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ARK: Survival Evolved similar games & best alternatives

ARK: Survival Evolved

PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, iOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Android, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Linux • 2017

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Quick resume

Stranded on the shores of a mysterious island, you must learn to survive. Use your cunning to kill or tame the primeval creatures roaming the land, and encounter other players to survive, dominate... and escape!

Global score

83/100

Genres

Action, Adventure, Indie, Massively Multiplayer, Role-playing (RPG), Shooter, Simulator

Similar games

    Pros

    • Large open world with diverse biomes
    • Deep survival and crafting systems
    • Extensive dinosaur taming and breeding
    • Strong multiplayer tribe and pvp mechanics
    • Frequent developer updates and content additions

    Cons

    • Poor optimization and high hardware requirements
    • Numerous bugs and glitches
    • Steep learning curve and unfriendly to new players
    • Toxic pvp community on official servers
    • Grindy gameplay with time-consuming tasks

    Motivations

    • Autonomy

      Game with the same Autonomy vibe

      4

      "Players have freedom to build and manage their own dinosaur park with meaningful choices and strategies."

      Capsule for Jurassic World Evolution Jurassic World Evolution

      "Players have high freedom to choose their actions, build anywhere, tame various dinosaurs, and set their own goals."

    • Competence

      Game with the same Competence vibe

      4

      "The game requires mastering complex survival mechanics, combat tactics, crafting, and resource management, providing a strong sense of skill and effectiveness."

      Capsule for Project Zomboid Project Zomboid

      "Game involves mastering complex survival mechanics, crafting, building, and dinosaur taming requiring skill and knowledge."

    • Competition

      Game with the same Competition vibe

      3

      "Includes PvP modes, leaderboards, and competitive servers, but also supports casual and solo play without forced competition."

      Capsule for SCUM SCUM

      "Strong PvP elements with tribe wars and leaderboards, but also supports solo and PvE play without competition."

    • Continuation

      Game with the same Continuation vibe

      5

      "Players report hundreds to thousands of hours played, with addictive gameplay and long-term engagement."

      Capsule for Front Office Football Eight Front Office Football Eight

      "Players report hundreds to thousands of hours, with addictive gameplay and long-term engagement."

    • Cooperation

      Game with the same Cooperation vibe

      4

      "Strong emphasis on tribe building, teamwork, and social interaction; community is friendly and helpful."

      Capsule for Xsyon - Prelude Xsyon - Prelude

      "Tribe system encourages teamwork, resource sharing, and coordinated raids or defenses."

    • Creativity

      Game with the same Creativity vibe

      3

      "Building system allows for flexible base and factory design, though some users desire more cosmetic options and building variety."

      Capsule for StarRupture StarRupture

      "Building system allows for base construction and customization, though some reviews note limited uniqueness."

    • Domination

      Game with the same Domination vibe

      4

      "Players exert dominance through raiding, imprisoning others, and controlling territory; power imbalances are common."

      Capsule for Rust Rust

      "PvP tribes exert control over servers, raiding and dominating others, with power struggles common."

    • Escapism

      Game with the same Escapism vibe

      4

      "Players use the game as immersive escape into a rich fantasy world with exploration and survival challenges."

      Capsule for Soulmask Soulmask

      "Players use the game as an immersive escape, with rich world and survival challenges."

    • Expectation

      Game with the same Expectation vibe

      -3

      "Players engage voluntarily for fun and challenge, not out of obligation or pressure."

      Capsule for Lethal League Lethal League

      "Most players engage voluntarily for fun and challenge, not out of obligation or pressure."

    • Experimenting

      Game with the same Experimenting vibe

      3

      "Players explore different modules, combat tactics, and resource management strategies, experimenting with game systems."

      Capsule for Volcanoids Volcanoids

      "Players explore different strategies for taming, building, and combat, experimenting with game systems."

    • Exploration

      Game with the same Exploration vibe

      4

      "Procedurally generated maps and discovery of new biomes, caves, and resources drive exploration"

      Capsule for The Last Plague: Blight The Last Plague: Blight

      "Large maps with diverse biomes and hidden caves encourage discovery and exploration."

    • Expression

      Game with the same Expression vibe

      2

      "Some character customization and base building allow limited self-expression, but mostly predefined character designs."

      Capsule for Zanki Zero: Last Beginning Zanki Zero: Last Beginning

      "Character customization and base building allow some self-expression, but limited by game design."

    • Fantasy

      Game with the same Fantasy vibe

      4

      "Game features imaginative fiction with dinosaurs, aliens, and sci-fi elements in a fantasy shooter setting."

