The 10 Best PS4 Dinosaur Games To Play Right Now

Ah, the mighty dinosaur. Our giant lizard ancestors have inspired so many delightful media franchises, not least among them Jurassic Park, arguably Godzilla, and many, many others. Dinosaurs are also the stars of some of our most beloved and celebrated video games, and it’s easy to see why. 

Getting to roam the land while dinosaurs stomp around is a fantasy we can only dream of, and games help us to achieve that. As you’d imagine, the PS4 has no shortage of great dinosaur titles, so without further ado, here are the 10 best PS4 dinosaur games to play right now.

1. Horizon Forbidden West

We’re technically cheating by including this one, because Horizon Forbidden West’s creatures aren’t dinosaurs at all, they’re robots, and many of them are just megafauna rather than out-and-out dinos. However, we think this is a game that encapsulates the spirit of roaming around a land filled with dinosaurs, so we’re including it on this list. The sequel to Aloy’s 2017 journey makes everything bigger; the world is expansive and beautiful, the creatures are plentiful, and the story is epic.

2. Horizon Zero Dawn

There are rumours that Sony is planning to remake Horizon Zero Dawn in a manner similar to The Last of Us Part I, so before that happens, make sure to revisit the 2017 original. “Robot dinosaurs” is already a pretty easy sell, but Horizon Zero Dawn also has a surprisingly fully-realized story, complete with solid explanations for many of its more outlandish concepts. It’s also got great open-world gameplay, a variety of traps and gear to get to know, and a huge world to explore.

3. Jurassic World Evolution 2

Frontier Developments is well-known for management sims like Planet Coaster and Planet Zoo, so the fact that the developer would turn its hand to dinosaur-rearing games isn’t much of a surprise. This 2021 sequel expands on the original by introducing superior artificial intelligence and much bigger maps, allowing you to get much closer to the park you’re envisioning in your dreams. You can also look out for familiar faces from the movies, including Jeff Goldblum and Bryce Dallas Howard.

4. Jurassic World Evolution

If you love Jurassic World Evolution 2, the original is still well worth a look, even if it does have fewer features and modes than its successor. Essentially launching as a tie-in to 2018’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Evolution was Frontier’s first shot at a dino management sim, and it’s mostly a successful one. You’ll be able to see some of the rougher edges when compared to the sequel, but if you just can’t get enough dinosaur raising, this is where to go next.

5. Ark: Survival Evolved

The premise of Ark: Survival Evolved is a pretty compelling one: what if you had to survive on an island stalked by fantasy monsters and dinosaurs? From there, the game crafts an addictive, engaging survival experience, complete with famous dinos like the Brontosaurus and the Mosasaurus. You’ll also encounter a host of creatures from classical mythology, like phoenixes, wyverns, and griffins. Ark manages that rare, paradoxical feat of being both challenging and surprisingly relaxing.

6. Turok

Thank the lord for Nightdive Studios. This remaster of the 1997 N64 classic reintroduces modern audiences to Turok, the legendary dinosaur hunter, and his array of outlandish weaponry. The plot is absolute nonsense, but it doesn’t really matter, because this game is effectively an excuse to hunt down dinosaurs across a variety of environments. Armed with grenade launchers, plasma rifles, and more, you’ll battle through an FPS that embodies the spirit of retro gaming.

7. Turok 2: Seeds of Evil

You guessed it – the followup to Turok also got a remaster courtesy of Nightdive, one of the biggest studios currently flying the flag for old-school gaming. The enemy variety and weapon range have been expanded for this sequel, and enemy AI has also been improved, so you’ll find the dinosaurs tougher to conquer this time around. All told, though, if you liked the frantic FPS action offered by the first Turok, you owe it to yourself to check out the sequel as well.

8. Monster Hunter: World

Monster Hunter: World is the game that introduced the Monster Hunter series to wider audiences. It’s a little more accessible than Monster Hunter games usually are, and it still features a huge array of monsters to hunt, each of which exhibits different behaviour. The monsters here aren’t technically dinosaurs, but they will give you the feeling of hunting something huge and prehistoric as you stalk through the jungle and learn their movements.

9. Lego Jurassic World

If you’ve played one Lego game, you’ve played them all, so if you’re looking for a solid dinosaur game you can play with your kids, Lego Jurassic World will fit the bill. Contrary to what you might imagine, it’s actually a Lego adaptation of all four of the first Jurassic movies, so you’re not just playing through Jurassic World. There are plenty of characters to unlock, environments to explore, and collectibles to gather in this game, so give it a shot if you’re looking for a dino time sink.

10. Dauntless

Dauntless is to Monster Hunter what Bloodstained is to Castlevania, which is to say that if you’re a fan of Monster Hunter, you should give this free-to-play monster-slaying RPG some of your time. Again, the creatures in Dauntless aren’t dinosaurs per se, but they certainly exude dinosaur energy. Just like in Monster Hunter, you’ll have to figure out how best to take them down alongside your buddies, and when you’re done, you can loot them for useful stuff as well (the monsters, not your friends).