Ubongo vs Ark Nova
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Ubongo
Engage your brain with this fast-paced puzzle game. Solve interlocking shape puzzles quickly to earn jewels and improve visual thinking. Compete against others online or enjoy various single-player modes with increasing difficulty.
- Fast-paced puzzle solving
- Jewel rewards for speed
- Visual thinking improvement
- Single-player modes (Levels, Free, Time-Attack)
- Cross-platform multiplayer
- Original and new shapes
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Fast-paced, addictive, and easy to learn – this puzzle game will challenge your brain! Sprint to solve a puzzle of interlocking shapes. The faster you solve the puzzle, the more jewels you will get. Improve your visual thinking in 3 different single-player modes. Race against other players online and play against Ubongo fans worldwide! - Easy to learn - The original puzzle game by Thames & Kosmos - Contains the original board game shapes as well as additional new shapes - More than 3 million board games sold - Levels mode, with increasing difficulty and tips for beginners - Free mode, with more than 6,000 random levels - Time-Attack mode, for long-term gaming fun - Cross-platform multiplayer - Ages 8 and up - Languages: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Chinese, Korean, Japanese ***** Questions or suggestions for improvements: Mail to ios@usm.de We are looking forward to your feedback! For more information on news and updates: www.usmgames.com or visit us on www.facebook.com/UnitedSoftMedia and twitter.com/USM_News *****
Ark Nova
Design and manage a modern zoo to support global conservation efforts. Build enclosures, house animals, and utilize unique cards for special abilities. Compete to create the most successful zoological establishment.
- Plan and design a modern zoo
- Build enclosures and accommodate animals
- Support global conservation projects
- Utilize 255 unique cards (animals, specialists, projects)
- Upgrade action cards for gameplay
- Increase zoo appeal and scientific reputation
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Plan and build a modern, scientifically managed zoo to support conservation projects in an acclaimed strategy board game. In Ark Nova, you will plan and design a modern, scientifically managed zoo. With the ultimate goal of owning the most successful zoological establishment, you will build enclosures, accommodate animals, and support conservation projects all over the world. Specialists and unique buildings will help you in achieving this goal. At the heart of Ark Nova are 255 cards featuring animals, specialists, unique enclosures, and conservation projects, each with a particular ability. Use them to increase the appeal and scientific reputation of your zoo and to collect conservation points. Each player has a set of action cards, which you will use and upgrade to carry out your plans. Each player has a set of five action cards to manage their gameplay, and the power of an action is determined by the slot the card currently occupies. The cards are: BUILD: Allows you to build standard or special enclosures, kiosks, and pavilions. ANIMALS: Allows you to accommodate animals in your zoo. CARDS: Allows you to gain new zoo cards (animals, sponsors, and conservation project cards). ASSOCIATION: Allows your association workers to carry out different tasks. SPONSORS: Allows you to play a sponsor card in your zoo or to raise money. With high replayability and rich components, Ark Nova provides a remarkable gaming experience that will bring the game to the table again and again.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Ubongo at $3.99 against Ark Nova's $10.99. Ubongo also leads on iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0). Ark Nova's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 7 months) and rating (4.9 vs 4.6). On review sentiment, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Ubongo costs $3.99 and Ark Nova $10.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Ark Nova holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ark Nova has 1.3K ratings behind it against 126, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of Ubongo's written reviews are positive against 73% of Ark Nova's.
Ubongo ships an update every 7 months, Ark Nova every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Ubongo | Ark Nova |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 — better | $10.99 |
| Rating | 4.6 (126 ratings) | 4.9 (1.3K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 68.7% of reviews | 73.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 126 | 1.3K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #29 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 90 MB | 682 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | United Soft Media Verlag GmbH | Dire Wolf Digital |
Customer experience
Ubongo
Ark Nova
Bugs and requests
Ubongo
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Ark Nova
Reported bugs
2 issues- iPad Flash exit issue
- Rewards screen being blocked by other UI elements
Requested features
4 requests- Option to enable larger UI buttons for modal panels
- Full screen mode
- Option to reverse zoom direction
- Improved card readability/zoom
In-app purchases
Ubongo
No in-app purchases
Ark Nova
No in-app purchases









