PCGame

Ark Nova

Digital zoo-building board game about animals and global conservation

Dire Wolf · Released Jun 20, 2025

Strategy

Third-party account required

Reviews
Very Positive
93% of 859
Recent reviews
Very Positive
100% of 15 in 30 days
Players
143
daily peak, Nov 7, 2026
Steam Deck
Playable
Last update on Steam
2 weeks ago
Oct 23, 2026
Minimum PC
4 GB RAM · 2 GB disk
Full requirements

What is Ark Nova?

A digital adaptation of a strategy board game about managing a modern zoo. In each match, you use and upgrade action cards to build enclosures, add animals, hire specialists, raise funds, and support conservation projects in solo, pass-and-play, or online competition.

For you if...

  • +you enjoy complex board games with resource management
  • +you want challenging solo AI and online competition
  • +you like adapting strategies to changing card draws

Not for you if...

  • −you want a light game with a gentle learning curve
  • −you dislike planning around randomly drawn cards

What players say

93% of 859 reviews are positive · 100% of 15 in the last 30 days

Players praise the faithful rules, automatic bookkeeping, varied strategies, and challenging AI. Common complaints cite the steep learning curve, incomplete tutorial, crowded interface, and difficulty reading opponents’ zoos. Many also want the Marine Worlds expansion and additional maps.

Players over time

▼ -3% vs a month ago

Players online on Steam, one sample a day.

Highest since Sep 2026: 229 players on Nov 1, 2026.

Show the data
DayPlayers
Nov 7, 2026143
Nov 6, 2026124
Nov 5, 2026120
Nov 4, 2026125
Nov 3, 2026148
Nov 2, 2026163
Nov 1, 2026229
Oct 31, 2026166
Oct 30, 2026146
Oct 29, 2026108
Oct 28, 2026133
Oct 26, 2026128
Oct 25, 2026153
Oct 24, 2026155
Oct 23, 2026140
Oct 22, 2026140
Oct 21, 2026142
Oct 20, 2026147
Oct 18, 2026177
Oct 17, 2026153
Oct 16, 2026142
Oct 15, 2026144
Oct 14, 2026158
Oct 13, 2026144
Oct 11, 2026172
Oct 10, 2026157
Oct 9, 2026168
Oct 8, 2026130
Oct 7, 2026169
Oct 6, 2026141
Oct 4, 2026177
Oct 3, 2026168
Oct 2, 2026138
Oct 1, 2026142
Sep 30, 2026147
Sep 29, 2026158
Sep 27, 2026157
Sep 26, 2026168
Sep 25, 2026149
Sep 24, 2026140
Sep 23, 2026168
Sep 23, 2026144
Sep 22, 2026141
Sep 21, 2026200

Screenshots and trailer

Ark Nova screenshot 1

Ark Nova system requirements

Minimum: 4 GB RAM, 2 GB of disk space.

As published by the developer.

Can my PC run Ark Nova?

The published requirements do not name a graphics card we can compare.

Set up my PC →

Minimum

OS
Windows 10 (64bit version only)
Processor
Intel Core i5-2400 or AMD Ryzen 3 2200G
Memory
4 GB RAM
Storage
2 GB available space
DirectX
Version 11
Notes
Dire Wolf account required for online play

Recommended

OS
Windows 10 or better (64bit version only)
Processor
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT (512 MB) or ATI Radeon HD 4850 (512 MB) or better
Graphics
Graphics card with DX11 or OpenGL 3.x capabilities
Memory
8 GB RAM
Storage
5 GB available space
DirectX
Version 11
Notes
Dire Wolf account required for online play

Does Ark Nova have co-op or multiplayer?

Yes: PvP online. It also has a single-player mode.

Does Ark Nova run on Steam Deck?

Playable Playable: it runs on Steam Deck with some adjustments.

  • Some in-game text is small and may be hard to read
  • All functionality is accessible with the default controller configuration
  • Shows Steam Deck controller icons
  • Default graphics settings perform well on Steam Deck

PC version details

DRM
None declared on Steam
Third-party account
Dire Wolf account required for online play.
Controller
Full controller support
Platforms
Windows, macOS
Achievements
31
Steam features
Family Sharing
Languages
Text only: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish - Spain, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Spanish - Latin America, Traditional Chinese.

Does Ark Nova use AI-generated content?

No AI-generated content is disclosed on the game's Steam page.

Self-reported by the developer under Steam rules: it covers AI content that ships in the game, not tools used to make it. Steam page checked on Nov 6, 2026. How to filter AI games on Steam

Tags

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