Comparison

Ark Nova vs Sudoku Ladder

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Sudoku Ladder

Features
Read full description

Solve the same puzzle simultaneously against the ghost of an opponent on an identical grid. Beat the grid and your 'Difficulty' rank increases. Beat the grid the fastest and your 'Speed' rank increases THREE WAYS TO PLAY Campaign: The ranked competitive mode where your rating rises with every win. Race opponents across 7 difficulty tiers. Win clean, and your solve becomes a ghost for future opponents to race against. Climb the leaderboard and find out what level of difficulty defines you. Free play: Just the enjoy the game without stakes. Daily Time-Attack: A new seeded puzzle every day at midnight UTC, identical for all players. Competing on a daily leaderboard or just do your daily Sudoku dose A 2D RATING SYSTEM Unlike traditional ratings, your score is measured in two independent dimensions: - Dimension 1: Difficulty: How hard are the puzzles you solve? Race tougher opponents and unlock harder grids. - Dimension 2: Speed: How fast do you solve them? Beat your competition on the clock. Your position on the 2D rating plane determines your next opponent RACE AGAINST GHOSTS Your wins become ghosts records that other players will race play against. Your ghost plays your moves on their device but racing it never affects your rating or standing. FEATURES - Seeded grids for reproducible races - Synthetic league opponents with realistic timing models - Real-time leaderboards (Campaign & Daily) - Save and resume mid-game - Puzzle difficulty scaling (Easy through Master) - Precise timer and move history - Pure offline play (no internet required) - Non intrusive ads you can turn off

Screenshots

Ark Nova4 screens
Sudoku Ladder4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Sudoku Ladder at Free against Ark Nova's $10.99. Ark Nova's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and chart position (#22 vs unranked). On update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Sudoku Ladder is free to download; Ark Nova costs $10.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ark Nova ships an update every 3 weeks, Sudoku Ladder every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Ark Nova versus Sudoku Ladder: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArk NovaSudoku Ladder
Price$10.99Free — better
Rating4.9 (1.3K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews73.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.3K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 10 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
Best chart rank#22 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size682 MB8 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperDire Wolf DigitalLucas Langlois

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

Sudoku Ladder

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Ark Nova

No in-app purchases

None

Sudoku Ladder

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ark Nova free?
Ark Nova costs $10.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sudoku Ladder free?
Sudoku Ladder is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Ark Nova or Sudoku Ladder have ads?
Sudoku Ladder shows ads; Ark Nova does not.
Which is updated more often, Ark Nova or Sudoku Ladder?
Ark Nova ships an update every 3 weeks, and Sudoku Ladder every 10 days. Most recently, Ark Nova was updated on October 27, 2026 and Sudoku Ladder on October 3, 2026.

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