Buy this first
- Our take
- Won the 2023 Golden Geek Best Expansion award and is rated 8.9 on BGG; reviewers single out the alternate action cards and faster card-row churn as the reason it improves the base game.
- What you need first
- Just the base game
Ark Nova · Expansion
Ark Nova: Marine Worlds
- What it adds
- Sea animals that live in new aquarium enclosures built next to water, reef-dweller chain abilities, a fourth university, 20 alternate action cards (swap in 2 at setup), new sponsors, conservation projects, bonus tiles and final scoring cards, plus shaped wooden track markers.
- What it fixes
- Base-game card rows can clog with cards nobody wants; wave icons on sea cards flush the display, and the alternate action cards make each player's engine feel different.
Compare it
Sources
- boardgamegeek.com (opens in a new tab)
- meeplemountain.com (opens in a new tab)
- boardgamegeek.com (opens in a new tab)
- capstone-games.com (opens in a new tab)
- boardgamegeek.com (opens in a new tab)
- capstone-games.com (opens in a new tab)
Last checked 2026-10-08. Spot a mistake? Tell us.