Numerous video games based on the Jurassic Park franchise have been released. Developers Ocean Software, BlueSky Software and Sega produced various games in 1993, coinciding with the first film, Jurassic Park. In 1997, several developers, including DreamWorks Interactive and Appaloosa Interactive, produced various games for nine different platforms to coincide with the release of the film The Lost World: Jurassic Park.
For the 2001 film, Jurassic Park III, a total of seven games were produced, including three for the Game Boy Advance and three PC games. A park-building game, Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis, was released in 2003. Jurassic Park: The Game, released in 2011, takes place after the events of the first film. Lego Jurassic World was released in 2015 and is based on the first four films. Subsequent games have continued to use the Jurassic World name, including Jurassic World Evolution, another park-building game that was released in 2018.
Since 1994, a number of other video games, not based directly on any of the films, have also been released.
Jurassic Park (1993) Ocean Software released three distinct Jurassic Park games optimized for different platforms, while Sega released four distinct versions of Jurassic Park for five different platforms. In each version, the player has to complete several objectives to finish the game and escape the island of Isla Nublar.
Ocean Software Ocean Software devoted two of its development teams to work on several Jurassic Park games, making it the biggest film license that the company had ever worked on.
Jurassic Park, released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and Nintendo's Game Boy, is an action-adventure game played from an overhead perspective, with various goals that loosely follow the plot of the film. The NES version was released in June 1993, followed shortly by the Game Boy version, which is a port of the earlier version.
Another variation was the Super NES version of Jurassic Park, which incorporates isometric gameplay for outside environments but uses a first person perspective for indoor environments. Objectives include turning on the park's power system and rebooting the main computers, as well as collecting raptor eggs.
Ocean also released a computer version of Jurassic Park for MS-DOS and Amiga. As in the Super NES version, the PC and Amiga versions also feature isometric and first-person shooter perspectives.
Sega Sega published a side-scrolling platformer action game titled Jurassic Park for the Sega Genesis. Developed by BlueSky Software, the game can be played in two modes, either as Dr. Alan Grant or as a Velociraptor. Playing as each provides the user with an alternative story and different levels.
Another Jurassic Park game, developed and published by Sega, was released for the Game Gear and Master System in 1993. It is a side-scrolling platform game which includes several driving levels.
A point-and-click adventure game, titled Jurassic Park as well, was released in 1994. It was developed and published by Sega for the Sega CD (also known as the Mega-CD). The game's events take place after the film. The player controls a scientist who becomes stranded on Isla Nublar after a helicopter crash. The player must search the island to retrieve eggs from seven different dinosaur species and place them in an incubator at the Jurassic Park visitor center.
Also in 1994, Sega released a rail shooter arcade game titled Jurassic Park. It features missions that involve the player using a joystick to protect a vehicle by shooting any targets that appear on screen. The machine's cabinet resembles the rear of the film's Ford Explorer tour vehicles and contains hydraulic pistons to move the seat according to action on the screen.
Sequels and other games (1994–1996) A sequel to the Sega Genesis version of Jurassic Park, entitled Jurassic Park: Rampage Edition, was released in 1994, and immediately follows the events of its predecessor. In it, Grant's helicopter crashes on Isla Nublar after taking off from the island. Now he must deal not only with dinosaurs, but InGen soldiers as well. As in the game's predecessor, the player can play as either Grant or a Velociraptor.
Additionally, Universal Interactive released Jurassic Park Interactive exclusively on the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer in 1994. The game plays out through eight different minigames and features FMV segments starring look-alikes of the main characters. Also in 1994, Hi Tech Entertainment released Jurassic Park: Paint and Activity Center, a painting activity game for MS-DOS.
Ocean developed an action side-scrolling platform game titled Jurassic Park 2: The Chaos Continues and released it for the SNES and Game Boy in 1995. The SNES version uses an original story and is a sequel to the film, while the Game Boy version reuses the film's plot. In the SNES version, which takes place one year after the events of the film, the player controls Dr. Alan Grant, who is sent to Isla Nublar by John Hammond to prevent BioSyn (a rival genetics company) from stealing dinosaurs from the island.
On August 12, 1996, Universal launched an online game titled Jurassic Park – The Ride Online Adventure, to promote Jurassic Park: The Ride. In the game, the player controls Jurassic Park's director of operations, who must stop an escaped Velociraptor that is wandering inside a compound, where the game takes place. The player must walk through hallways while avoiding the Velociraptor. The player must search in offices and other rooms for objects that can be used and combined with one another to stop the Velociraptor or gain entry to new areas. The game includes a feature known as the "IntraNet", which contains files on the park's employees and records, as well as information on InGen and its dinosaurs.
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) To coincide with The Lost World: Jurassic Park, the second film in the series, studio DreamWorks utilized its internal software company, DreamWorks Interactive, to create their own game.
