Of all the creature types found in the video game world, dinosaurs is surely one of the coolest. Their massive size, relentless aggression, and the fact that they actually once roamed the earth make any encounter with them a real challenge, whether their purpose is to intimidate or simply take down the player.
For all you dino lovers out there, the future has a lot of dinosaur-focused games which takes the menacing reptiles and places them in all sorts of situations. There are adorable interpretations of some of the most iconic prehistoric animals, terrifying real-life encounters that push the player to their mental limit, and some absurd genre mash-ups that many people will want to get their hands on when it releases.
Dinocop
Investigating reptile crimes
Dinocop brings back a world of creatures from extinction and tasks the player with solving crimes that no human wants. Players explore the halls of the Cretaceous Hotel equipped with their trusty magnifying glass and must slowly piece together the timeline of events for a truly unconventional crime.
The residents of the hotel are all available for questioning and observation, making the world feel alive with interesting characters, both comical and curious. It will take a lot of careful decisions and a good eye for detail to crack the case, and with so much to take in at once, players will certainly have their work cut out for them.
Turok: Origin
Classic Dino Action returns
Turok: Origin brings back one of the most iconic action franchises of the early 2000s, this time with a new set of warriors and many more dinosaurs to take on. Combat looks fierce and visceral, as players shoot down incoming enemies and push their way through hordes of aggressive dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes.
One of the most interesting things about the game is how it handles upgrades, as players can extract DNA from fallen enemies and the world itself to level up in power and change their character's appearance. Even if players have never tried the original games, they should still be on the lookout for this one when it releases, as it has as much carnage and mayhem as any other modern shooter, but with dinosaurs to boot.
Dino blades
What if dinosaurs had swords?
- Release date: 2026
- Developer: Team Spino LLC
- Platforms: PC
Dino blades is what happens when a developer asks the question, “What if?” What started as some fun tech tests has grown into a full blown Soulslike RPG that throws players into a world full of dinosaurs wielding swords, scythes, and almost every weapon from the fantasy catalog.
The combat looks heavy and satisfying, combining quick dodges and quick parries to make the player feel like a true reptilian warrior on the battlefield. Despite the silly concept, the game has a much more serious tone, focusing on the journey to save an entire species from a catastrophic event, no matter what the cost to get there.
Jurassic Park: Survival
Survive against prehistoric giants
Jurassic Park: Survival takes one of the biggest names in cinema and brings it back to the world of action-adventure, placing players in the role of Dr. Maya Joshi just one day after the events of the original film. The game mainly consists of intense stealth segments and avoids conflict altogether, making it feel closer to a survival horror game than a fight to the death.
The visuals are what make it a particularly compelling title on the horizon, as each dino scale is rendered with a heightened level of realism, making those close-up interactions all the more stressful. For fans of Jurassic Park series, this is the perfect game to look forward to, as it essentially places the player in an entirely new cinematic experience where the only way out is to run and hide.
The Lost Wild
There are true horrors of the past
- Release date: To be announced
- Developer: Great Ape Games
- Platforms: PC
The Lost Wild is an exploration of the true horrors that once roamed the earth, sending players into a lush wilderness overrun by carnivorous creatures from a very different time. It's a survival horror game for a reason, as players have no real way to fight back and instead have to run and use some creative thinking to fend off the incoming dinosaur attacks from all directions.
The game is equal parts exploration and investigation. Players must take in their surroundings to uncover the mystery that lies at the heart of the island. The isolated nature of the location makes the world feel all the more threatening, as there is never an easy way out, and players must find a way to escape before they become the next meal in the food chain.
SHEET 2
The long-awaited return to the jungle
SHEET 2 is the long-awaited sequel to a true titan of the survival world, and it looks to take everything that made the first game so successful and go beyond it to deliver the definitive prehistoric open world experience. The story itself takes a much greater focus, as the story follows a tighter set of constraints, starring Vin Diesel himself as the hero, Santiago.
Aside from the plot, players will have access to a wide range of new mechanics and tools that bring the game into the modern era. Increased modding support that works across platforms, soul-like battles that require much more precision than before, and a whole new environment to explore with just as many dino enemies and new areas to conquer.
Compound fracture
Pixelated environments full of hungry dinos
- Release date: To be announced
- Developer: Iteria games
- Platforms: PC
Compound fracture is a journey into the past that sends players into a retro world overgrown with leaves and infested with dinosaurs. Players travel to a place far from the present, tasked with putting an end to the experiments taking place within the facility, but with hundreds of dinosaurs in the way, it won't be an easy job.
The visuals make it look like a classic FPS game from the early days of the genre, but with a more modern shooter feel that keeps things from feeling clunky or broken. There are even some more immersive features, such as blood trails and broken limbs, which make each encounter weigh even more and require patience and planning from the player at all times.
Violent
Stranded In A Hostile Environment
- Release date: To be announced
- Developer: OMYOG
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Violent is an action-packed adventure that sees players encounter both humans and dinosaurs in a world that feels modern yet historic at the same time. The gunplay feels crisp and responsive, giving players a lot of control over how they take on the various bases and aggressive reptiles scattered across the island.
The key philosophy of the game is to become in tune with the wild and to see every encounter as an opportunity. There's no prize for taking things slow, and players must get used to the fast-paced nature of combat and the constant bombardment of attacks, or they'll quickly face the consequences.
