Every Jurassic Park Game Ever Made Ranked From Worst to Best

In 1993 Steven Spielberg took Michael Crichton’s novel about a dinosaur theme park and turned it into a cinema masterpiece. And ever since then every developer from Konami to Telltale has tried to make the films into a video game. The developers were so concerned with whether or not they could, they never stopped to consider whether they should. Welcome to every Jurassic Park Game ever made ranked from worst to best.

Honorable Mention: Jurassic Park: The Ride Online Adventure

I’m including Jurassic Park: The Ride Online Adventure as an honorable mention for two reasons. First, we have a lot of bad Jurassic Park games to get through and it feels good to start off on a positive note. And second, Jurassic Park the Ride is the best ride at Universal Studios. Florida or Los Angeles. Hands down.

Jurassic Park: The Ride Online Adventure was an online game released as a promotional piece for Universal Studios’ newly minted Jurassic Park The Ride. The game was better than it had any right to be, allowing you to control a character roaming the compound of an escaped raptor. It contained FMV from the first film and full 3D rendered environments.

For all of the crap developers pushed out to quickly cash in on Jurassic Park’s success, Jurassic Park: The Ride Online Adventure is a breath of fresh air. The site is still up, but the game itself doesn’t seem to be functioning. It’s still worth a visit for some 90’s internet nostalgia.

Trespasser (PC)

Trespasser is infamous for being a terrible game. And amongst the slop of Jurrasic Park games, it does truly stand out. The development of Trespasser was tumultuous at best, but it does deserve props for its ambition.

Trespasser takes place a year after the events of the second Jurassic Park film. The game stars Minnie Driver as the main protagonist, Richard Attenborough as the voice of John Hammond, and a 3D open world Jurassic Park. If this all sounds too good to be true, that’s because it is.

Despite having major talent behind the game, Trespasser was rushed and shipped in a nearly unplayable state. Seriously, the open world was laughably devoid of dinosaurs, the entire game contained three cutscenes and Minnie Driver looked like this.

Maybe go play Trespasser as a goof. I’m sure there’s some fun to be had with some friends over beers making fun of it. But other than that, this one is a total skip. Trespasser is the worst of the Jurassic Park Video Games.

Warpath: Jurassic Park

Warpath: Jurassic Park gets to beat out Trespasser simply because it released as a finished game. Make no mistake though, in no way will you have more fun playing Warpath.

In what is possibly the worst-suited genre for Jurassic Park, EA decided to make a fighting game based on the property. All of the dinosaurs are anatomically incorrect, being scaled to relatively the same size as each other. The fighting is bland and glitchy. The whole game is just a mess. Play any other fighting game and you will have more fun.

Jurassic Park Iii: Dna Factor

Konami made three games for the Gameboy advanced based on the third Jurassic Park film. DNA Factor was the first to be released, and inarguably the worst.

It’s a little baffling how bad these games are, with Konami that same year releasing the first of the Castlevania GBA games. Konami knows how to make a Metroidvania, so why didn’t they do the same on Chrichtons island? Instead, DNA factor is an impossible-to-control puzzle side-scroller with even more impossible-to-solve puzzles.

Konami made two more Jurassic Park video games for the GBA, but either are as terrible as their first attempt. This game is better left in the bargain bin.

Jurassic Park Iii: Island Attack

Island attack is the third Jurassic Park game made by Konami for the GBA. While not the worst or the best, it is the most frustrating because it’s closer than the others to what we actually want. A Metroidvania Jurassic Park video game.

Island attack ditches the side-scrolling nature and instead creates an isometric 3D world. This worked well for some GBA titles like Tony Hawk’s pro skater, but here it only led to cumbersome controls.

It was also just too much for the GBA’s hardware to handle, with the graphics middling together in a streak of brown and greens. The one positive is a stellar motorcycle level. But even that couldn’t save Island attack from landing low on our list.

Jurassic Park: Rampage Edition

Jurassic Park: Rampage Edition sounds like it’s just an upscaled version of the original Jurassic Park video game released for the Sega Genesis a year earlier. The game is in fact a direct sequel to that game, only adding no value over the original and being much worse.

Like the first Jurassic Park for the Genesis, you get to choose to play as either Dr. Grant or a Raptor. But while that game was a fun action-adventure title, this one leaned too much towards fighting. The game ends up feeling like a quick cash grab on the success of the film and the first game. This Jurassic Park video game is better left unplayed.

Jurassic Park: The Game (XBox360 & PS3)

A Jurassic Park Telltale game feels like the perfect fit. A story and world as rich and dense as the one Michael Chrichton and Steven Spielberg brought to the page and screen scream story-driven-choice-based gameplay. Somehow though, they managed to make neither the story nor the game fun.

