In some classifications, Dictyostelium was placed in Acrasiomycetes, an artificial group of cellular slime molds, which was characterized by the aggregation of individual amoebae into a multicellular fruiting body, making it an important factor that related the acrasids to the dictyostelids.

[3] Historically it was thought that Acrasis was a sister group to Dictyostilids, other slime mold amoebas that belong to Amoebazoa, due to how they both aggregate in order to form a fruiting body.

However, in their amoeboid form it was realized they were fundamentally different and molecular phylogenetic studies placed Acrasis in Heterolobosea with the brain-eating amoebae Naegleria fowleri.

Out of all Discobids, Acrasis has the most compact mitochondrial genome that requires additional transport activity due to the number of genes lost.

When in the grex, the amoeboids reproduce, resulting in fruit-like structures called spores, which develop into unicellular molds of the same species.

After Acrasis spores are released, they germinate into free living limax amoebae, where they use a single pseudopodium to move forward, reaching to become up to 32 micrometers long.

Within the mound one amoeba differentiates into a stalk cell that the others rest atop of, creating a structure called the sorogen.