No matter how old you get, people never seem to lose their fascination with dinosaurs. They're the closest thing there is to real, actual monsters of myth and legend. Not only are they fearsome and awesome to behold, but they've also managed to capture people's minds in a way that few other species can.
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Is it any wonder why a plethora of dino-based video games have launched over the years? These games don't necessarily need to be completely dino-themed but do need to feature dinosaurs in a prominent way. If you're courageous enough to brave any of these titles, make sure to take your heart medication!
Updated on July 19, 2023, by Dominic Allen: With the launch of Capcom's Exoprimal, the first big dinosaur game in what feels like forever, it's a great time to update this list. While there's been a recent drought in these types of titles, there have been many in the past few decades. More than a lot of them, in fact, especially ones that just feature them. With the modern graphics available now, it would be great to see more come out in the future. Who wouldn't want an Unreal Engine 5 dinosaur game with almost true-to-life graphics?
12 Primal Rage
Ray Harryhausen would have been proud of this '90s fighting game featuring dinosaurs and other primeval heavies engaging in one-on-one combat against the backdrop of an ancient world. People loved playing as a dino god worshiped by impressionable stone-agers!
It was the closest thing to a full-on Godzilla-style fighting title back then, at least in the West. There was a Godzilla fighting game in Japan, but it sadly got its Western launch canceled at the very last minute. The game itself hasn't aged that well, but people who grew up with it will probably still enjoy it, and it has aged better than Clay Fighter.
11 Bonk's Adventure
The TurboGrafix 16 is not-so-fondly remembered for a misleading marketing campaign and a sub-par gaming library, but it wasn't without its gems. One of them was the Bonk series of games, featuring an adorable bald-headed cave-baby with a penchant for dishing out punishment using his exceptionally large melon.
As a platformer, the original Bonk's Adventure was an excellent competitor to established genre kings like Super Mario Bros, which was still in full swing at the time. Cartoon dinos are everywhere in the game, sometimes in hilarious fashion. It's still a great game for the entire family to play, providing a light-hearted take on the dinosaur formula.
10 Cadillacs & Dinosaurs
Capcom's arcade take on the Cadillacs & Dinosaurs comic book property was a staple of 1990s arcade beat-'em-ups. There were actually several games based on the comic, and the arcade version's by far the best, even outdoing the Sega CD version worked on by Elon Musk.
It used the same CPS Dash system as The Punisher and Saturday Night Slam Masters, with glorious QSound to round it off. The game features human baddies and dinos alike in a variety of 26th-century environments. The combat is fast, detailed, and furious, and it's a blast to play with others in three-player co-op.
9 Dino D-Day
Dumb as a boot but beloved by its fans, Dino D-Day focuses on a looney toon plot involving Adolf Hitler resurrecting dinosaurs as a weapon for the Nazi army. Think Day of Defeat mixed with The Isle.
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The goofy premise is actually the game's best selling point and one of the reasons it has remained a fan favorite for so long. You can rip and tear using a variety of Nazi dinos, or join the side of the allies to save the world from prehistoric Third Reich madness. What's not to love?
8 Turok: Dinosaur Hunter
Another game based on a comic book is Turok: Dinosaur Hunter. This unexpected N64 hit launched close to the system's release date and is an important console FPS. Veteran gamers remember the awkward reverse-style control scheme, but the real focus was on the dinosaurs.
Turok mowed down humans and dinos alike with a selection of weapons, including a bow, shotguns, and more. The platforming elements went a long way to selling the uniqueness of the level design, but it was nothing without seeing charging dinos in full 3D glory for the first time.
7 King Kong (2005)
The Peter Jackson King Kong remake received mixed thoughts from Kong fanatics, but what's surprisingly more well-remembered is the 2005 King Kong game. It launched on many platforms, but most played on the Xbox 360. Being very faithful to the film, the game has you play as Jack Driscoll and King Kong throughout Skull Island.
This location contains a lot of deadly monsters, including many dinosaurs. The fictional Vastatosaurus rex canon in the Kong universe is encountered by both characters. Encountering it as Jack is frankly terrifying, but once you control Kong, you can finally take it down. King Kong is playable on modern Xbox systems due to backward compatibility and is absolutely worth playing.
6 Horizon Zero Dawn
This PS4 masterpiece took the dinosaur formula and spun it up in a blender, pouring out a completely new gaming experience in the process. Horizon's dinos are robotic in nature, which was a cool and fresh take on the traditional model.
The scope and spectacle of the battles are still one of the best playing experiences for PS4 and PC gamers. If you're playing on a console, you should play on a PS5 as that offers the best experience due to the enhancements from backward compatibility. This game's so good it received a sequel and even a great VR spin-off, which is rare to see.
5 Jurassic Park
Frankly, there are so many games based on the Jurassic Park property that there's no definitive best one. Jurassic Park brought dinos to gaming through a mainstream channel, and it's been featured on most video game consoles, from the Sega CD to many arcade cabinets.
The strength of the Jurassic Park games lies in their diversity. Some are on-rails arcade shooters, while others are puzzle titles, action platformers, and even park simulators. There's something for everyone if you're willing to dig a little. Plus, new titles are still getting made today.
4 The Isle
This Steam Early Access title has been out since 2015, but it still retains a solid fan base and surprisingly excellent reviews. The game sports two modes: Survival and Sandbox, with emphasis on the former. You become one of a number of available dinosaur species and must quickly grow up if you want to survive the harsh environment.
The game is notorious for its scare factor, forcing you to constantly live in fear until you're strong enough to defend yourself. For those who can't take the heat, Sandbox mode is a much more peaceful road to take, allowing you to focus on the spectacle of The Isle rather than the terror.
3 Dino Crisis
Capcom's Dino Crisis made a massive impact on the original PlayStation at a time when survival horror games were in full swing. Utilizing the same fixed camera engine as Resident Evil, it held crossover appeal for gamers who wanted something different to fight besides zombies and giant snakes.
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Dino Crisis may not look like much by today's standards, but it was sheer, unadulterated heart attack material for classic gamers. Dinosaurs actually moved from room to room, a mechanic still seen in modern titles but brand new at the time.
2 Banjo-Tooie
Banjo-Tooie is much, much bigger than its predecessor. Worlds are massive this time around, but they're still just as distinct and memorable. Terrydactyland is the fifth world in the game and probably the best dino world in any N64 title, including Conker's Bad Fur Day.
There's a lot of stuff to do, and you can even transform Banjo into a T-Rex. The world's also infamous for an area that looks a little naughty when viewed from up high. Banjo-Tooie still holds up great, and with it permanently on Game Pass, you have to check it out.
1 Ark: Survival Evolved
Other dinosaur games may have dropped first, but Ark is the one that everyone remembers. It isn't a perfect game, but as far as the dinosaur experience goes, it's the one to beat.
Ark's focus on survival gameplay made it a hit with gamers who preferred a more hardcore experience. A part of that included being trampled, chewed, and slashed to death by some of the most fearsome dinos ever to have walked the Earth. It also allows you to tame them and live out your dreams of opening your own Jurassic Park.
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