Ark Nova vs Nature Board Game
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
Nature Board Game
Adapt and survive in a digital wilderness board game. Develop unique creature traits, expand your ecosystem with modular game systems, and challenge yourself with solo campaigns or cross-platform multiplayer. Easy to learn, with deep strategic possibilities.
- Adapt and evolve creature traits
- Modular game system for varied gameplay
- Solo campaign with custom challenges
- Cross-platform multiplayer matchmaking
- Real-time and asynchronous play
- Stunning watercolor artwork
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Nature is a digital board game that invites you into the untamed wilderness, where you must adapt to survive. From the designer of the award-winning Evolution series, Nature is designed to be faster, better balanced, and seamlessly expandable. Adapt to Survive Grow your creatures in a world where resources are limited and danger is never far away. Develop the Fast trait to outrun predators, add Nesting to boost your population growth, or play Tusked to root out food others can't. With traits that combine and synergize, you can find success with a variety of strategies. Seamlessly Expandable Thanks to Nature's modular game system, no two games are ever the same. Mix and match different modules, each introducing new rules and thematic twists to the ecosystem. Flight features soaring creatures and new ways to find food, Jurassic brings out colossal predators, and in the Arctic Tundra survival itself is always in question. Modules can even be combined to create new ecosystems with unique interactions. Easy to Learn, Hard to Master Nature has been refined through years of development and thousands of playtests to offer a game that's easy to learn yet deep in strategy. New players can jump right in with clear rules and intuitive gameplay, while experienced strategists will discover layers of tactical depth and challenge. The result is a well-balanced experience that keeps everyone coming back for more. Key Features: Solo Campaign: Play against smart digital opponents and take on custom challenges that tweak the rules in the Campaign. Multiplayer Matchmaking: Get matched with others of a similar skill level in cross platform multiplayer. Play with friends your way: Challenge friends in real time or asynchronous games, or use pass and play for up to four players on the same device. Singleplayer Opponents: Four levels of AI difficulty and six different opponent strategies provide lots of challenge. Stunning Artwork: Beautiful watercolor illustrations and animations bring the natural world to life. Modular System: Each Module introduces new gameplay and combinations Whether you venture alone or with fellow explorers, the wilds of Nature offer a new adventure with every visit.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Nature Board Game at Free against Ark Nova's $10.99. Nature Board Game also leads on review sentiment (95% vs 73%) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks). Ark Nova's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ratings volume (1.3K vs 120). On rating, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Nature Board Game is free to download; Ark Nova costs $10.99 up front. Nature Board Game sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Ark Nova asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Ark Nova against 4.7 for Nature Board Game. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ark Nova has 1.3K ratings behind it against 120, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 73% of Ark Nova's written reviews are positive against 95% of Nature Board Game's.
Ark Nova ships an update every 3 weeks, Nature Board Game every 4 days. Both last shipped on November 12, 2026.
| Parameter | Ark Nova | Nature Board Game |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $10.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.8 (1.3K ratings) — better | 4.7 (120 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 73.1% of reviews | 95.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.3K — better | 120 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #39 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 682 MB | 702 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Dire Wolf Digital | North Star Digital Games |
Customer experience
Ark Nova
Nature Board Game
Bugs and 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
Nature Board Game
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Ark Nova
No in-app purchases
Nature Board Game
- Natural Disasters Module$4.99
- Amazon Rainforest Module$4.99
- Flight Module and Campaign$4.99
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- Jurassic Module and Campaign$4.99
- Arctic Tundra Module and Campaign$4.99
- Climate Module$6.99
- Nature Base Game$6.99
- Flight Jurassic and Arctic Tundra$9.99
- Nature Game System Bundle$14.99
- Nature Big Box Bundle$19.99
Questions
Is Ark Nova free?
Is Nature Board Game free?
Which has better reviews, Ark Nova or Nature Board Game?
Do Ark Nova or Nature Board Game have ads?
Which is updated more often, Ark Nova or Nature Board Game?
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