11 Games Like Ark: Survival Evolved
Games Finder’s assembled collection of games like Ark: Survival Evolved features other action-adventure titles with crafting mechanics and focus on survival.
Ark: Survival Evolved entered Early Access in mid-2015. This  adventure focuses on a harsh environment filled with dinosaurs, natural hazards and other players who can potentially prove to be hostile. Accordingly defensive options are key to your survival which includes improvised weapons, firearms, base building and even dinosaur riding.
All of these mechanics require a number of side activities such as crafting, taming, feeding and amassing resources. Nearly all items in the game come from crafting something from basic resources or other components which creates a constant feeling of up-scaling. Where the unique formula of Ark: Survival Evolved lies though is within the animal and dinosaur systems that offer a wealth of options and even come with their ecosystem and predator hierarchies. This system includes the ability to ride with friends, have your tamed creatures carry items for you and even respond to defensive and offensive commands.
The games like Ark: Survival Evolved that have been placed on the list below offer a similar adventure. These titles for various platforms (PC, PlayStation, Xbox) combine open worlds, multiplayer, animals and in depth crafting into a single experience. Several games where dinosaurs are a central mechanic have also been included.
Planet Calypso
Planet Calypso leverages the framework of Entropia Universe to create a science fiction MMO with a wealth of content, mechanics and sizeable community waiting to be explored. Most notably is the adoption of a game currency that is closely tied with real money that provides the potential for players to profit from their activities within the virtual game world. Starting in 2003 as the first planet of Entropia Universe (which now has more than half a dozen planets that offer different gameplay) Pl...[Read Review]
ORION: Prelude
Originally considered the worst game of all time ORION: Prelude (previously under the name Beatdown and Dino Horde) has stayed strong since its 2012 release to turn itself into a fun co-operative shooter. At the core ORION: Prelude is a sci-fi first person shooter that puts you and several friends on large maps with dinosaurs, vehicles, perks and various weapons. There is a vast number of game modes also available that broadly fall into co-op, open world, PvPvE and duel. The game mode you’...[Read Review]
Rust
Rust is a survival game that comes from the same brains that brought you Garry’s Mod. Drawing inspiration from a wide range of games and genres you’ll find plenty of depth to explore while struggling to survive. The game is best described as a mixture of Minecraft and DayZ. In Rust players will spawn with nothing (other than a rock) and must adventure through the game world to gather food and resources for crafting. This world isn’t free of threats though with other players and animals able to k...[Read Review]
Stranded 2
Stranded 2 is a free to play 3D game that challenges you to survive by yourself on an island. Building on the original game by offering improved graphics, larger islands, additional items and better randomisation you’ll get plenty of more hours of Stranded gameplay. Allowing players to play either through the story mode that gives you goals and objectives to achieve over four islands or the sandbox mode that lets you run wild there is a game mode for all tastes as you try to survive in the harsh...[Read Review]
Fallen Earth
Fallen Earth is a MMO that combines FPS and role playing features with its post-apocalyptic game world to deliver an experience akin to the modern games in the Fallout series. Fallen Earth originally launched in 2009 as a paid MMO game before transitioning to a free to play game in 2011, it was later shut down for a temporary 2 year period between October 2019 and October 2021. Fallen Earth is centred around the Grand Canyon area which is now a wasteland after a series of devastating natural eve...[Read Review]
Wurm Online
Wurm Online is a sandbox style MMORPG that has a creative focus allowing you to create your own adventure. You can play Wurm Online with a basic account for free but to remove some restrictions you will have to commit to a subscription based premium account. The game also has a stand alone version released on Steam in 2015 called Wurm Unlimited. Fans of Minecraft will be pleased to know that Markus Persson himself worked on the game so there is definitely a Minecraft influence present (Wurm Onli...[Read Review]
Far Cry Primal
Joining the other Far Cry titles but putting a prehistoric twist on it is Far Cry Primal a title available across Windows, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Intended to be a spiritual predecessor to the games in the Far Cry franchise you’ll step back in time to take on the role of a hunter in a large world from the past. Not only are you responsible for yourself but also an entire tribe who you will guide with upgrades and crafting to survive the harsh environments. It’s a twist uncharted ...[Read Review]
Infestation: The New Z
Infestation: The New Z offers another iteration of The War Z and Infestation: Survivor Stories with a free to play open world shooter made for PvP play across various game modes. Ignoring the rocky history that this franchise has had with countless development issues and decisions that have been less than well received by the community Infestation: The New Z has thus far avoided the same fate a few months into release and hopefully this trend continues for the title so that it may finally see th...[Read Review]
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG)
Starting the battle royale craze in 2017Â PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) quickly commanded an audience of millions and gave birth to a wider genre that would dominate the gaming industry for years to come. Subsequent to its success on Xbox One and Windows the game was released on the PlayStation 4 and on mobile devices (iOS/Android) with a free price tag to compete with other mobile free to play battle royale titles. Based on a mod created by Brendan “PlayerUnknown” Greene...[Read Review]
Primal Carnage
Primal Carnage is an online multiplayer shooter that focuses on PvP combat through savage class orientated matches that has a team of dinosaurs facing off against a team of humans. Set on a remote island after a dinosaur outbreak it is up to a team of mercenaries to find over the abandoned locations. This background helps set the game into a somewhat plausible setting but does not form a large part of the game. Instead the game is very much gameplay focused with players jumping into one of the 9...[Read Review]
Escape from Tarkov
Using a realistic military shooter as its base and adding layers of deadly difficulty is Escape From Tarkov, a title under development by the Russian studio of Battlestate Games. The core premise of Escape From Tarkov has players scavenging instanced maps for resources while avoiding the threats of other players and AI which in turn can be used to improve your own gear to take on greater challenges. Starting development in 2012 Escape From Tarkov was first shown to players through a 2016 alpha a...[Read Review]