For those who weren’t around in the mid ’90s, it felt like “Jurassic Park” was everywhere, with the enormously successful 1993 movie spawning a line of merchandising and tie-in multimedia. This, of course, spread to video games, with virtually every major gaming platform of the era receiving its own games based on the movie. As the film series has seen a resurgence starting with 2015’s “Jurassic World,” the video game aspect of the franchise has similarly been revived. For every cancelled “Jurassic Park” game we never got to play, there are scores of titles that did see the light of day.
With so many “Jurassic Park” games to choose from, we’ve narrowed it down to our five personal favorites. From first-person shooters and platformers to theme park management experiences, the movie property has proved to be quite malleable within gaming. But each of the games we’re highlighting here capture the appeal of the long-running property in their own way. Here are the five best “Jurassic Park” games of all time ranked, each finding exciting ways to depict the world of the popular film franchise.
5. Jurassic Park (Super Nintendo)
The Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis each got their own distinct “Jurassic Park” games released in 1993. The SNES version is the weaker of the two, though still enjoyable and ambitious in its own right. The game has movie protagonist Alan Grant reactivate the park’s security systems and secure key facilities before neutralizing the raptor threat and escaping from the island. Alan can arm himself with a variety of weapons and must obtain night-vision goggles in order to explore facilities that have lost power.
One of the things that makes the SNES “Jurassic Park” game stand out is its ambitious changes in perspective throughout its gameplay. When navigating Alan around the island, the game adopts a top-down perspective while, when indoors, it shifts to first-person action. One of the big things that holds this title back was a lack of save or password feature, meaning old-school gamers needed to beat it in a single sitting. But compared to many movie tie-in games of its era, the SNES “Jurassic Park” is a clear cut above its contemporaries.
4. Jurassic Park (arcade)
While not among the best ’90s arcade games of all time, it wasn’t from any lack of trying from the 1994 “Jurassic Park” arcade title. The rail shooter was memorably housed in a recreation of the theme park Jeeps from the movie while allowing for up to two-person co-op multiplayer. Played from a first-person perspective, players tour different locations around the island, constantly battling a T-Rex that begins stalking them from the opening level. Along the way, players blast through stampeding herds of dinosaurs bearing down on them.
Anyone who visited an arcade in the mid ’90s probably saw that irresistable “Jurassic Park” Jeep cabinet on the floor. The game’s pace rarely lets up, maintaining a constant intensity as dinosaurs bombard the screen head-on. That may make the title feel cheap in retrospect, hungry for players’ quarters, but it does offer rewarding thrills along the way. A fan-favorite ’90s arcade title, “Jurassic Park” is a clear product of its time, but it’s still readily enjoyable today.
3. The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Sega had one more “Jurassic Park” arcade title up its sleeve in the ’90s, this time based on the 1997 sequel “The Lost World: Jurassic Park.” The rail shooter gameplay from the 1994 title was retained, as was the Jeep-style format of the arcade cabinet itself. The game’s story has players controlling a rescue team sent to save Ian Malcolm and Sarah Harding after they go missing on Isla Sorna. Encountering dinosaur hunters on the island, the team combats a variety of dinosaurs that have since grown out of control.
“The Lost World: Jurassic Park” wisely recognizes what worked from its predecessor and refines it for the sequel. This includes a much more accessible difficulty level, a greater variety in enemy encounters, and an all-around improved technical presentation. The title was followed by the forgotten movie tie-in arcade game “Jurassic Park III” in 2001, this time published by Konami. This lackluster sequel makes “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” the pinnacle of the franchise’s arcade experiences and the perfect encapsulation of its rail shooter appeal.
2. Jurassic Park (Genesis)
In addition to developing the “Jurassic Park” arcade games, Sega published its own tie-in game in-house for the Genesis. Completely distinct from the Super Nintendo title released later in 1993, the Genesis version is a side-scrolling action platformer. This game also gives players the option to not only play as Alan Grant but also as a highly intelligent velociraptor. Alan must defeat rampaging dinosaurs around the island, including raptors, while the raptor hunts Alan, cutting down any park personnel in its way.
As innovative as the SNES game was, the Sega Genesis version is, by far, the more fun game overall. The game handles well and the choice in two very different playable characters adds its own depth to the experience. And yes, it does feature a password system. The game received a direct sequel in “Jurassic Park: Rampage Edition” which, despite its title, was an all-new adventure. A highlight in the Sega Genesis library, regardless of source material, “Jurassic Park” is a dark and moody joy to play.
1. Jurassic World Evolution 3
If there was ever a movie property that was perfectly positioned for a theme park management simulator, it’s “Jurassic Park.” This concept was realized by the 2018 game “Jurassic World Evolution,” which has since received its own line of sequels. The most recent title in the series is its best, with “Jurassic World Evolution 3” providing players with its most comprehensive experience yet. Like “Jurassic World Evolution 2” before it, the 2025 game features Jeff Goldblum reprising his role as Ian Malcolm throughout the campaign mode.
Whether you’ve played the first two games in the series or not, “Jurassic World Evolution 3” is an entertaining and accessible standalone experience. The game offers more customization options than its predecessors and offers a more feature-rich gameplay to dig into. With the addition of juvenile dinosaurs to raise and tend, the player gets a fuller perspective on the nuances of running the park. A blast, even for those not normally into theme park simulators, “Jurassic World Evolution 3” is the greatest realization of its premise.
