The 10 Best Games Like Ark Survival Evolved

What are the best games like Ark Survival Evolved?

Sandbox survival games are incredibly popular, and Ark Survival Evolved is one of the titans of the genre.

However, if you’re getting tired of surviving on dino island, there are a few other games that can provide a similar experience.

Today, we’re looking at games like Ark Survival Evolved so that you can find something new in the genre to play!

The 10 Best Games Like Ark Survival Evolved

There are a lot of survival games to choose from, but we’ve managed to round up the ones most like Ark Survival Evolved.

Each of these games features similar mechanics but unique settings and stories, so that you can play something fresh!

If you’re ready to test your survival skills, here’s our list of the 10 best games like Ark Survival Evolved:

10. The Forest

Kicking off our list, we have The Forest, a survival horror game released in 2018 for the PS4 and PC.

In this game, players take control of Eric LeBlanc, who must search for his son following a plane crash that’s left him stranded on a remote peninsula.

The Forest is all about nonlinear gameplay, and players can do whatever they want in the open-world environment.

However, Eric isn’t alone on the peninsula, as a tribe of cannibalistic mutated humans also call it home.

Although they are not always hostile to the player, they are aggressive by default, especially at night or if you wander too close to their villages.

These aren’t just mindless NPCs either; they’re incredibly intelligent and will observe the player and even try to communicate using effigies.

While players struggle to survive, this game begs the question of whether or not the tribe is truly bad or if they’re just protecting their home.

What we really love about this game is all of the bits of story that can be found by exploring, and there are even two endings players can get.

Easily one of the best open-world PS4 games, The Forest will terrify players but keep them coming back for more!

9. Green Hell

Green Hell is a survival game set in the Amazon rainforest, and it was originally released for PC in 2019.

However, it has since come to the Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One, as well as next-gen consoles.

The story revolves around Jake Higgins, an anthropologist who wakes up in the jungle with the goal of finding his wife, Mia.

Mia, a linguist, has gone to contact a tribe by herself, and her only connection to Jake is through the radio.

As players try to survive and reach her, they will encounter a violent splinter group that split off from the main tribe.

Players will have to collect resources, build shelters and weapons, and maintain their sleep and food intake.

Dynamic changes will also occur in the environment, which can impact both the physical and mental health of the protagonist.

This game will definitely challenge your survival skills, even if it doesn’t have dinos like Ark Survival Evolved!

8. Astroneer

While Astroneer isn’t great for base building, when it comes to exploration, this game is top-notch!

This sandbox adventure game was released in 2019 for the Xbox One and PS4 and the Nintendo Switch in 2022.

It gives players control of a character known as the Astroneer, and the goal is to travel to different planets to activate their cores.

Although there is no main storyline, Astroneer does have optional tasks that can provide lore and additional narrative.

Players can also craft a variety of items ranging from spacecraft to research chambers and chemistry labs.

There is also a terrain tool that allows players to harvest resources and reshape the landscape around them.

Although it doesn’t have the survival mechanics of Ark Survival Evolved, the exploration and resource gathering feels similar.

Astroneer is honestly one of the best Xbox One games you can play right now, especially if you’re an Ark Survival Evolved fan!

7. Savage Lands

Savage Lands was fully released in 2021, and it challenges players to stay alive in a frozen wasteland.  

Kind of like a mix between 7 Days to Die and Skyrim; players have to try to survive while building shelters and fighting off hostile creatures.

Oh, and of course, there are dragons, and when you see them circling in the sky, you had better run because you’re definitely not the Dragonborn in this game!

What really makes this game great is that it gives players the ability to construct whole towns if they want!

There is also a multiplayer co-op mode that allows players to work together to try and end the tyranny of the dragons and free the land.

This game also uses universal saves, so you can move between multiplayer and solo play without losing any progress.

However, we would definitely recommend playing this game with friends because it totally makes everything much more fun!

6. Conan Exiles

Conan Exiles was released in 2018, later coming to next-gen consoles in 2021, and it thrusts players into the world of Conan the Barbarian.

 Players start off as convicts sentenced to death and strung up on a cross, only to be rescued by Conan.

Once released, players have to make their way through the Exiled Lands, a harsh desert that tests their survival skills.

There are many races to start off the game, and players may initially choose one of seven gods to swear allegiance to.

While trying to survive, players must manage hunger and thirst while also fighting off hostile creatures and other players in PvP servers.

As players progress, they can learn more about the history of the Exiled Lands and even venture to other biomes, such as the Frozen North.

Now one of the best PS4 games, Conan Exiles is a brutal survival game that will challenge even veteran players of Ark Survival Evolved.

5. Grounded

Grounded is a survival action-adventure game that was fully released in 2022 for Xbox consoles.

One of the best Xbox Series X exclusive games, Grounded shrinks players down to the size of an ant and forces them to try and stay alive.