Telltale had yet to make a solid name for themselves. That wouldn’t come until the following year with their breakout Walking Dead series. It’s easy to see with Jurassic Park how the developer was struggling to find their footing.

Jurassic Park: The Game plays out as a point-and-click adventure, but the characters are forgettable and the story, set shortly after the first movie, fails to hit any of the highs of the film series. Telltale made a valiant effort but really missed the mark in telling a compelling Jurassic Park story.

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (Playstation & Sega Saturn)

The second film in the Jurassic Park series was released in 1997, and with it came another host of Jurassic Park video games. The Lost World: Jurassic Park for Playstation and Sega Saturn came out the same year and completely ignored the plot of the movie.

The game is a sidescrolling action game with five different playable characters, both human and dino. Jeff Goldblum makes a brief appearance, instantly becoming the best part of the game.

Making a sidescrolling game on these consoles in 1997 was an odd choice. Gaming was just entering the 3d realm and gamers wanted to experience 3D worlds. Fortunately, better adaptions were made from this film, but the Saturn and Playstation versions are entirely skippable entries.

Jurassic Park Iii: Park Builder

Jurassic Park III: Park Builder is the second Konami-developed Jurassic Park game for the GBA, and the best one you can play. The game took the series in a pretty smart direction. Park creation.

A park creator game for the Jurassic Park series is a no-brainer, and Konami actually did a halfway decent job with it. The game’s biggest flaw is its lack of any helpful tutorials. That can be alleviated now with some walkthroughs and FAQs, but at the time of release playing the game was a struggle.

This is the first game on our list that I would say could be worth your time. If you want some GBA nostalgia and a competent park builder game, you can do a lot worse than this one. Just make sure you’re ready for the steep difficulty curve and have an FAQ handy.

Jurassic Park Interactive

Jurassic Park Interactive is an FMV and first-person adventure game created for the short-lived 3DO console. The game features doppelganger actors playing the legendary film characters, and the first-person sections involve you outrunning a T-Rex in a jeep, running from raptors, or shooting dinosaurs with an electric gun.

You know right off the bat whether or not this game is for you. If you want a goofy FMV with even more ludicrous first-person levels, this game is a must. It might be difficult to get a hold of a 3DO, but if you can this one is worth a pick-up. It even features portions of the brilliant score from the first film.

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (Gameboy & GameGear)

The portable editions of The Lost World: Jurassic Park on Gameboy and Gamegear are far superior to their console counterparts. The games are not identical, but they are both side-scrolling platformers that involve you stopping hunters and smugglers from stealing dinosaurs from the island.

The Gameboy title in particular makes good use of the systems controls, and the Gamegear version nails the visual palate of Jurassic Park. Something that’s proved difficult for many developers over the years. Either game is worth a play, even though they can be difficult by today’s standards.

Jurassic Park (NES & Gameboy)

Jurassic Park for the NES came out the same year as the original movie. The game was played from a top-down perspective, playing as Dr. Grant as you shoot through the overrun park. The Gameboy version is almost identical, with worse graphics and an additional database of dinosaurs for the player to read.

Jurassic Park for NES didn’t reinvent the genre or do anything particularly groundbreaking. But for a 1993 movie tie-in game, it’s pretty competent. It also launched late in the NES’s life cycle, and the graphics show that. It is one of the best-looking 8-bit games out there.

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (Sega Genesis)

In a baffling move, the Sega Genesis version of The Lost World: Jurassic Park featured 2D graphics and 3D gameplay. This is compared to the Playstation and Sega Saturn versions with 3D graphics and 2D gameplay. Even more baffling is how much better this version is than its counterpart that released on more powerful hardware.

The Lost World on Genesis is a genuinely fun experience. The bird’s-eye view world can be tackled cooperatively with a friend and features fun boss fights to end each level. It would be great to see this become easily playable again.

Lego Jurassic World

It was only a matter of time until the Jurassic Park saga got the lego video game treatment. Lego Jurassic World follows the events of the original Jurassic Park trilogy of films and the 2015 franchise reboot starring Mario voice actor Chris Pratt.

As a Jurassic Park video game, the game is good. As a Lego game, the game is okay. You’re given the chance to play as human and dino characters through the normal lego video game tropes. Get ready to collect everything in sight and solve easier than average puzzles.

Lego video games appeal to a certain style of gamer. Some people enjoy the franchise and some find it cumbersome. It would be great to see the series recreated fully, similar to what was done with the Skywalker Saga. Until then, Lego Jurassic World is a fun time for Jurassic Park and lego game fans.

Jurassic World Evolution

Jurassic World Evolution is a beautiful fully realized Jurassic Park creator. Frontier Developments didn’t fully learn from past management sim mistakes though, and the game suffered from poor tutorials.

