Ark: Survival Evolved has carved out a unique niche in the gaming world with its blend of survival mechanics, open-world exploration, and dinosaur taming. For those who love Ark but are looking for something new, here are nine games that offer a similar experience like ark survival evolved, each bringing its own unique twist to the survival genre.
1. Conan Exiles
Conan Exiles is an open-world survival game set in the harsh universe of Conan the Barbarian. Developed by Funcom, it thrusts players into a savage land where they must fend for themselves by gathering resources, building shelters, and crafting weapons. The game emphasizes brutal combat, including a robust melee system and a detailed crafting and building mechanic. Like Ark, Conan Exiles features a multiplayer component where you can join friends or battle other players. The game’s world is enriched with lore and challenging environments, from scorching deserts to freezing mountains, each demanding different survival strategies.
Unique Features:
- Purge Mechanic: NPCs attack your base periodically, requiring defense strategies.
- Religion System: Players can choose deities and perform rituals for bonuses.
- Slavery System: Capture NPCs and force them into labor to enhance your camp.
2. Rust
Rust is a brutal survival game from Facepunch Studios, where players start naked on an island and must survive by gathering resources, building shelters, and crafting weapons. The game focuses heavily on player interaction, often leading to unpredictable and emergent gameplay experiences. Rust’s multiplayer environment is notorious for its high stakes and tense encounters, where other players can be both potential allies and deadly threats. Like Ark, Rust features a large open world, resource management, and base building.
Unique Features:
- Harsh PvP Environment: Players can raid each other’s bases and steal resources.
- Decay Mechanic: Structures deteriorate over time without maintenance.
- Blueprint System: Unlock and learn new crafting recipes by finding blueprints.
3. The Forest
The Forest by Endnight Games blends survival horror with the traditional survival game formula. Players are stranded in a mysterious forest after a plane crash and must contend not only with the environment but also with cannibalistic mutants. The game has a day-night cycle where you gather resources and build defenses during the day and fend off horrors at night. The Forest also offers a compelling storyline that unravels as you explore deeper into the island.
Unique Features:
- Dynamic AI: Enemies adapt their strategies based on your actions.
- Psychological Horror: Creepy atmosphere and unsettling enemies.
- Story Integration: Exploration reveals a rich backstory and mysteries to solve.
4. Subnautica
Subnautica by Unknown Worlds Entertainment takes the survival genre underwater. Players find themselves stranded on an alien ocean planet and must explore the depths to gather resources, craft tools, and build underwater bases. Unlike the land-based survival in Ark, Subnautica focuses on oceanic exploration, which includes stunning underwater environments and encounters with alien sea creatures. The game offers a strong narrative that guides players through the mysteries of the planet.
Unique Features:
- Underwater Exploration: Vast oceans to explore with diverse biomes.
- Creature Interaction: Alien sea creatures that range from friendly to hostile.
- Base Building: Construct underwater habitats and vehicles.
5. No Man’s Sky
No Man’s Sky by Hello Games is an open-world exploration game with a survival element set in a procedurally generated universe. Players can explore countless planets, each with unique flora, fauna, and resources. The game encourages discovery and resource management, with the added challenge of surviving hostile environments and alien wildlife. The ability to build bases, craft items, and manage resources makes it comparable to Ark, though on a much larger scale.
Unique Features:
- Procedural Generation: Endless variety of planets and ecosystems.
- Space Exploration: Travel between planets and explore space stations.
- Base Building: Construct bases on planets and manage interstellar trade.
6. Green Hell
Green Hell by Creepy Jar is a survival game set in the Amazon rainforest. Players must survive the harsh jungle environment by hunting, crafting, and managing their health. The game’s focus on realism includes a detailed health system that tracks injuries, infections, and mental state. Like Ark, Green Hell requires players to adapt to their environment and manage limited resources, but with a focus on psychological horror and realistic survival mechanics.
Unique Features:
- Health Management: Detailed system tracking physical and mental health.
- Realistic Survival: True-to-life jungle survival, including crafting and cooking.
- Story Mode: Unfolds a compelling narrative about survival and self-discovery.
7. Don’t Starve
Don’t Starve by Klei Entertainment is a survival game with a dark and whimsical aesthetic. Players are dropped into a mysterious world and must gather resources, build structures, and avoid monsters. The game’s unique art style and challenging gameplay offer a different take on the survival genre. Unlike Ark’s realistic graphics and dinosaur encounters, Don’t Starve embraces a more surreal and gothic approach.
Unique Features:
- Permadeath: Once you die, you lose all progress and must start over.
- Sanity Mechanic: Manage your character’s mental health to avoid hallucinations.
- Crafting and Exploration: Discover and craft a wide array of items and structures.
8. Empyrion – Galactic Survival
Empyrion – Galactic Survival by Eleon Game Studios is a space-based survival game where players build, explore, and fight on different planets. The game combines survival mechanics with space exploration, allowing players to construct bases and starships. Like Ark, it offers a sandbox experience with a focus on exploration and resource management but extends this to an interstellar scale.
Unique Features:
- Space and Planetary Exploration: Seamless travel between space and planetary surfaces.
- Customizable Starships: Design and build starships for space travel.
- Complex Building Mechanics: Construct bases and vehicles with intricate systems.
9. Raft
Raft by Redbeet Interactive offers a unique survival experience where players start on a small raft in the middle of an endless ocean. You must gather debris from the water, expand your raft, and fend off sharks. The game’s emphasis on water-based survival and resource management creates a different kind of challenge compared to Ark’s land-based survival. Raft offers both solo and multiplayer modes, making it a versatile choice for survival enthusiasts.
Unique Features:
- Water-based Survival: Build and expand your raft while surviving at sea.
- Crafting and Fishing: Create tools and gather resources from the ocean.
- Co-op Gameplay: Work with friends to build and survive together.
Conclusion
These nine games offer a variety of survival experiences that can appeal to fans of Ark: Survival Evolved. Whether you prefer the brutal PvP of Rust, the psychological tension of The Forest, or the underwater wonders of Subnautica, each game provides its own unique spin on survival mechanics, exploration, and resource management. They all share the common thread of challenging players to adapt and thrive in their respective worlds, making them excellent alternatives for anyone looking to expand their survival gaming horizons.
