Summary
- Some dinosaur-themed games allow players to take on the role of dinosaurs and experience life as a prehistoric predator, offering a unique perspective.
- There is a variety of dinosaur-themed games available across different genres, including survival games, simulators, platformers, and fighters, catering to different preferences and age groups.
- Realism, gameplay variety, and difficulty levels are important factors to consider when choosing a dinosaur-themed game, as all the games offer different versions of those.
Plenty of games let you play in a prehistoric world or in the modern world, fighting against total destruction at the claws of giant dinos. However, few of these games let you play as the dinosaurs that are actually disrupting mankind. Occasionally, though, some break through and offer players a chance to inflict maximum damage as only a T. Rex can.
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PostsThere are a variety of genres covered in the dino world, giving everyone a chance to fulfill their childhood dream of being a Brontosaurus. Some games are even kid-friendly, so you can potentially encourage the dinosaur phase in the kid in your life.
Updated on April 29, 2025 by Asad Mubeen: Dinosaurs are just plain fun to think about. It's hard to believe such fantastical species existed on our very planet 65 million years ago. Just as they come back in real life as oil, dinosaurs come back in our entertainment as video game characters. Our readers clearly wanted more dino-centric video games, and we obliged.
15 Dino Rex
Release Date
November 1992
Platforms
Arcade, PlayStation 2, Nintendo Switch
Genre
Fighting
Many would see Dino Rex and assume it's a Mortal Kombat clone. After all, it came out in the early '90s and uses digitized sprites to give the illusion of live-action graphics. In this case, Dino Rex uses claymation dinosaurs, making it an early example of stop-motion video games.
However, the game is actually closer to Street Fighter 2 than Mortal Kombat, and came out only a month after the latter. Dino Rex sees you team up with a playable paleontology specimen in order to win an ancient tournament. The dinosaurs aren't the only unique feature of this fighting game: you can restore health during matches.
14 Fossil Fighters
Fossil Fighters Like Follow Followed JRPG Systems Released April 17, 2008 ESRB t Engine unity 6 Images CloseWHERE TO PLAY
PHYSICALFossil Fighters is one of the Nintendo DS' hidden gems. Development was shared between four studios, and the end result was a deep and complex RPG with a cute, attention-grabbing art style. Fossil Fighters has you excavate prehistoric dinos, called vivosaurs, and pit them in battle against each other.
There are two gameplay loops: digging and fighting. While digging, you have to be careful not to drill through the vivosaurs' bones as that can permanently affect their stats. Once you've dug them up, you can bring them back to life and engage them in Pokemon-esque battles.
13 King Of The Monsters
Release Date
February 2, 1991
Platforms
PC, SNES, Sega Genesis, Neo Geo, Nintendo Wii, iOS, Android, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Genre
Fighting
SNK was the king of fighting games in the '90s, and the studio dipped its toes into kaiju battlers at one point. King of the Monsters may appear dated today, but in its time it was a fun game: there aren't many video games about monsters engaging in pro wrestling.
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Posts By James KennedyThe de facto mascot of the game is Geon, a supernatural dinosaur that's an obvious Godzilla expy. You can destroy buildings, fight off the military and play co-op with a friend.
12 Combat Of Giants: Dinosaurs 3D
Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs 3D Like RPG Systems Released March 27, 2011 ESRB E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Mild Fantasy Violence Developer(s) Ubisoft Quebec Publisher(s) Ubisoft Franchise Combat of Giants Platform(s) Nintendo 3DS Genre(s) RPG How Long To Beat 5 Hours Powered by Expand CollapseThe final entry in the obscure Combat of Giants series, Dinosaurs 3D features a story where you play as a party of four good dinosaurs on a quest to defeat Arkanosaurus, who is essentially Chaos from Final Fantasy but with scales.
Dinosaurs 3D was a launch title for the Nintendo 3DS, and was not well-received due to its short campaign and limited use of the handheld's features. Now, however, it serves as an amusing and relatively easy RPG with a reptilian twist.
11 Nanosaur
Release Date
April 6, 1998
Platforms
Macintosh, Windows
Genre
Third-person shooter
Nanosaur lets you live out the ultimate sci-fi fantasy: becoming a futuristic dinosaur with a jetpack and blasters. In the year 4122, an intelligent species of dinosaurs, called Nanosaurs, became a dominant species on Earth. Unfortunately, a plague has swept the globe and now the fate of the world depends on you, a Deinonychus agent, traveling back to 65 million BC to retrieve five dinosaur eggs.