The game has only become better since its launch, receiving numerous updates that add new dinosaurs and buildable areas. A superior sequel is now available, but the original should be recognized for finally giving the franchise the park builder it deserved.

Jurassic Park Arcade

Jurassic Park Arcade is an arcade game that puts you in the Jurassic park Ford Explorer and has you shoot dinosaurs drive-by style. Honestly, if I didn’t think the comment section would roast me into oblivion, this would be my number one.

Three more Jurassic Park arcade games have been released since this beauty came out in 1994, but none of them capture the ‘90s arcade feel of the original. If you happen to be in an arcade that houses one of these, make sure to give it a play.

Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis

Some would argue that after so many updates Jurassic World Evolution is a better park creator game, but the fact that Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis launched in a more complete way is what gives this game the slight edge over Evolution.

Jurassic Park: Operations Genesis was released in 2003 on PC, Xbox, and PS2. It was released just two years after Konami’s attempt at a park builder on GBA and improved on the genre in almost every way.

Focusing on missions as opposed to open-ended world-building was a smart choice, and while the game still contained its fair share of issues, there is a lot of fun to be had with the title.

Jurassic Park 2: The Chaos Continues

First of all, Jurassic Park 2: The Chaos Continues is a rad name for a Jurassic Park game. Secondly, these SNES and Gameboy games contain stellar side-scrolling Contra-style action that fit perfectly on their respective consoles.

There is a slight juxtaposition between the two games, with the SNES version being just a tad too hard and the Gameboy version being a tad too easy. Neither of these breaks the game. But it does mean that you might be more suited for one over the other depending on your tolerance for trial and error.

Each game follows a different non-canonical story, but that’s fine seeing how off the rails the Jurassic Park canon has gotten. In both games, you get to control Dr. Grant as he guns down dinosaurs. Either version holds up today and is worth playing for Jurassic Park fans.

Jurassic World Aftermath

The original Jurassic Park movie borrowed a lot from horror movies. That’s why Jurassic World Aftermath for the Oculus works so well in creating a stealth-based horror game in this world.

The game is set two years after the events of Jurassic World and involves you hiding from hungry raptors ready for a snack. The comic book art style looks great in VR but may give some people motion sickness.

Our biggest gripe with the game is that it only lasts for three hours. DLC has been released to expand that and we’re hoping there’s more to come. It’s not only one of the best Jurassic Park video games, but also one of the best VR games you can play right now.

Jurassic World Evolution 2

Jurassic World Evolution 2 is an improvement over its predecessor in just about every way. The dinosaurs look better, the systems are more approachable, and the game features music directly from Universal’s catalog.

What really sets Evolution apart is all of the different game modes available. A Campaign mode is back along with Challenge and Sandbox modes. But the cherry on top is the chaos theory mode which lets the player re-create iconic moments from the film franchise.

Jurassic World Evolution 2 is the latest and greatest in dinosaur park builder games. It’s refreshing to see a developer do so much with the license and bring such a solid experience to consoles and PC.

Jurassic Park (SNES)

Jurassic Park for the Super Nintendo just barely loses out over its Sega Genesis counterpart. The SNES version of Jurassic Park is still a fantastic game, and one well worth your time if you have a copy lying around.

The game is played in a top-down Zelda-like perspective, then moves to a first-person perspective when you enter buildings. You’ll play the game controlling Dr. Grant as he tries to rescue other island occupants and attempts to leave the island.

The biggest drawback of this game is the lack of a password-saving system, meaning in order to see the final credits and leave the island, you’ll have the play the entire game in one sitting. This is 1993 after all. Even with this gripe, the game is still a must play and with an emulator, the lack of a password feature can be alleviated.

Jurassic Park (Sega Genesis)

Jurassic Park on the Sega Genesis is one of the most polarizing Jurassic games ever made. But it was (I think) the first time a videogame let you play as a velociraptor. And for that, it gets the top spot on our list.

Jurassic Park on the Sega Genesis is a side-scrolling action-adventure game that is essentially two games in one. One where you play as Dr. Grant, and another as a raptor.

Both offer a much-needed easy difficulty, as the game can be frustratingly hard at times, but never in a way that feels unfair. The 16-bit graphics were stellar for the time and delivered the feeling of the movie.

The level design was fantastic and very few things feel more fun than driving a boat and throwing a grenade at a T-Rex’s face. We wish this style of Jurassic Park game would have improved, but at least for now, Jurassic Park on the Genesis is our favorite Jurassic Park video game.

Agree with our list? Ready for more dinosaur games from different franchises? Let us know in the comments your favorite Jurassic Park game.