Hungry Shark Evolution: how the eat-and-grow game works

Hungry Shark Evolution is a mobile game by Future Games of London, published by Ubisoft in 2012. You control a shark that has to keep eating to stay alive, and every meal earns points and coins toward bigger sharks.

The eat-and-grow loop

Hunger. Your hunger bar drains all the time. Eat or die.
Food. Fish, turtles, divers and swimmers. Some things, like big jellyfish and mines, hurt you.
Gold rush. Eat enough gold creatures and you go into a gold rush where you grow huge and eat almost anything.
Coins and gems. Spend them on upgrades, accessories and new sharks.

The sharks

You start with the small Reef Shark and unlock bigger ones as you level up: Mako, Hammerhead, Tiger, Great White and the Megalodon, plus silly extras added over the years. Each shark has its own bite, speed and boost. Baby sharks follow you and help, and accessories like jetpacks add powers.

The follow-up, Hungry Shark World, came out in 2016 with new maps and sharks. Evolution is still the one most people search for.

Missions for each shark give extra rewards, and hidden objects like shells and letters are scattered around the map for players who like to explore the reef.

Other eat-and-grow games

Feeding Frenzy (2004). PopCap's fish game: eat smaller fish, avoid bigger ones, grow up the food chain.
Tasty Planet (2006). Dingo Games' tiny ball of grey goo that eats everything and keeps growing.
Agar.io (2015). An online arena where cells eat smaller cells, and players eat each other.

Tips for longer runs

Eat small things often. Lots of small fish keep the bar up more safely than chasing one big target.
Save boost. Boost to catch prey or escape, not to cruise.
Upgrade bite first. A stronger bite lets you eat bigger prey, which keeps the hunger bar up.

Play it on Roam

Make your own eat-and-grow game with Roam

Roam is a free iPhone app. Describe what you are, what you eat and how big you get, and play it with friends as rival sharks. Roam is rated 13+ on the App Store.

Try: "eat-and-grow shark in a flooded city, eat cars to grow, the coast guard shows up at size 5, my friends are other sharks"

Create it with Roam Pre-register on Android See Roam

Roam ("Roam - Make Games" on the App Store) is an iPhone app where you play games and make your own by describing them or from a photo. It is free to download and play, and making games works without a subscription; optional Spark and Reality plans and credit packs add more creation. Android: pre-register on Google Play.

Questions people ask

Who made Hungry Shark Evolution?

Future Games of London, published by Ubisoft, in 2012.

What is the biggest shark in Hungry Shark Evolution?

The Megalodon is the best-known top shark, with special sharks added above it over the years.

What is the difference between Hungry Shark Evolution and Hungry Shark World?

World is the 2016 follow-up with new maps and sharks. Evolution is the original.

Is Hungry Shark Evolution free?

Yes. It is free on iPhone and Android, with ads and in-app purchases for coins and gems.