(2023) Top 21 Games like Ark: Survival Evolved

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Last updated on January 2nd, 2023 at 05:38 pm

Ark presented players with the ability to shift into something that was more akin to science fiction in appearance.

As a consequence of the game’s mechanics, players may experience a genuine sense of accomplishment. Within a short period of time, the game had built up a loyal following, which is still active now, in 2021.

Ark: Survival Evolved is the most popular survival game on the market today, according to market research.

In the event that you’ve had enough of dinosaurs and sci-fi island survival, there are lots of other alternatives open to you as a substitute.

Using PVP and creature taming to create a whole unique experience in the sandbox survival genre, this game is unlike anything else out there. If you’ve had enough of loincloths and dinosaurs in Ark: Survival Evolved, here are a few more games to try out instead.

Top 21 Games like Ark: Survival Evolved

  • 21. Atlas

Atlas was created by a Studio Wildcard spin-off team, the same team that created Ark: Survival Evolved, and is powered by the same engine that powers the dinosaur-taming survival sandbox.

It exchanges Ark’s dinos for a variety of watercraft, ranging from tiny rowboats that can be operated alone to large battleships that need a full crew.

Atlas’ major attraction is a nautical adventure. Instead of a single enormous landmass, the map is primarily water with hundreds of tiny islands to investigate.

Because so much of the planet is water, you’ll need a boat to move around. And you get pirates whenever you put actual people in a PVP universe and give them boats.

Atlas’ PVP is equally as brutal as Ark’s, and the ocean is teeming with people looking for possible raid targets.

  • 20. Rust

Rust is the game for you if you like heavy PVP in your survivalist sandboxes. Players would track you down, pursue you through the forests, raid you in the middle of the night, and compel you to strip nude in the midst of the frigid wilderness.

Something about the game really pulls out some of the worst people. Perhaps it’s cannibalism.

You’re as bare as the day you were born whenever you initially spawn. You must learn to survive on the earth by bashing boulders against trees and connecting sticks and stones together to construct tools.

You’ll eventually amass enough resources to construct a primitive house out of wooden planks and stone blocks. You may even be able to work your way up to an armored complex if you’re lucky.

  • 19. Conan Exiles

In this sandbox game, you must not only survive, but also smash your foes, watch them driven before you, and hear their ladies mourn.

Conan Exiles allows you to accomplish all of this and more. It’s also pretty sexual and adult, and full-frontal nudity is permitted without the need for an unapproved mod.

If you defeat and capture other players or non-player characters (NPCs), you may capture them (by chaining and dragging them).

To that aim, Conan Exiles is more difficult and graphically intense than the majority of the other survival games on our list. It still has the essentials of a survival game, such as base construction, weaponry, armor, foraging, farming, exploration, and so on.

  • 18. Subnautica

Survival in the water. That’s pretty much all for Subnautica. It immerses your character in an exotic underwater environment that users must investigate and survive. Subnautica’s location is maybe its most prominent feature.

After all, hardly many games base their fundamental gaming experience on the deep sea.

As a result, compared to other land-based survival games, Subnautica’s approach to the survival genre keeps the action very new.

Everything needs to be custom-made to make your life simpler underwater, thus the construction and crafting are unique here.

Aside from that, exploring in this game nearly always has a purpose, whether it’s uncovering new resources or being rewarded with oceanic eye candy that would dazzle even James Cameron.

  • 17. Raft

Raft, like Subnautica, injects its unique spin onto the tried and true (and arguably oversaturated) survival genre.

It likewise has a marine setting, however only the ocean’s surface is exploredRaft is by no means shallower than Subnautica. It’s really fairly decent and provides about the same degree of entertainment and enjoyment.

That’s because you’re being pursued by massive great white sharks. As a result, you’ll need a larger boat, which is what you’ll largely be constructing and enhancing in Raft.

When you’re not upgrading your meager watercraft, you may plunge under the waves in search of anything that can help you survive.

It’s like Moana, only you’re not an indestructible Samoan and neither you nor your buddies take the ocean’s threats seriously.

