ARK: Survival Evolved vs Stardew Valley
ARK: Survival Evolved and Stardew Valley both land in Indie, RPG 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 Indie, RPG on Steam. Stardew Valley (2016) is 1 year older than ARK: Survival Evolved (2017). Stardew Valley scores higher on Steam reviews (98.9% positive) than ARK: Survival Evolved (80.8% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Side-by-side comparison
 ARK: Survival Evolved |  Stardew Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2016 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, RPG | Indie, Simulation, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | 14.99 USD | 14.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 80.8% positive (253,840 reviews) | 98.9% positive (384,187 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op |
| Developers | Studio Wildcard, Instinct Games, Efecto Studios, Virtual Basement LLC | ConcernedApe |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, RPG on Steam.
- Stardew Valley (2016) is 1 year older than ARK: Survival Evolved (2017).
- Stardew Valley scores higher on Steam reviews (98.9% positive) than ARK: Survival Evolved (80.8% positive).
- Stardew Valley is currently ~0% cheaper on Steam than ARK: Survival Evolved (14.99 USD vs. 14.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Both are Deck Verified.
ARK: Survival Evolved vs Stardew Valley — FAQ
- Which is better, ARK: Survival Evolved or Stardew Valley?
- On Steam reviews Stardew Valley scores higher (98.9% positive) than ARK: Survival Evolved (80.8% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Stardew Valley is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play ARK: Survival Evolved or Stardew Valley first?
- If you want chronology, Stardew Valley (2016) came out before ARK: Survival Evolved (2017). 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 ARK: Survival Evolved and Stardew Valley similar?
- They overlap on Indie, RPG 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 ARK: Survival Evolved and Stardew Valley have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: ARK: Survival Evolved ships Co-op; Stardew Valley ships Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op.
- Do ARK: Survival Evolved and Stardew Valley both run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — both are Steam Deck Verified, meaning Valve confirms they run with full controller support, legible text, and default settings out of the box.