ARK Spinoff Reaches Major Player Milestone with Free Play

Summary

• ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition surpassed 3 million downloads in just 3 weeks after its launch.
• The game faces mixed reviews but continues to rise in popularity on iOS and Android.
• Grove Street Games plans to add new maps and content to the dinosaur-infested world in the future.

ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition, the latest free-to-play survival game from the ARK universe, has achieved a remarkable feat by surpassing three million downloads within just three weeks of its launch on December 18, 2024. This mobile spin-off, developed by Grove Street Games and published by Snail Games, builds upon the success of the 2017 hit, ARK: Survival Evolved, which itself saw significant sales even before its official release.

Despite receiving mixed reviews upon its launch, ARK: Survival Evolved managed to sell over a million copies pre-release. Its success led to a remastered version, ARK: Survival Ascended, released in early access in 2023 with enhanced graphics. The ARK franchise, owned by Studio Wildcard, has expanded beyond its main titles to include several spin-offs, with ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition being the most recent.

On January 10, 2025, Snail Games announced that ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition had exceeded three million downloads in its initial three weeks, marking a 100% increase in player downloads compared to the 2018 mobile port of ARK: Survival Evolved. Grove Street Games is actively working on expanding the game's content, with plans to introduce new 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 game's success is evident not only in its download numbers but also in its rising popularity on mobile platforms. Currently, ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition ranks 24th among adventure games on the iOS App Store and 9th among top-grossing adventure games on the Android Play Store. User reviews on the App Store give it a 3.9 out of 5 rating from 412 reviews, while on the Play Store, it earns a 3.6 out of 5 from over 52.5K users. This launch adds to Grove Street Games' impressive track record, following their successful work on the 2022 Nintendo Switch port of ARK: Survival Evolved.

Following its debut on mobile storefronts, ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition is slated for release on the Epic Games Store in 2025, offering players more options for where to play. Meanwhile, Studio Wildcard has outlined a detailed roadmap for ARK: Survival Ascended, hinting at exciting content updates in the coming months. Fans are also eagerly awaiting updates on ARK 2, which unfortunately missed its anticipated late 2024 release window.