ARK: Survival Evolved vs Valheim
ARK: Survival Evolved and Valheim both land in Action, Indie, 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, Indie, Adventure on Steam. ARK: Survival Evolved (2017) is 4 years older than Valheim (2021). Valheim scores higher on Steam reviews (94.7% 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 |  Valheim | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2021 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, RPG | Action, Indie, Adventure, RPG, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | 14.99 USD | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 80.8% positive (253,840 reviews) | 94.7% positive (254,749 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Studio Wildcard, Instinct Games, Efecto Studios, Virtual Basement LLC | Iron Gate AB |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- ARK: Survival Evolved (2017) is 4 years older than Valheim (2021).
- Valheim scores higher on Steam reviews (94.7% positive) than ARK: Survival Evolved (80.8% positive).
- ARK: Survival Evolved is currently ~25% cheaper on Steam than Valheim (14.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Both are Deck Verified.
ARK: Survival Evolved vs Valheim — FAQ
- Which is better, ARK: Survival Evolved or Valheim?
- On Steam reviews Valheim scores higher (94.7% positive) than ARK: Survival Evolved (80.8% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Valheim 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 Valheim first?
- If you want chronology, ARK: Survival Evolved (2017) came out before Valheim (2021). 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 Valheim similar?
- They overlap on Action, Indie, 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 ARK: Survival Evolved and Valheim have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: ARK: Survival Evolved ships Co-op; Valheim ships Online Co-op, Co-op.
- Do ARK: Survival Evolved and Valheim 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.