Top 6 Dinosaur Games and What They Present Accurately

Dinosaurs were such fascinating creatures that they enthralled children and adults alike. Our fascination with these prehistoric beasts has given them a strong platform in the entertainment industry. For years, dinosaurs have been a great source of inspiration for books, movies and video games. Unfortunately, finding entertaining, fun games that represent these ancient beasts accurately can be a significant challenge. 

As we’re still learning and discovering more about these giant creatures, many facts we thought were true, such as dinosaurs being giant lizards, are being disproved. This changes what we know about dinosaurs, how they acted, what they looked like, and what they sounded like. The movie industry has also cemented what we think a dinosaur should look like, and now it’s proving difficult to change that mindset. Would a T-Rex still be terrifying in Jurassic Park if it were covered in feathers and didn’t roar?

The Top 6 Best Dinosaur Games

In this article, we’ll be looking at six of the best dinosaur games, and although they might not be 100% accurate, we’ll point out a few accuracies that make them worthwhile to include in our list. Keep reading to discover some of the best dinosaur games – whether you want to survive alongside these beasts or experience life as a dinosaur, there’s a game for every preference.

theHunter: Primal

theHunter: Primal was developed and published by Expansive Worlds and Avalanche Studios for PC. These are the same studios that brought us the Just Cause series as well as the upcoming Mad Max. theHunter: Primal has been stated as being one of the most accurate dinosaur games available. 

Players play as a hunter who tracks down and kills various dinosaurs in the game, from Triceratops to the fearsome T-Rex. And yes, the T-Rex does feature feathers, as recent research shows them to have had. 

Pros:

• Rated as one of the most accurate dinosaur games
• Great open world game
• Chance to work as a team with other players
• Exciting landscapes that also pose threats

Cons:

• Only available on PC
• Start can be a little slow

Off-Road Velociraptor Safari

This Indie game from Flashbang Studios for PC is one of the few games to take a more realistic approach to how dinosaurs looked. However, that’s probably where the realism ends. The game revolves around a sentient Velociraptor (yes, feathers included) who drives around in a Jeep running down other Velociraptors and dinosaurs. While this is all there is to the game, it’s still a nice relaxing one to play. Seeing the various dinosaurs represented more accurately makes it a very interesting game to experience. Don’t expect Jurassic Park-style dinos in this game.

Being an older Indie game, the graphics aren’t amazing, but it’s still a relatively accurate take on what dinosaurs looked like with a fun and odd twist in gameplay.

Pros:

• Dinosaurs are presented fairly accurately
• Unique gameplay
• Great for those wanting to relax with a dino game
  
  

Cons: 

• The graphics are a little dated
• Only available on PC
  
  

Jurassic World Evolution 2

Even if they aren’t very accurate, the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World franchises continue to bring out entertaining and fun dinosaur movies. Jurassic World Evolution 2 from Frontier Developments was brought out on PC, Playstation, and Xbox. In this exciting park building and management game, the player is responsible for building a park and dealing with any issues that may arise, such as a sick Diplodocus or capturing escaped Velicoraptors before they start killing guests.

Unfortunately, the game follows the style of the movies, and as such, the dinosaurs look very much like they did in the movies – inaccuracies and all. However, we were pleased to learn that apart from the look, that stays the same. The developers did a lot of research into the species they used for the game. This research was especially relevant to the size and how the dinosaurs moved. They even included new research, such as the recently discovered soft tissue head comb of an Edmontosaurus, in the dinosaur designs. So there are some accuracies regarding dinosaur size, behavior, and movement, but don’t expect to see feathered raptors or T-Rex.

Pros:

• Exciting, fast-paced gameplay
• Many different facets to explore
• Ties in with the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World universe
• Nostalgic
• Apart from the look, the behavior and size of the dinos are fairly accurate.
• Available on PC, Xbox, and Playstation
  
  

Cons: 

• Dinosaurs don’t look accurate
  
  

Saurian

Saurian is a unique survival game from Urvogel Games for PC. In this dino simulator, the player plays as a newly hatched dinosaur that has to survive in a harsh prehistoric world. This means avoiding predators while also collecting food and water daily. Another thing that makes Saurian unique is the amount of detail incorporated into the game. The developers tried to keep the details regarding the fauna and flora of the time as accurate as possible. So yes, you’ll see dinosaurs with feathers – amongst other accuracies within the game.

At the moment, players can only choose to play as a Dakotaraptor complete with feathery tail, or a Triceratops. 

Pros: 

• Accurate presentation of dinosaurs
• Unique and interesting gameplay
• Accurate environment
  
  

Cons: 

• Only available on PC

The Isle

The Isle from the developer’s Afterthought is a PC game still marked for Early Access on Steam, despite being released in December 2015. The developers are still making significant changes to the game, adding new content and improvements. The Isle is an online multiplayer game in which players play as their chosen dinosaur, and it can be a carnivore, herbivore, or omnivore. The goal is to survive in the kill-or-be-killed world.

When it comes to accuracy, we are again faced with dinosaurs that look like the inaccurate ones we’ve become accustomed to. Once again, while the dinos might not look accurate according to the latest research, the developers did try to keep the ecosystems accurate when allocating stats (speed, stamina, power, unique abilities, etc.) to the various playable dinosaurs. There are also rumors that the developers will be adding feathery skin options to the species believed to have had feathers, which could be interesting.

Pros: 

• Online multiplayer
• Beautiful graphics
• Ecosystems are accurate
• Multiple dinosaur species and skins to choose from
  
  

Cons: 

• Dinosaurs don’t look accurate
• Only available on PC
  
  

Ark: Survival Evolved

I could not list the best dinosaur games without including Ark: Survival Evolved from Studio Wildcard. This survival game for PC, Playstation, and Xbox has been labeled one of the best survival games despite numerous bugs and massive file size. The player’s character spawns naked on a beach, surrounded by prehistoric wildlife. Players have to gather resources, craft tools, and hunt for food to survive among the many dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals.

Despite being a great survival game, when it comes to the dinosaurs’ accuracy, we’re again faced with the inaccurate Jurassic Park-style dinos that have been embedded in our memories since the movies first appeared in the 90s. The creative director even said that their goal wasn’t to create historically accurate dinosaurs but rather dinosaurs that look the way we expect. However, there are some accuracies in the game that shouldn’t be missed. 

For example, the developers managed to get the movement of a T-Rex right. They are often depicted as walking more upright, which would’ve been impossible with their large head and muscular tail. They also managed to get the Pachycephalosaurus (Pachy) looking quite accurate except for some exaggerated adornments on its head.

Pros:

• Exciting survival game
• Great graphics and gameplay
• Massive open world to explore
• Many ways to enjoy the game – crafting, hunting, breeding, etc
  
  

Cons:

• Quite buggy
• Most dinosaurs aren’t represented accurately
  
  

Honorable Mentions

There are also a few other dinosaur games that just missed our list of the best games. However, you might still want to have a look at some of them. Here are a few of the honorable mentions that you can also take a look at:

• Dino D-Day
• Primal Carnage
• Dino-Crisis
• Turok and Turok 2
  
  

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for good dinosaur games, there are many out there, especially if you venture into the Indie gaming world. Whether you prefer terrifying dinosaurs, like in Jurassic Park, or if you enjoy them being cartoony and silly, there are many different games to choose from. However, looking for 100% accurate dinosaur games is a much bigger challenge. In this list, we’ve included a couple of the best, along with a few that strive for as much accuracy as possible.