Highlights
- The Jurassic Park franchise has had a mixed history in video games, with varying quality and reception.
- Some games, like The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park: The Game, were disappointing but not terrible.
- Other games, like Jurassic World Evolution and LEGO Jurassic World, were successful and beloved by fans.
The Jurassic Park franchise began in 1993 with the success of the first film, which pushed special effects into some new and impressive territories. Sadly, the two sequels were received less well by critics and audiences, and the first stage of the franchise ended in 2001. However, there was enough momentum behind the fanbase for studios to continue the franchise in 2015 with a new cast in Jurassic World. This movie also yielded two sequels, but this stage of the franchise has gone the way of the first.
Jurassic Park Survival Game Revealed
A new first-person survival game, set on the original island of the Jurassic Park series, gives fans a first look during the Game Awards.
Fortunately, there is enough material in these movies to be explored in a series of Jurassic Park games. There have been many licensed tie-in games and spin-offs over the years, each of varying quality.
7 The Lost World: Jurassic Park
A Game So Obscure That It Has Been Largely Forgotten
The Lost World: Jurassic Park garnered a fairly tepid reception at launch. While the second movie in the franchise may have been viewed as a disappointment by fans, the game it is based on has suffered a far worse fate: It has been forgotten.
That said, it isn't as awful as some people may assume. There are a total of thirty levels in the campaign, each played from a top-down view. The aim is to play one of the characters in the film, and rather uncharacteristically run around shooting dinosaurs.
6 Jurassic Park: The Game
A Rough Addition To The Original Movie
Telltale is responsible for some fantastic video game stories, but Jurassic Park: The Game is not among the developer's strongest works. The project takes place around the events of the original movie, introducing new characters that are loosely connected to the film's cast. Although not a bad idea, the execution leaves quite a lot to be desired, and that extends beyond the uneven gameplay. The story is let down by forgettable characters who lack the required charisma to carry the burden.
Still, Jurassic Park: The Game is not terrible by any stretch of the imagination, just a disappointing one. Die-hard fans of the franchise might find something to enjoy here, but they should go in with low expectations.
5 Jurassic Park
The Tie-in To The First Movie
Video games in 1993 were very different than they are today. For example, a movie or TV show had to be extremely popular for it to receive a tie-in video game on home consoles. Fortunately, Jurassic Park was popular enough at the time, and so Ocean Software got to work on the game for Nintendo.
Jurassic Park Star Hilariously Recreates Classic Scene From Original Film
For the 30th anniversary of Jurassic Park, one star came back to recreate an iconic shot from the film, and she absolutely nailed it.
The game is quite primitive when looked at today. The isometric view lets players roam around the park and solve objectives, while the interior of buildings are shown in first person. Jurassic Park does follow the events of the film, it is just unfortunate that hiding from dinosaurs and solving puzzles isn't that fun.
4 Jurassic Park 3: Park Builder
A Game That Tries To Do Something Different With The Franchise
Jurassic Park 3: Park Builder
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Game Boy Advance
- Released
- September 10, 2001
- Developer(s)
- Konami
- Genre(s)
- Simulation
When it came to the release of Jurassic Park 3, Konami decided to go in another direction for the tie-in game. Instead of plotting an action/adventure game around the movie, they chose to allow players to build their own dinosaur park in Jurassic Park 3: Park Builder.
This pixelated game does everything it promises players, and it actually performs well on the GBA. The aim for the player is to send out extraction teams to eight of the dig sites across the world to find mosquito DNA. This DNA is used to clone the dinosaurs in the park, and players must build enclosures, hotels, restaurants, and shops to boost their park's rating. Players must remain aware, though. Natural disasters like earthquakes and hurricanes can hit and cause trouble for the park and its guests.
3 Jurassic World Evolution
The First Modern Jurassic World Game
Jurassic World Evolution
- Released
- June 12, 2018
- Developer(s)
- Frontier Developments
- Genre(s)
- Simulation
The park-building concept seems to fit the Jurassic Park franchise well, which is why Frontier Developments released another one of these types of games in 2018. Based closely on the movies that were released at the time, Jurassic World Evolution is a park builder and management game that takes place in the same universe as the movies.
New Game Features Jurassic World, Back to the Future, Child's Play, Umbrella Academy, The Thing, and More
The trailer for a new game showcases an exciting crossover between major names like Jurassic World, Umbrella Academy, The Thing, and even more.
The building options are incredibly detailed, and players can choose to build high-rise hotel buildings, viewing platforms, and gyrospheres for their guests. A few of the cast members and characters from these films, such as Jeff Goldblum, even show up to offer the player advice. A heavy storm can occur, though, to harm park guests and set dinosaurs free.
2 LEGO Jurassic World
An Obvious Franchise For The LEGO Treatment
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LEGO Jurassic World
- Platform(s)
- Android , iOS , PC , Nintendo DS , Switch , PS3 , PS4 , PS Vita , Nintendo Wii U , Xbox 360 , Xbox One
- Released
- June 10, 2015
- Developer(s)
- Traveller's Tales
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
The LEGO franchise has made a name for itself in the gaming world by taking beloved movie franchises and turning them into LEGO open-world adventures. The developer, Traveller's Tales, has done this with Star Wars, Harry Potter, and The Lord of the Rings. In 2015, it just happened to be the turn of the Jurassic Park films.
This game lets players follow the stories of the four movies that have been released up to this point in LEGO form, and then explore the islands to solve puzzles in the open world. There are also opportunities to unlock a variety of playable characters and dinosaurs from the franchise.
1 Jurassic World Evolution 2
The Sequel That Gets It Right
Jurassic World Evolution 2
- Platform(s)
- PC , PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S
- Released
- November 9, 2021
- Developer(s)
- Frontier Developments
- Genre(s)
- Simulation
The first Jurassic World Evolution game was so successful and beloved by fans, that it received a direct sequel in 2021. Many of the same characters from the first game return to instruct the player as they try to build and manage a dinosaur park.
As expected, the sequel is far more detailed and impressive than the first game. There is even the option to build bigger parks this time around, and there are many new additions to the game that include flying species of dinosaurs, and sea-breathing giants.