Choose ARK: Survival Evolved
Choose ARK: Survival Evolved if you want a Massively Multiplayer game with MMO and Valve Anti-Cheat enabled. On Steam, it's currently about 44% cheaper on the Steam Store. 253,840 Steam reviews back the pick.
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 9 years older than Valheim (2026). Valheim scores higher on Steam reviews (93.6% 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.
Which should you pick?
Choose Valheim
Choose Valheim if you want the Online Co-op, DualShock Controller Support, and DualSense Controller Support side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 93.6% positive across 558,366 reviews.
Both ARK: Survival Evolved and Valheim sit in Action, Indie, and Adventure on Steam and both list Multi-player 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
 ARK: Survival Evolved |  Valheim | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2026 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, RPG | Action, Indie, Adventure, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | 14.99 USD | 26.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 80.8% positive (253,840 reviews) | 93.6% positive (558,366 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 9 years older than Valheim (2026).
- Valheim scores higher on Steam reviews (93.6% positive) than ARK: Survival Evolved (80.8% positive).
- ARK: Survival Evolved is currently ~44% cheaper on Steam than Valheim (14.99 USD vs. 26.99 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 (93.6% 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 (2026). 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.