Common Sense Media Review
By Franklin Rinaldi
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Violent survival MMO tests skills against humans, dinos.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Ark: Survival Evolved
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 51 parent reviews
Parents say this game can be both fun and educational for children, particularly due to its focus on dinosaurs and survival skills, though the multiplayer aspect can be challenging and potentially toxic. Many reviews suggest playing in single-player or private servers for a safer experience, as well as being mindful of the game's occasional glitches and the importance of setting appropriate age limits based on individual maturity levels.
- educational
- multiplayer challenges
- single-player recommended
- server issues
- age-appropriateness
- gameplay complexity
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
Based on 145 kid reviews
What's It About?
ARK: SURVIVAL EVOLVED is a game of survival in a harsh world. As a man or woman waking up on a strange island with nothing, players must use their fists to gather resources until they can build basic tools. At that point, they use those tool to gather additional resources to build shelter and clothing. Eventually, players will explore the tropical island, trying to avoid the roaming indigenous population of dinosaurs. Characters will start hunting small dinos for meat and hides and eventually will learn how to tame the beasts. Over time, players will build more complex structures and equipment and form tribes, all in the name of survival in this wild land.
Is It Any Good?
Set in a lush world of dinosaurs, this action-packed title pushes the limits of a survival game. Though playing Ark: Survival Evolved can be difficult and time-consuming, especially when you're taming dinosaurs, it's extremely engaging and addictive. The ability to play alone on your own server is a nice feature, giving you time to get familiar with the basic features. Of course, if you really want to make your time in Ark more immersive, you need to join a server with others. If you choose a PvE (player-vs.-enemy) server, you get the benefits of working with other players to help you progress through levels and building a thriving society of cooperation and completion. If you're looking for more of a challenge, jump onto a PvP (player-vs.-player) server and see if you can stake a claim on the island while defending yourself from rival communities.
Surprisingly, even though this isn't designed to be an educational game, Ark provides a very detailed dossier on the creatures you encounter. Designed to help with gameplay, this information also teaches about the dinosaurs in a manner that's very entertaining and memorable. In fact, these lessons take you beyond the violence of the game and get you to appreciate the world and the creatures that live in it. The one significant downside is that you have to constantly keep an eye out for safe, secure locations when you're ready to stop playing. See, when you're logged out, your avatar remains in the last location you left it in the game world, meaning it can be killed by roaming animals or enemy players. If you're killed, you'll lose all the items on your person unless you return to your body within a certain amount of time. That hard-core gameplay element can annoy or even frustrate some players. Ark: Survival Evolved may not be for everyone, but for those looking for a challenge, its engaging action and society-building mechanics will keep you entertained for a long time.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about teamwork and communication. How does proper communication foster teamwork? Do you like playing with someone who's polite or rude?
Talk about the impact of media violence in games such as Ark: Survival Evolved. Do you think the violence in this game is justified because it's against dinosaurs, which clearly don't exist any longer? Is the violence against dinosaurs and other human players too much?
Game Details
- Platforms : Mac , PlayStation 4 , Windows , Xbox One
- Subjects : Science : animals
- Skills : Thinking & Reasoning : decision-making , investigation , part-whole relationships , Creativity : combining knowledge , imagination , making new creations , Self-Direction : achieving goals , effort , goal-setting , personal growth , time management , work to achieve goals , Emotional Development : persevering , perspective taking , Communication : friendship building , Collaboration : cooperation , group projects , meeting challenges together , respecting other viewpoints , teamwork , Responsibility & Ethics : honoring the community , integrity , learning from consequences , making wise decisions , respect for others
- Pricing structure : Paid
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : Studio Wildcard
- Release date : June 2, 2015
- Genre : Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG)
- Topics : STEM , Animals ( Dinosaurs , Ocean Creatures , Wild Animals )
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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