Free to play The game is not pay-to-win Both online and offline modes A rich world full of life, nature, and exotic creatures A leveling system that keeps the game interesting for a long time
Cons
Performance issues (crashing, freezing) Not well-optimized for medium-tier phones It drains your battery quickly
ARK: Survival Evolved
Price: $
The Android platform has been a new platform for many game developers and many games are ported to Android for players to enjoy. Let's check out a prime example of a survival game originally developed for PC and consoles and ported to the Android platform. Let's check out its mobile version!
ARK: Survival Evolved is a survival game set in a prehistoric world full of dinosaurs and other exotic creatures. You're naked, starving, and without any resources. The goal is to gather resources, craft tools and other useful items, grow plants, and build structures to help you survive every danger of the world.
ARK: Survival Evolved for Android is huge and it will take up around 2.5 GB of storage on your phone after the installation. The controls have been adjusted to the mobile platform quite well. Touch controls can help you move around, sprint, and interact with items, depending on where you interact with the screen. There are even some special swipes that can open menus.
Progressing in the game unlocks new clothes, tools, and weapons to help you navigate the rich world around you. The game features around 80 dinosaurs you can attack or tame to use in-game. You can choose to play solo on an island, explore it, and advance in the game without being interrupted by other players, before deciding to jump to online play. You can also start online from the beginning and share an island with other players who have just started.
Performance-wise, the game is reported to crash and freeze often enough to ruin the experience for some players. Also, it's not well optimized. Even if your phone is supported, you might struggle to keep a steady framerate if you own a medium-tier phone. Performance problems were dealbreakers for many players and it might be better to wait for a while and see if they resolve them.
Reviewed by Vedin Klovo (editor rating 4 out of 5 stars)