Now that Pokemon GO has replaced Minecraft as the most popular game in the universe, maybe the survival gold rush will finally end. Even among a sea of competitors, though, ARK: Survival Evolved is pretty neat. It lets you ride dinosaurs! There’s a free weekend and a 50% discount starting today, so if you’re on the fence you can try to rope a raptor for yourself.
The basics are all there–you punch trees to get wood, make tools and clothes, look for food, and generally try to survive out in the wilderness. But there are dinosaurs, which you’ll alternately hunt, tame, train, and run screaming from depending on the situation. You can either play a solo game or hope onto persistent servers full of player-built structures.
Even in Early Access, this is a well-populated game with a ton of community content. Check out the best ARK: Survival Evolved mods!
This weekend’s promotion coincides with the launch of the Primitive+ Total Conversion as part of the game’s official mod program. Primitive+ changes the game’s focus from abstract craftables to those items that historical, pre-societal humans would be able to build. There are also a host of updates for ARK’s previous official mod, the Center, expanding the map with new biomes, locations, and even a new boss arena.
In addition to all that, the base game is getting a fishing mechanic, letting you real in your own prehistoric gill-bearers. The game will be free until July 31, and if you like what you play, you can get it at a 50% discount until August 3.
