Choose Valora Survival
Choose Valora Survival if you want a Casual experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. Valora Survival launched in 2022.
Valora Survival vs ARK: Survival Ascended
Valora Survival and ARK: Survival Ascended both land in Action, Adventure on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Action, Adventure on Steam. Valora Survival (2022) is 1 year older than ARK: Survival Ascended (2023). Valora Survival is free; ARK: Survival Ascended is paid (44.99 USD). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose ARK: Survival Ascended
Choose ARK: Survival Ascended if you want an Indie, Massively Multiplayer, and RPG game with MMO, Shared/Split Screen, and Online PvP. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 53,496 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Valora Survival and ARK: Survival Ascended sit in Action and Adventure on Steam and both list Multi-player, LAN Co-op, and Co-op, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Valora Survival |  ARK: Survival Ascended | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2022 | 2023 |
| Genres | Action, Adventure, Casual | Action, Indie, Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, RPG, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Deck Verified |
| Price | Free to play | 44.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 4 reviews | 60.3% positive (53,496 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, LAN Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op |
| Developers | RoPipe Studios | Studio Wildcard, Grove Street Games, Instinct Games |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Adventure on Steam.
- Valora Survival (2022) is 1 year older than ARK: Survival Ascended (2023).
- Valora Survival is free; ARK: Survival Ascended is paid (44.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Steam Deck: Valora Survival is Deck Unsupported, ARK: Survival Ascended is Deck Verified.
Valora Survival vs ARK: Survival Ascended — FAQ
- Should I play Valora Survival or ARK: Survival Ascended first?
- If you want chronology, Valora Survival (2022) came out before ARK: Survival Ascended (2023). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Valora Survival and ARK: Survival Ascended similar?
- They overlap on Action, Adventure on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Do both Valora Survival and ARK: Survival Ascended have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Valora Survival ships LAN Co-op, Co-op; ARK: Survival Ascended ships Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op.
- Is Valora Survival free?
- Yes — Valora Survival is a free-to-play Steam title. ARK: Survival Ascended is paid (44.99 USD).