Back to browse

ARK: Survival AscendedVSDark and Light

Which game gives you more value right now? Every metric, head to head.

ARK: Survival Ascended

ARK: Survival Ascended

ActionIndieEarly AccessAdventureRPGMassively Multiplayer
Quality
53Popularity
45Value
94
SteamBetter Deal· Steam
Historical Low!
in 16 days
−75% $11.24
Buy Now
VS
Dark and Light

Dark and Light

ActionSimulationEarly AccessAdventureRPGMassively Multiplayer
Quality
47Popularity
33Value
41
SteamBetter Deal· Steam
in 91 days
$17.99
Buy Now

Winner

ARK: Survival Ascended wins 12 of 14 head-to-head metrics.

Not urgent, but worth watching — it's in a reasonable spot without being an obvious must-buy.

12
ARK: Survival Ascended
12 of 14 metrics
Dark and Light
2 of 14 metrics
2

Head-to-Head Metrics

Direct metric-by-metric comparison: winner determined by count, no weighting

Value
Pricing & Deals
Current Best Price (USD)
$11.24 Wins
$17.99 -
Historical Low Price (USD)
$11.24 -
$4.85 Wins
Best Current Discount
-75% Wins
No discount -
Sales Frequency
10 price changes Wins
9 price changes -
Quality
Critical & User Reception
Steam Review Score
60.4% positive Wins
51.6% positive -
Total Steam Reviews
102.3K Wins
10.6K -
Positive Steam Reviews
61.8K Wins
5.5K -
Negative Steam Reviews
40.5K -
5.1K Wins
Popularity
Community & Activity
Average Concurrent Players (14 days)
31.4K Wins
20 -
Steam Recommendations
102.4K Wins
10.6K -
Features
Features & Content
Achievements
32 Wins
29 -
Supported Languages
16 languages Wins
8 languages -
Release Date
Oct 2023 Wins
Jul 2017 -
GameValio Recommendation
MaybeARK: Survival Ascended

Not urgent, but worth watching — it's in a reasonable spot without being an obvious must-buy.

Wait for SaleDark and Light

Not the best time to jump in. Prices tend to drop, and this one hasn't hit its sweet spot yet.

Statistics Over Time

Side-by-side historical trends: same time range, same scale

Time Range:
ARK: Survival Ascended
Dark and Light

Player Count Trends

· Concurrent players over time

Review Score Trends

· Positive review ratio over time

Review Volume Trends

— Total reviews accumulated over time

Price Comparison

Current deals and best prices side by side

ARK: Survival Ascended

ARK: Survival Ascended

1 Store
Steam
Steam −75% $11.24Buy Now
Dark and Light

Dark and Light

1 Store
Steam
Steam$17.99Buy Now

Score Breakdown

How each game scores across quality, popularity, and affordability

ARK: Survival Ascended

Quality

Splits opinions — likely to click if you're already a genre fan.

60% positive (102,062 reviews) — mixed opinions
102,062 reviews — extremely reliable sample

Value

Great timing to buy — competitive price for the content offered.

$11.24 — reasonable price
75% off — massive discount
All-time low price — rare opportunity

Popularity

Lost much of its active player base — community is quiet.

Player count surging +88%
40,709 concurrent players — very healthy
604 new reviews — community buzzing
102,062 total reviews — gaming phenomenon

Dark and Light

Quality

Significant issues reported — proceed with caution and research.

52% positive (10,571 reviews) — mixed opinions
10,571 reviews — very trustworthy data

Value

A bit steep right now — worth waiting for a bigger sale.

$17.99 — reasonable price

Popularity

Declining player base — could be a problem for multiplayer-dependent games.

-8% minor player decrease
24 concurrent players — niche audience
10,571 total reviews — proven game with large community

Game Details

Release information and metadata

Game DetailsARK: Survival AscendedDark and Light
Release Date
October 25, 2023
July 20, 2017
Developers
Studio Wildcard, Grove Street Games, Instinct Games
Snail Games USA
Publishers
Studio Wildcard, Snail Games USA
Snail Games USA
Platforms
Windows
Windows
Achievements
32
29

System Requirements

PC minimum and recommended specs

ARK: Survival Ascended

Recommended

Recommended:
  • OS: Windows 10/11 with updates
  • Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X, Intel i5-10600K
  • Memory: 32 GB RAM
  • Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 6800, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080
  • DirectX: Version 12
  • Network: Broadband Internet connection
  • Storage: 180 GB available space
  • Additional Notes: SSD Required

Dark and Light

Recommended

Recommended:
  • OS *: 64-Bit Windows 7 Service Pack 1, Windows 8, or Windows 10
  • Processor: Intel Core i7-5820k 6x 3.3 GHz
  • Memory: 16 GB RAM
  • Graphics: GeForce GTX 1070 or higher
  • DirectX: Version 10
  • Storage: 50 GB available space

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better: ARK: Survival Ascended or Dark and Light?

ARK: Survival Ascended won the comparison against Dark and Light based on the head-to-head metric breakdown. Check the metrics table above for a full side-by-side analysis.

How is the comparison calculated?

The comparison winner is determined objectively by counting which game wins more individual metrics in the head-to-head table. No weighting is applied. The GameValio Recommendation shown separately is our own suggestion for each game, based on a weighted score that combines quality (reviews), popularity (player counts), and affordability (price vs value) into a score out of 100. These are two different things: the comparison is objective, the recommendation is GameValio's opinion.

Is ARK: Survival Ascended worth buying over Dark and Light?

Based on the metrics, ARK: Survival Ascended won the direct comparison. However, also check the GameValio Recommendation for each game and the price comparison table to make the most informed purchase decision.

Which game has better player reviews?

Review score trends and volume over time are shown in the charts section above. The game with consistently higher positive ratios has stronger community reception.

Which game offers better value for money?

The affordability score and price comparison table above highlight the best deals. ARK: Survival Ascended currently scores better on value relative to its quality and price.

Analysis updated: Jul 19, 2026, 09:29 PM UTC

GameValio - Buy now or wait? PC game purchase timing advisorGameValio© 2026

Data sourced from Steam, Metacritic, and various stores. Not affiliated with Valve Corporation. Scores updated daily to keep recommendations fresh.

Some store links are affiliate links - we may earn a commission at no cost to you. Your purchase helps keep GameValio free, and our recommendations stay 100% independent.