Along with managing hunger and thirst, players will have to watch out for various insects, such as spiders, which are now apex predators.

If you’re someone with arachnophobia, there is an accessibility setting that allows you to change how scary the spiders appear in-game.

As players progress and find new areas, the difficulty of the game will gradually increase, and more dangerous enemies are introduced.

While trying to survive, players can craft a number of tools, weapons, and traps to make things a bit easier.

There is also a four-player co-op mode, so you can all try to stay alive together in this terrifying backyard world!

What’s more, is that the AI created for the insects is remarkably smart, with some, such as ants, only attacking players once they become a possible threat.

Grounded is really a ton of fun, and it’s incredibly entertaining to be able to see the world from a bug’s perspective!

4. Valheim

Originally released in 2021 for PC, Valheim has since been released as an Xbox exclusive in 2023.

This survival sandbox takes place in the titular realm, a place where slain Vikings go to prove their worthy of entering Valhalla.

In this world, players start out with nothing and must craft tools, weapons, and shelters to stay alive while fending off enemies.

Once players create their characters, they will be placed in a procedurally generated world that is split into several biomes.

 Each of these biomes has its own unique enemies, boss battles, and items, so players will face different challenges depending on where they choose to go.

Valheim also uses skill trees, and each skill can be leveled up to 100, making specific actions more effective.

For example, the spear skill will increase the damage players can do with spears, while the running skill dictates how fast stamina drains while sprinting.

The main goal of the game is to defeat the six bosses, one in each biome, but to summon them, you need to provide a specific offering at their shrines.

A new hardcore mode and customizable difficulty settings are also coming to the game, so you can make it super challenging or more laid back if you want! 

3. 7 Days To Die

7 Days to Die is an early-access survival horror game that was initially released in 2013 for PC and in 2016 for PS4 and Xbox One.

The game is set following a nuclear attack during World War III that has decimated a large portion of the world.

As one of the survivors, players have to fight to find shelter, supplies, food, and water, all while fending off hordes of zombies!

Players can choose to spawn in either a randomly generated world or the pre-made world of Navezgane, Arizona.

The overarching goal is to survive for as long as possible, but this is much easier said than done.

Every seven in-game days, a blood moon occurs, which causes both zombies and infected animals to attack players en masse.

Unless you have been able to build up your defenses well enough, you will quickly be overwhelmed and killed.

Like many games on this list, 7 Days to Die also has a co-op mode, and players have the option to run their own servers if they wish.

This is easily one of the most challenging survival games, and if you love Ark Survival Evolved, you will get a lot of playtime out of this title!

2. Rust

Rust was released in 2018 for the PC, later coming to the PS4 and Xbox One in 2021, allowing more players to access it.

This multiplayer survival game tasks players with living in the wilderness by gathering or stealing materials and resources.

Along with managing hunger, thirst, and health, there are also a number of hostile animals, including bears and wolves, to watch out for.

However, the biggest threat players will face is from other players, and there is no solo mode to save you!

While trying to build a shelter and defenses, you will constantly have to look over your shoulder and hoping a more advanced player doesn’t show up to raid you.

Oh, and you’ll also have to worry about drowning, hypothermia, and radiation to make things extra challenging!

Additionally, most maps are procedurally generated, so no matter how many times you play, nothing will remain the same.

Despite the only real goal being to survive as long as possible, this is more than enough of a challenge to keep players engaged for hours on end.

As one of the best multiplayer games, we would highly recommend playing this with friends so that you have someone to watch you back!

1. Orion Prelude

Taking our number one spot is Orion: Prelude, an FPS online cooperative where players have to work together to defend generators from dinosaur attacks!

Yes, if the dinos were one of your favorite parts of Ark Survival Evolved, you will certainly feel right at home in this game!

There are many maps in this game, as well as various game modes, including one where you have to collect dino eggs and a solo play mode.

Players can choose from a variety of weapons, as well as vehicles such as jeeps with turrets, mechs, and flying ships to help with defense.

In between dino waves, players can purchase upgrades for their weapons, but you only get 60 seconds, so you have to work fast!

Although this game doesn’t feature survival mechanics like hunger or building, staying alive is incredibly difficult.

Fortunately, Ark Survival Evolved fans will have plenty of experience killing dinos making this game a lot easier!

Summary

We hope you enjoyed our list of the 10 best games like Ark Survival Evolved, and found a few new ones you haven’t played yet!

Although Ark Survival Evolved is one of the most popular games in the survival genre, these alternatives are all worth trying out!

This is especially true for Orion: Prelude, which features all of the dino-killing fun that Ark fans have come to love!

Here’s a quick recap of the 10 best games like Ark Survival Evolved:

1. Orion Prelude
2. Rust
3. 7 Days To Die
4. Valheim
5. Grounded
6. Conan Exiles
7. Savage Lands
8. Astroneer
9. Green Hell
10. The Forest

How good are your survival skills? Leave a comment below.