# Ark Nova: Marine Worlds

Ark Nova: Marine Worlds is a board game for 1–4 players. It plays in 90–150 minutes and is meant for ages 14 and up. Ludoya players call it best with 2. It is rated 8.6 out of 10 by 46 Ludoya reviewers. The cheapest copy in stock is $27.99 (United States).

- **Players:** 1–4 (best with 2)
- **Playing time:** 90–150 minutes
- **Minimum age:** 14+
- **Complexity:** 3.9 out of 5
- **Year published:** 2023
- **Categories:** Expansion for Base-game, Animals, Environmental
- **Mechanics:** Variable Set-up, Hexagon Grid, Tile Placement, Variable Player Powers, Solo / Solitaire Game, Income, Hand Management, End Game Bonuses, Open Drafting, Set Collection
- **Ludoya rating:** 8.6 out of 10, from 46 reviews
- **Owned by:** 245 Ludoya players
- **Plays logged on Ludoya:** 144
- **Unique players:** 109

**Designers:** Mathias Wigge

**Artists:** Loïc Billiau, Christof Tisch, Steffen Bieker

**Publishers:** Feuerland Spiele

## Where to buy in United States

| Shop | Price | Link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cardhaus Games | 27.99 $ | https://www.cardhaus.com/ark-nova-marine-worlds/ |
| Board Game Bliss | 32.95 $ | https://www.boardgamebliss.com/products/ark-nova-marine-worlds |
| Mathom | 22.5 € | https://mathom.es/es/otros-juegos-de-tablero/54462-ark-nova-mundo-marino-8436578817412.html |
| eFantasy | 31.99 € | https://www.efantasy.gr/en/products/board-games/231213-expansion-ark-nova-marine-worlds |
| Outlet Games | 20.54 € | https://www.outletgames.es/juegos-de-mesa/maldito-games/mundo-marino-ark-nova-p-MDG-8436578817412.html |
| Zacatrus | 22.5 € | https://zacatrus.es/ark-nova-mundo-marino.html |
| Good Games | 38.28 $ | https://www.goodgames.com.au/products/ark-nova-marine-worlds-preorder |
| Svet deskovych her | 595 Kč | https://www.svet-deskovych-her.cz/produkty/12531/ark-nova-marine-worlds |
| TLAMA games | 649 Kč | https://www.tlamagames.com/deskove-hry/ark-nova--marine-worlds/ |
| Ludifolie | 26.9 € | https://www.ludifolie.com/16875-ark-nova-mondes-marins.html |
| Games Empire | 43.99 $ | https://gamesempire.com.au/products/ark-nova-marine-worlds |
| Uplay | 27.5 € | https://www.uplay.it/it/gioco-da-tavolo-ark-nova--marine-worlds--edizione-inglese-.html |
| Spelexperten | 325 kr | https://www.spelexperten.com/sallskapsspel/expansioner/ark-nova-marine-worlds-exp.html |
| World of Board Games | 335 kr | https://www.worldofboardgames.com/ark-nova-marine-worlds-exp |
| Alphaspel | 339 kr | https://alphaspel.se/491-bradspel/192893-ark-nova-marine-worlds-en |
| Nordisk Spil | 229 kr | https://nordiskspil.dk/products/ark-nova-marine-worlds |
| Game Ninja | 349 kr | https://www.gameninja.no/produkt/ark-nova-marine-worlds/ |
| Fantasiapelit | 33.3 € | https://www.fantasiapelit.com/index.php?main=ai&kat=single&mista=indeksi&etsittava=_225986 |

## Expansions

- [Ark Nova: 3Dition](https://www.ludoya.com/games/ark-nova-3dition)

## Rules questions

### Can I accommodate sea animals in regular enclosures, or do they have to go in aquariums?

Most sea animals must be accommodated in the two new special enclosures (small or large aquarium) and cannot be placed in other enclosures; only a few sea animals that also belong to another category may be placed in a standard enclosure or the reptile house as explicitly shown on the card (page 3–4).

### Do aquariums have to be next to water/rock, and can I split an animal’s token cost between the small and large aquarium?

Both aquariums must be built next to at least one water space (their water icon counts as water) and some animals additionally require adjacency to rock — if you place tokens in both aquariums to accommodate an animal, each aquarium used must meet any stated terrain requirements; splitting the required player tokens between small and large aquarium is allowed (see the example on page 5) (pages 3–5).

### What does the wave icon on sea-animal cards do?

The wave icon has no effect when you play the card; instead, whenever you replenish the display and you add a card with a wave icon, discard the bottom card of the display and continue replenishing (discard one bottom card per wave icon revealed); ignore wave icons during setup (pages 4–5).

### When I play a Reef Dweller, do I trigger all Reef Dweller effects in my zoo (including the one I just played)?

Yes — when you play a Reef Dweller you trigger the Reef Dweller effects of all Reef Dwellers in your zoo, including the one you just played, and you may choose the order to resolve those effects (page 4; see the example on page 5).

### How does the new Action‑card draft work — how many alternate Action cards do we keep and can they be the same type?

At personal setup each player draws 3 new Action cards, passes and keeps cards in a 3‑player pass draft so that you end up choosing 2 cards to use and discarding 1; you must finish with two different action types — if you somehow end with three of the same type you draw a random different type to use instead (pages 2 and 8).

### How do the new partner universities work — who can take one and what do you get?

You may take a new university only if the generic university tile is still on the Association board and you don’t already have one; taking it places the chosen animal icon on your zoo, lets you reveal cards from the deck until you find a card matching that icon and add it to your hand, and grants a research icon, and the generic tile is removed from the board until the next break so only one player can take a new university per break (page 6; setup references on page 2).

## Links

- [This page](https://www.ludoya.com/games/ark-nova-aquarius)
- [Ark Nova: Marine Worlds in the Ludoya app](https://app.ludoya.com/g/ark-nova-aquarius)
- [BoardGameGeek entry](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/368966)

_Data from Ludoya, updated 2026-09-18. Ratings, ownership and play counts are Ludoya's own._