      Capsule for Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion Remastered Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion Remastered

      "Game features prehistoric and sci-fi elements, dinosaurs, and mythical creatures for imaginative play."

    • Fellowship

      Game with the same Fellowship vibe

      4

      "Strong community bonds, friendships, and social identity through tribes and alliances."

      Capsule for Tribal Wars Tribal Wars

      "Strong community and tribe identity foster social bonds and group achievements."

    • Growth

      Game with the same Growth vibe

      4

      "Players develop skills, knowledge, and character progression through leveling, crafting, and base building."

      Capsule for Night of the Dead Night of the Dead

      "Players develop skills, knowledge, and character progression through leveling and crafting."

    • Health

      Game with the same Health vibe

      -4

      "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity; intense focus and long sessions may encourage unhealthy habits."

      Capsule for UNLOVED UNLOVED

      "Gameplay is sedentary and can lead to unhealthy habits due to long sessions and intense focus."

    • Idle

      Game with the same Idle vibe

      -4

      "Requires constant attention due to survival mechanics, combat, and resource management."

      Capsule for Plains of Pain Plains of Pain

      "Requires constant attention due to survival mechanics, timers, and multiplayer interactions."

    • Intimacy

      Game with the same Intimacy vibe

      2

      "Players form social connections and alliances, though emotional sharing is limited by game context."

      Capsule for ANEURISM IV ANEURISM IV

      "Players form friendships and social ties within tribes, though emotional sharing is limited."

    • Leadership

      Game with the same Leadership vibe

      4

      "Leadership roles important in managing tribes and coordinating group strategies."

      Capsule for Tribal Wars Tribal Wars

      "Tribe leaders manage groups, coordinate raids, and guide tribe strategy."

    • Progression

      Game with the same Progression vibe

      5

      "Strong focus on accumulating items, upgrades, and crafting increasingly powerful gear."

      Capsule for Stone Story RPG Stone Story RPG

      "Strong focus on accumulating resources, items, and upgrades through crafting and taming."

    • Relaxation

      Game with the same Relaxation vibe

      -2

      "Game involves tension and challenge, especially in combat and resource management."

      Capsule for Survivalist Survivalist

      "Game involves sustained tension and challenge, with high stakes in PvP and survival."

    • Sensation

      Game with the same Sensation vibe

      3

      "Enjoyable sensory experience with detailed graphics, realistic sounds, and immersive environments."

      Capsule for Train Sim World® 6 Train Sim World® 6

      "Enjoyable sensory experience with detailed graphics, sounds, and immersive environments."

    • Status

      Game with the same Status vibe

      3

      "Leaderboards, ranks, and multiplayer visibility provide social recognition."

      Capsule for Tetris® Effect: Connected Tetris® Effect: Connected

      "Recognition through tribe dominance, leaderboards, and social standing on servers."

    • Story

      Game with the same Story vibe

      2

      "Game has lore and narrative elements but gameplay is mostly emergent and player-driven."

      Capsule for Hunt: Showdown 1896 Hunt: Showdown 1896

      "Some lore and narrative elements exist, but gameplay is mostly emergent and player-driven."

    • Strategy

      Game with the same Strategy vibe

      4

      "Requires planning, resource management, combat tactics, and strategic delegation of tribe members."

      Capsule for Soulmask Soulmask

      "Requires planning for base defense, resource management, tribe warfare, and taming."

    • Thrill

      Game with the same Thrill vibe

      4

      "High suspense from PvP encounters, survival elements, and tense atmosphere."

      Capsule for STALCRAFT: X STALCRAFT: X

      "High suspense from survival threats, PvP raids, and dinosaur encounters."

    • Value

      Game with the same Value vibe

      4

      "Players perceive good value for time invested, with extensive content and ongoing updates."

      Capsule for UnderMine 2 UnderMine 2

      "Players perceive high value for time invested due to extensive content and long playtime."

    • Violence

      Game with the same Violence vibe

      4

      "Combat and raiding are core gameplay elements involving destruction and player killing."

      Capsule for DUCKSIDE DUCKSIDE

      "Combat and destruction are core gameplay elements, including raiding and dinosaur battles."

    • Survival

      Game with the same Survival vibe

      5

      "Central motivation is to avoid death, manage resources, and survive threats in a hostile environment."

      Capsule for KLETKA KLETKA

      "Central motivation is to avoid death, manage resources, and overcome environmental threats."

    Analysis

    Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Competition, Fellowship, Domination, Status. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Domination, Leadership, Exploration.

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

    Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

    Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.

    Last update: 30/04/2026