  • 16. DayZ

Not to mention the granddaddy of current survival games, DayZ. What began as a mod for ARMA 2 quickly became a great success in the gaming world. DayZ was the first of its type, and it began as a zombie apocalypse survival game.

In a similar vein to the TV program The Walking Dead, the zombies are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of hazards. Other players are far more dangerous.

DayZ is fond of reminding you that there are no boundaries. You loot things, locate firearms, run across other gamers, convince them you intend no harm, and then they murder you for your guns.

The great thing about DayZ is that you don’t really require a microphone to connect with other players.

  • 15. Grounded

Grounded is situated in the backyard of a standard suburban house, which would make for a laughably small playing field if you hadn’t been reduced down to the size of a pebble.

Now you (and perhaps some pals) must survive in a world where grass blades grow as tall as trees and ants are the size of tigers.

Just as in Ark, you may ride bugs in addition to fighting them. Those pincer-faced, six-legged jerks may be mounted.

Imagine riding a military ant into war, your mallet crafted of mint pieces and flower petals poised high. It’s like riding a leggier velociraptor pet in Ark.

  • 14. The Island

The Isle is a survival game in which you play as a young dinosaur who must hunt and battle to live until he reaches maturity.

The gameplay is straightforward: you select a dinosaur species to play as and must continue to survive by consuming plants (or other dinosaurs), drinking river water, and evading your natural predators.

Upcoming upgrades will enable you to modify your dinosaur, giving them additional abilities and physical qualities that will allow for more personalization and specialization.

Humans may be included in the future, so you’ll be able to play as a little human in a world full of enormous lizards.

  • 13. Astroneer

The goal of Astroneer is to conquer the solar system one planet at a time. You take on the role of a synthetic designed to explore new planets and assist your corporate masters in obtaining every last inch of their precious treasures.

This game is often about developing and constructing a base that will enable you to process raw resources on a large scale.

Much of the crafting may be done manually, but you’ll want to use the numerous buildable tools to automate the process.

Each planet has its unique set of challenges, with varying ecosystems and topography to contend with as you first discover mineral sources and then figure out how to efficiently transport them to your base for processing.

  • 12. Subsistence

Subsistence places the emphasis on “survival” in survival games. As a result, it might be harsher and more challenging than the others on this list.

It’s quite similar to Rust, but it focuses more on wildlife and nature, which means it combines animals and a greater animal artificial intelligence A.I. to remind you that people are worthless without their tools.

Subsistence is not for the faint of heart, so don’t come expecting a simple and enjoyable walk. To escape the disgrace of failure, you’ll need to utilize your mind a lot.

Fortunately, joining up is also an option here, so you have a greater chance of surviving the forces of nature.

The game is currently in desperate need of material, but considering that it is an early access release, this is to be anticipated.

  • 11. Green Hell

Creepy Jar’s Green Hell, a novel take on the survival/crafting combination, will give The Forest some new competition.

This game takes place in the Amazon jungle, with a strong emphasis on the psychological impact of being marooned and forced to battle for existence.

  • 10. Citadel: Forged with Fire

Citadel: Forged with Fire is a sandbox in which you may experiment with magic.

The intricate base construction concept enables players to build some magnificent buildings inspired by fantasy architecture, ranging from lonely, soaring wizard towers to powerful mountain strongholds.

There are also several side activities, such as gardening and farming, as well as the Broomstick League, which is a bizarre hybrid of Quidditch and Rocket League.

Using the game’s extensive spell-making system, players may construct their own spells.

Collect and mix up to six distinct magical essences to create a spell, then infuse it into an item to employ in combat.

The essences you employed determine the kind and power of the spell produced by the technique.

  • 9. 7 Days To Die

With several post-apocalyptic survival/crafting games available, it might be difficult to distinguish between them, particularly since many of them have the word “days” in the title.

7 Days To Die has gotten positive feedback from its audience, making it one of the most well-liked zombie-based survival games available.

The combination of compelling gameplay and dependable multiplayer bodes well for the game’s future.

  • 8. Orion: Prelude

Whenever it comes to dinosaur survival/crafting games, Ark may be the best, but Orion: Prelude was the first.

