expand the game's dinosaur-infested 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 the 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 successful entry in the ARK franchise for Grove Street Games, following their successful development of the enhanced Nintendo Switch port of ARK: Survival Evolved in 2022.

Following its recent release on mobile platforms, ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition is slated for release on the Epic Games Store in 2025, offering players expanded platform choices. Studio Wildcard recently unveiled an updated roadmap for ARK: Survival Ascended, highlighting upcoming content. Fans eagerly await further updates regarding ARK 2, which unfortunately missed its projected late 2024 release window.