ARK: Survival Evolved is a game that has helped define the open-world survival genre. It released more than seven years ago and yet in 2021 we still had up to 100,00 players online monthly. It’s a game that is deep, complex and was extrodinarily ambitious for its time. With everything for you and your friends to do from crafting to base building, monster taming and more.
No matter which aspect of ARK you love, be it the combat, exploration or general multiplayer RPG mechanics there are some games coming up that we think you’re going to love! There’s also a wide variety of similar and wildly different environment settings to shake it up form the ARK life. Do you want to to survive in the wild wild west? On an alien planet? In post-apoclyptic New York? It’s all here!
Coming up is a whole wishlist for games to check out if you love ARK: Survival Evolved.
Ark 2 by Studio Wildcard
Release Date: 2023
It’s a no brainer that if you love ARK then you should definitely be keeping ARK 2 on your radar. Set to announce sometime next year, ARK 2 looks to have a ton of new changes coming to it. Including a “Souls-like melee combat system.” The developer states “Every aspect of the ARK series has been rethought and redesigned in this sequel.”
Other than game mechanic refreshes, expect a complete graphics overhaul because this baby is being developed in Unreal Engine 5. And if the trailer that dropped (above) at E3 2022 is anything to go by, ARK 2 will be an absolutely stunning game.
For those that have played until the last DLC expansion pack for ARK: Survival Evolved, the story for ARK 2 will be taking place after the events of Genesis: Part 2. Where the destroyed half of the Genesis Ship is firing the Santiago clones towards a mysterious Earth-like planet. This will likely to be the planet ARK 2 is set on.
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC – Steam
Retreat To Enen by Head West
Release Date: 5th August 2022
The year is 3600 CE. After narrowly avoiding extinction, humanity turned away from war and strife, choosing life and peace. Time for you to undertake the rite of passage. Journey to the legendary Enen. Explore, forage, hunt, build, and meditate to finish the rite and find your place in the world.
Much like ARK: Survival Evolved you’re out to survive on an deserted island. But unlike ARK, Retreat to Enen focuses more on mindful survival and meditation, rather than stabbing all the dinos you can find. So if you like ARK but was looking for something more peaceful, then Retreat to Enen should be on your wishlist!
In Enen meditation is essential to progress. So while you do have to forage for food, collect supplies and build your shelter, the game will remind and require you to meditate periodically. Not just a game mechanice however, the meditation mechanics have been created in collaboration with licensed mental health specialists for you to actual learn real breathing exercises and practice real meditation IRL.
Platform: PC – Steam
Nightingale by Inflexion Games
Release Date: Q4 2022
This upcoming open-world survival game is like ARK with some magic. Set in an alterate version of Victorian England, magic is something that exsits but as usual dabble too much and you may end up lost. In Nightingale you’ve opened a portal to another dimension filled with magic and monsters. And in order to survive you’re going to have to get a little resourceful and crafty. See what I did there?
Chopping trees, chipping at boulders, hunting for food, and building a base (or an estate, as they’re called in Nightingale) is just the beginning. That’s because this magical world you’re stuck in isn’t the only one out there. In Nightingale you’ll be able to open portals to more realms. Rare materials will allow you craft realm cards, which can be used to re-activate dormant portals to new worlds. Depending on the cards you craft, you may step from a lush meadow into an arid desert, an arctic biome, or a humid swamp. Essentially, by crafting cards you’ll dictate what you find on the other side of the portal.
Platform: PC – Steam
I Am Future by Mandragora
Release Date: 2022
The post-apocalypse can be such a bummer sometime, I Am Future, takes everything you love about ARK: Survival Evolved (sans dinosaurs) and gives it a cheery spin! You’re not just struggling to surive in this game you’re going to thrive! All from the overgrown rooftops that was once a metropolis.
The name of the game is survive, so in order to do that you’ll need to explore, gather resources and build yourself some useful tools. Old microwaves, rusty cars and antique computers – all will be handy! Carefully disassemble the devices to get the necessary details and put them to use for creating futuristic gadgets according to the blueprints you’ll get you hands on. By the way, have we mentioned that you will get to have a cyborg hand?
It’s not all bright colours and relaxing on the roof, you’ll also need to defend yourself from the newly evolved wildlife that’s around. Then dive deeper into what actually happened to civilisation while you were in cryogenic sleep. The answers lay somewhere in the city ruins.
Platform: PC – Steam
Tree of Life: Oddria by OddOneGames
Release Date: 2022
Close one eye and Tree of Life: Oddria! looks kind of like ARK: Survival Evolved. When it comes to the game mechanics this one is pretty similar to ARK. You’re stranded on an island, you’ll need to gather resources and craft your tools in order to build a new home. Pretty much the same goals and mechanics, just replace the dinosaurs with zombies.
There’s a variety of resource collection options here, including farming, ranching, fishing, forestry, and more. Use your resources to craft tools and weapons which can be used for fighting and more efficient resource collection.
Platform: PC – Steam