Its blend of intense FPS action, dinosaur mayhem, and survival features undoubtedly laid the framework for what Ark would eventually become.

It’s also available on Steam for $1.00 (yep, you read that correctly), with an ultimate version for $11. That alone is incentive enough to give it a go.

  • 7. Eco

Survival games usually include a person fighting the environment in order to remain alive. In ECO, you must battle against time and your own selfishness for the sake of humanity’s future.

A meteor is heading straight towards our planet. You must collaborate with other players to discover and build technologies that can preserve humanity from certain extinction. But is it possible to do so without damaging the environment?

In ECO, the planet is more than just a virtual sandbox; it’s a large artificial ecosystem.

  • 6. Savage Lands

Savage Lands seems to have divided its voting base down the middle among love and hatred, but it’s worth a go if only for the experience.

While very unlike other survival games of its ilk, Savage Lands does have some excellent aesthetics to its credit.

The game’s scary monster designs alone are worth the price of admission. The traditional fright factor works beautifully.

  • 5. The Forest

Even in a game like ARK: Surviving Evolved, survival for the sake of survival may quickly become tedious and meaningless.

That’s why a tale or overarching storyline is often required to keep things interesting; The Forest, a co-op horror survival game, has enough of that spice.

You play as a father whose jet crash-landed on a distant island with his kid. When you wake up, your kid is lost on an island teeming with the creepiest cannibals imaginable.

As a good father, you’ll have to look for your kid while boosting your chances of surviving the island’s cold and brutal terrain.

When you believe you’ve seen everything and are secure, you’ll discover that there are nightmares past your understanding waiting in the deepest crevasses and tunnels. Often, rescuing your kid is an afterthought.

  • 4. Scum

SCUM, like Subsistence, is not a simple or enjoyable game. It is, in fact, the most realistic survival game on our list. Taking care of your character’s every need is what we mean by realistic.

This covers pooping, urinating, and illnesses, as well as correct diet (protein, fat, sugar, salt, vitamins, minerals, and so on).

Of course, this is problematic because you can’t even maintain track of and handle such issues in real life, much alone in a game!

But don’t let it deter you from giving SCUM a go. Despite the utmost realism, the gameplay is extremely enjoyable because of the existence of zombies (referred to as “puppets” in-game), enormous mechs, and wild animals.

You also don’t have to work as hard since the construction part of SCUM is less taxing. Although it is currently in early access, the potential for SCUM is clear.

  • 3. Osiris: New Dawn

This one is for Ark’s end-game science-fiction style but isn’t a fan of the early game’s rustic environment.

Osiris amps up the sci-fi factor by transporting the player to a faraway solar system filled with alien life.

Gamers may explore and gather resources from a variety of worlds, each with its own distinct ecologies. Base construction is essential for a successful player.

The game has been in early access for many years, and although it still has the odd bug, it is refined enough to understand what Fenix Fire Entertainment was doing.

  • 2. Far Cry Primal

One of the rare AAA survival games that are on par with games from indie firms. Far Cry Primal, perhaps the greatest Far Cry game, mimics the kind of player-versus-player combat seen in previous games on this list.

You are representatives of a nomadic tribe that has made the mistake of settling in an area claimed by other warring clans.

It is your responsibility as the player to assist your tribe to develop while killing everyone who opposes you.

You may enlist the assistance of local animals to do this. In this game, everything from ferrets to sabretooth tigers may be useful companions.

  • 1.Radiation Island

Radiation, rather than severe cold or heat, is the ever-present hazard in this 2015 game.

Radiation Island is a slightly tongue-in-cheek satire of the time’s survival game craze. As a result, Radiation Island takes several elements from other games on this list.

Players must forage for tools while avoiding zombies. Despite its comic bent, the game understands when to throw a real challenge to players, which is why it belongs on our list.

Wrapping up

Even though it didn’t pioneer the survival video game genre, ARK: Survival Evolved contributed significantly to its modernization.

A number of the games attempted to emulate it, and some of them came close. It’s a good illustration of how you can go back to the same river and come back with something different to say.

The above list consists of some of the best games out there which are similar to Ark. So, be sure to give them a try if you like the survival games genre.

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