Today's biggest video game titles are often rated mature, not just in their gratuitous violence levels but also in their intense adult-rated themes. These types of games prove that there's a huge audience for adult gamers and a real demand for adult-themed games. That being said, children are still a major aspect of the gaming community, something that is constantly glossed over. After all, it is during childhood that many gamers fall in love with this form of media.
With gaming platforms like Steam, many child-friendly video games are readily available, tackling all kinds of themes, but what could be better than dinosaur-themed video games? These prehistoric creatures are captivating, majestic, and fearsome and sure to capture the attention of any child for hours on end. These are some of the most fun dinosaur games for kids!
10 Go Home Dinosaurs
- Platforms: PC.
Go Home Dinosaurs is a tower defense game with slight puzzles and strategic elements. Players take on the role of a little gopher hosting a BBQ. Seems innocent enough, right? Hoards of hungry dinosaurs threaten to steal his BBQ, so players must defend it and keep those dinos at bay by building different towers.
With its host of quirky characters, intense strategy, and easy-to-learn controls, Go Home Dinosaurs is accessible enough for children yet still challenging enough for adults. This game has a nice cartoony art style that gamers of all ages will enjoy.
9 Animal Revolt Battle Simulator
- Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android devices.
Fans of battle-simulator games like Totally Accurate Battle Simulator will adore this one! Animal Revolt Battle Simulator is the ultimate physics-based battle simulator where players can engineer battles between all sorts of ragdoll creatures, from skeletons to mighty T-Rexes, as there are over 70 creatures to pick from, with new ones added frequently!
Hilarity is sure to ensue, especially with the unit creator, where players can create their custom masterpieces (or abominations) by mixing different body parts with ultimate flexibility - the sky is the limit on what can be made! Animal Revolt Battle Simulator easily provides hours of entertainment.
8 Dino Run DX
- Platforms: PC.
Dino Run DX is a classic racing game reminiscent of old-school 80s arcade racers with its simplistic pixel art and retro sound effects. With side-scrolling action, players can control a colorful 2D raptor through different randomly-generated backdrops, where no two levels are the same. They must hop over environmental dangers and distance themselves from the impending pyroclastic cloud to escape extinction!
Players get to experiment with a variety of hats and color combinations to give their dinosaur its own individual flair and can unlock even more by completing in-game milestones! If players love Dino Run DX, there is an upcoming sequel on the way.
7 PixARK
- Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PS4, and Nintendo Switch.
Want Minecraft but with dinosaurs? Look no further than PixARK, with its vast world filled with vicious dinosaurs, immersive crafting, and unlimited adventure! There are extensive character creation customization options and progression systems, with skills trees for an entirely unique player experience!
Ride the back of a mighty T-Rex or go on an adventure taming a multitude of creatures with over 100 different beasts, both fearsome and cute, to interact with. There are unlimited ways to play PixARK, especially with its procedurally-generated quest system. Either form a tribe with friends or fly solo - just live to survive another day!
6 DinoScape
- Platforms: PC, iOS, and Android devices.
DinoScape is a nostalgic side-scrolling platformer game reminiscent of old-school arcade games. The player must control a majestic bearded caveman atop a dinosaur as they must escape falling flaming meteorites, lava, and other environmental dangers to save dinosaurs from extinction.
Players must grind through the game, collecting coins and completing platforming levels to unlock different rideable dinosaurs and other in-game cosmetic items to adorn their dino. Both the caveman and his loyal dinosaur can have matching cowboy hats! What's not to love?
5 Gigantosaurus The Game
- Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
Explore the prehistoric world of Gigantosaurus! This Disney Channel dino-inspired adaptation is child-friendly with both single-player and multiplayer options, with co-op split screen available. The four dino friends, Rocky, Tiny, Mazu, and Bill must band together to destroy the meteor blocking Giganto's volcano!
This flamboyant and eye-catching world features many unique platforming elements and a third-person perspective, so players get a full view of their environments. Giganotosaurus also has quite the open world, ripe for exploration, for players to collect and unlock new items.
4 Dinogotchi
- Platforms: PC and Nintendo Switch.
Dinogatchi is the perfect game for those that miss the good ol' days in the 90s with Tamagotchi digital pocket pets. There are 15 species of dinosaurs to choose from, as players get to raise them from an egg and watch them age and evolve while giving their prehistoric friend plenty of love and snacks!
The UI is simple and easy to learn, and there are two quirky minigames for players to spend their time with. One minigame is an educational quiz, and the other has their cute pet dinosaur equip a gun to defend their garden from invading insects! These allow the player to earn coins to purchase food for their beloved dinosaur. With its retro-style arcade graphics, Dinogotchi is sure to scratch that itch for nostalgia.
3 Parkasaurus
- Platforms: PC and Nintendo Switch.
Parkasaurus is a tycoon management game where players build their own zoo/dinosaur theme park from scratch, which can house and breed over 24 different species of dinosaurs. Let the creativity flow free, as there is a wide variety of park customization options to attract more customers. But be careful with exhibits, as dinosaurs can occasionally break free from captivity!
Parkasaurus is an adorable dinosaur game for children of all ages, as it truly plays up to its goofy and zany nature. Every dinosaur has googly eyes and can be customized with different accessories to boost its appeal. Who doesn't want to see a T-Rex wearing hot-pink sunglasses?
2 Terror of Hemasaurus
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- Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.
Wreak havoc on humanity as a legendary dinosaur in Terror of Hemasaurus. Topple skyscrapers, leap onto buildings, kick cars, hurl humans into helicopter blades - there are multiple ways to cause chaos! There are also four towering monsters to choose from, each with their own menacing powers - perfect for split-screen co-op carnage!
The wacky smash-em-up mechanics will keep kids entertained for hours in this apocalyptic, retro arcade game of terrifying monsters, surprisingly charming pixel art, and ultimately satisfying destruction.
1 Lego: Jurassic World
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- Platforms: PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android devices.
Experience the epic storylines of the first four Jurassic Park films, reimagined in Lego brick form with Lego: Jurassic World. Players can play through the main campaign mode and even indulge in local couch co-op gameplay with free-world exploration and plenty of kid-friendly puzzles.
Players get to relive significant events throughout each Jurassic Park movie, controlling multiple characters at a time, sometimes even dinosaurs themselves, with free-roam between missions. In Lego: Jurassic World, Wreaking havoc as a dinosaur has never been more fun, with over 20 dinosaurs to choose from, including the deadly Raptor or mighty Triceratops!