Age of Water

VS

Ark: Survival Evolved

Age of Water is a post-apocalyptic open-world game by Gaijin Entertainment (known for War Thunder). It released in early 2025, so it is still relatively new, but not a massive blockbuster. Gaijin's niche appeal and the open-world/sandbox elements suggest a moderate but not huge player base. Its MMO status is debated, but it appears to have persistent world and multiplayer interaction, fitting the basic MMO criteria; however, it is on the lower end of the active player spectrum for MMOs.

Ark: Survival Evolved is a popular survival sandbox game released in 2017 and available on nearly all platforms. Its peak was several years ago, but it maintains a stable community thanks to official and community servers, modding, and occasional event content. While numbers have declined since launch, the game still sees tens of thousands of daily players across PC and consoles, especially due to its ongoing updates and active mod scene. However, it is not an MMO as it does not feature a single, large-scale persistent world—servers are capped and players are sharded.