Originally on Mac OS 9 and Microsoft Windows, the game’s journey was almost cut short when a planned Linux port by Tree Axis Interactive was never completed. However, thanks to the release of the source code under a restrictive license, and the subsequent open-source version launched with the developers' blessing in 2021, Nanosaur was preserved and made accessible to new generations of players.
You can download and play Nanosaur on Pangea Software.
10 Ark: Survival Evolved
ARK: Survival Evolved Like Follow Followed Survival Systems OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 61/100 Critics Rec: 13% Released August 29, 2017 ESRB T for Teen: Blood, Crude Humor, Use of Alcohol, Violence Developer(s) Studio Wildcard Publisher(s) Studio Wildcard Engine Unreal Engine 4 Multiplayer Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer Franchise ARK: Survival EvolvedWHERE TO PLAY
SUBSCRIPTIONIn Ark: Survival Evolved, you're tasked with surviving on an island inhabited by dinosaurs, and while you're doing your best to stay alive, you can tame some of your island mates. While the game itself doesn't offer the ability to play as any of the dinosaurs, the Play As Dino mod on Steam opens up your worldview to that of a variety of dinosaurs.
You can choose to be the apex predator, the T. Rex, or any number of other smaller or aquatic dinosaurs and survive predators and rivals alike.
9 Lego Jurassic World
LEGO Jurassic World Like Action-Adventure Systems OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 71/100 Critics Rec: 30% Released June 10, 2015 ESRB E10+ For Everyone 10+ // Cartoon Violence, Crude Humor Developer(s) Traveller's Tales Publisher(s) Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Engine Proprietary Engine Multiplayer Online Multiplayer Franchise LEGOWHERE TO PLAY
SUBSCRIPTIONLego Jurassic World brought the first four Jurassic Park movies together into a playable Lego game. While being cute and family-friendly, the game is also faithful to the film franchise, with all the notable characters to choose from when playing the main storyline. As you complete each level, look for the amber bricks (one per level), as each brick unlocks a playable dinosaur.
There are a total of 20 dinos you can unlock and play as, including Velociraptor, with variations within the breed, so you can play as the beloved Blue if you want.
8 Dinosaur Game
Release Date
2014
Platforms
Web browser
Genre
Endless runner
No, Dinosaur Game isn’t a full-length playable game for a console or anything, but it’s a classic for the generations growing up with the internet, especially if yours crashed a lot. Also known as Chrome Dino Runner, it’s an endless running game where you control Lonely T-rex and navigate through a desert.
Dinosaur Game has since been made available to play whenever - not just when you’re offline - and its simplicity and old-school feel make it a nostalgic game for Google users. Besides, it’s a perfect time-killer when you’re bored and in between tasks or on a short break at work.
You can play the Dinosaur Game as a browser game on the Dinosaur Game website.
7 The Isle
The Isle Like Open-World Survival Systems Released December 1, 2015 ESRB t Developer(s) Afterthought LLC Publisher(s) Afterthought LLC Engine Unreal Engine 4 Early Access Release December 1, 2015WHERE TO PLAY
DIGITALAn open-world survival game, The Isle has over a dozen different dinosaurs for you to choose from in its roster. If you've ever watched Jurassic Park and wanted to see things from the dinosaurs' perspective, this game is maybe as close as you can get to being a dino left to roam an island with its various prey and predators.
The graphics are incredibly life-like and immerse you in a world where it truly is live or die. When selecting your creature, you'll want to consider what they'll be running from (if anything), and what their size means in terms of hiding or commanding respect from everything else living on the Isle.
6 Saurian
Saurian Like Simulation Survival Systems Released August 2, 2017 ESRB t Developer(s) Urvogel Games Publisher(s) Urvogel Games Engine Unity Multiplayer Local MultiplayerWHERE TO PLAY
DIGITALSaurian is unique in that it puts you in the life of a dinosaur from start to finish. You hatch as a baby dinosaur and live your life through adulthood (hopefully) while avoiding predators and natural events that mimic prehistoric conditions.
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PostsThe game touts itself as the ‘most accurate dinosaur simulator’ as it was made with the input of actual paleontologists who studied dinosaurs and the world they lived in 66 million years ago. The plant life and surrounding ecosystem are all accurate to the time period, allowing you to truly live out a dinosaur’s life.
