'Ark' Free-to-Play Adventure Surpasses Player Milestone

ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition's Impressive Debut: 3 Million Downloads in Three Weeks

ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition, a free-to-play mobile game, has achieved a remarkable milestone, surpassing three million downloads within just three weeks of its December 18, 2024 launch. This survival game, a spin-off of the popular 2017 title ARK: Survival Evolved, is available on iOS and Android.

Despite receiving mixed reviews upon release, the game's popularity is rapidly growing. This success follows the trajectory of its predecessor, ARK: Survival Evolved, which also saw strong sales even before its official release. The original game's success led to a remastered version, ARK: Survival Ascended, released in early access in 2023. ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition, developed by Grove Street Games, allows players to engage in familiar ARK activities such as resource gathering, crafting, settlement building, and dinosaur taming.

Publisher Snail Games announced on January 10, 2025, that the game's three-week download count significantly outperformed the 2018 mobile port of ARK: Survival Evolved, boasting a 100% increase in downloads. Future updates are planned, including new maps like Ragnarok, Extinction, and both Genesis parts, demonstrating Grove Street Games' commitment to expanding the game's content.

Continued Growth and Future Plans

ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition's strong performance extends beyond download numbers. It currently holds a respectable position in app store rankings, placing 24th among adventure games on iOS and 9th in top-grossing adventure games on Android. While user reviews are mixed (3.9/5 on the App Store and 3.6/5 on the Google Play Store), the game's overall popularity continues to rise. This launch adds to Grove Street Games' successful track record with the ARK franchise, following their work on the Nintendo Switch port of ARK: Survival Evolved in 2022.

Expanding accessibility, ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition is slated for release on the Epic Games Store in 2025. This move will provide players with more platform options. Meanwhile, Studio Wildcard recently unveiled an updated roadmap for ARK: Survival Ascended, hinting at future content. The company's next major announcement will likely address the status of ARK 2, which missed its anticipated 2024 release.