For the PlayStation and Sega Saturn, DreamWorks and Appaloosa Interactive developed The Lost World: Jurassic Park, a side-scrolling platform game portrayed in a 3D rendered environment. The game has five playable characters and 30 levels. In 1998, an updated version of The Lost World: Jurassic Park was released for the PlayStation, with improved gameplay.
Appaloosa Interactive developed another version of The Lost World: Jurassic Park that was published by Sega for the Sega Genesis. Played from an overhead view, the game contains levels brought together by four hub areas on Isla Sorna and also contains four unique boss levels. It also has driveable vehicles, a large number of dinosaurs, and a GPS system used for mission objectives.
Four versions of the game were developed and published by different companies for handheld game consoles, including the Game Boy, Game Gear, and Tiger Electronics' Game.com and R-Zone consoles.
DreamWorks also released Chaos Island: The Lost World, a strategy video game for Microsoft Windows, with similar gameplay to Command & Conquer. The game is played across 12 levels, and involves the player creating dinosaurs that can be controlled and used against enemies. Six actors from the film provided their voice to the game.
An arcade game titled The Lost World: Jurassic Park was also released by Sega, and made use of the Model 3 arcade hardware.
In 1998, a first-person shooter titled Trespasser was released for Windows, billed as a digital sequel to the film The Lost World: Jurassic Park. The game was highly ambitious with one of the first large scale physics engines in an action game. The developer was pushed by the publisher. This meant many elements of the planned game design were shelved and many bugs, some major, still remained in the game, resulting in negative critical reception. In April 2002, the game received a large modding community called TresCom, which released many patches and graphical updates for download on their forums.
Warpath: Jurassic Park (1999)
In 1999, DreamWorks released Warpath: Jurassic Park, a fighting game for the PlayStation, featuring 14 playable dinosaurs and arenas based on locations from the first two films.
Jurassic Park III (2001) To coincide with the third film in the series, Jurassic Park III, a number of video games were released for the PC, arcade and Game Boy Advance.
Knowledge Adventure developed and published two video games aimed primarily at a younger target audience: a side-scrolling platformer titled Jurassic Park III: Dino Defender; and Jurassic Park III: Danger Zone!, in which the player moves around on a virtual board game map. Later that year, Knowledge Adventure produced Scan Command: Jurassic Park, which utilized a portable barcode scanner accessory known as the Scan Command.
A light gun arcade game titled Jurassic Park III was developed and published by Konami in 2001. Players control the mercenary team sent to Isla Sorna to rescue survivors. AllGame's Jon Thompson rated it three and a half stars out of five, criticizing its outdated graphics while praising the music and sound.
Also in 2001, Konami published three games for the Game Boy Advance, two of which were also developed by the company:
Jurassic Park III: Island Attack was developed by Mobile21. The game is an isometric action-adventure game, where one plays as Dr. Alan Grant trying to escape Isla Sorna by traversing the 8 different game environments to reach a rescue boat. The game allows the player to choose to run from many of the enemies encountered, or collect and use items to destroy them. Jurassic Park III: The DNA Factor is a side-scrolling platformer with many puzzle-solving elements. The game allows the player to play as either a professional photographer or pilot to search Isla Sorna for the DNA of dinosaurs. Each level involves fighting dinosaurs while searching for all of the DNA to open the exit. Then, using the collected DNA, the player must correctly create different species of dinosaurs, which becomes increasingly complex as the game progresses. Jurassic Park III: Park Builder is a construction and management simulation game viewed from an omnipotent perspective. In the game, the player creates a virtual amusement park that includes rides, shops, food outlets, and dinosaur facilities.
Announced in 2001, Jurassic Park: Survival was a third-person adventure game in development by Savage Entertainment for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, as well as the GameCube and PC. However, due to conflicts with Vivendi Universal over payments, the game was canceled.
Universal Studios Theme Parks Adventure (2001)
In 2001, Universal Studios Theme Parks Adventure was released for the GameCube. Based on many of the Universal theme park rides, the Jurassic Park ride requires the player to take control of a gun turret on the back of a Jeep to defend against dinosaurs.
Jurassic Park: Dinosaur Battles (2002) A PC game titled Jurassic Park: Dinosaur Battles, also produced by Knowledge Adventure, was released on September 10, 2002. Dinosaur Battles is basically Scan Command: Jurassic Park without the portable scanner accessory. The game involves a group of young explorers stranded on Isla Sorna, where the evil Dr. Corts (voiced by Kath Soucie) has carried out experiments to control dinosaurs and pit them against each other for fights.
The game features six playable creatures throughout the game, each one with six primary skills to defend against Corts' creatures. Before playing against enemies, the player must arrange pieces of dinosaur DNA to enable each creature's skills. Unlike Scan Command, which requires the player to scan barcodes to receive DNA, Dinosaur Battles presents the player with a list of more than 500 DNA pieces.