Best Prehistoric Video Games, Ranked

There is a game for every type of player, and now even fans of the Prehistoric period fan find impressive and visually stunning great RPG games and other fun video games. These games are all set in the Prehistoric era and let their players battle dinosaurs and gigantic mammoths in immersive worlds.

Gamers can choose from a wide variety of fun indie games and vintage games, as well as more complex games for high-fantasy lovers set in the prehistoric era. Since these games are still fairly rare, they provide a unique viewpoint, have one-of-a-kind stories, creatures, and entertaining and often breathtaking visuals no other game can provide.

Updated November 9, 2024, by Hamza Haq: Prehistoric games will always have a place in the industry because if there is one thing the human mind is fascinated by, it’s the unknown. And few things spark curiosity with as much intensity as the history of our own planet. A history we know very little about and can only guess at, even at the best of times. Games set in prehistoric times range from the age of the dinosaurs to the Stone Age, promising a peek into the past. To facilitate the feeling of realism and the sensation of returning to one’s roots, games set in a time before history tend to use photorealistic graphics and an open-world setting so that the player is free to sate his or her curiosity by exploring as much as possible without limitations.

14 Prehistoric Tales

Colorful Dinosaur Adventures For All Ages

• Platforms: Microsoft Windows
• Initial release date: May 25, 2016
• Developer: Amegami

Prehistoric Tales is one of the most colorful and fun dinosaur games for kids that’ll be fun for adults as well. This casual strategy prehistoric video game transports its players into a vibrant world where they’ll become the chiefs of a small tribe who are invaded by their neighbors.

Players will get a chance to explore, manage their resources, collect food and even teach their army to be able to win the battles and protect their tribe. Gamers will get to build a new civilization while not only fighting but doing fun tasks like cleaning the caves of dinosaurs. Prehistoric Tales is one of the most fun prehistoric games that’s a perfect choice for casual and avid gamers alike.

13 Prehistoric Kingdom

Prehistoric Park-Building Awaits

• Platforms: GeForce Now, Microsoft Windows
• Initial release date: April 27, 2022
• Developer: Blue Meridian

Prehistoric Kingdom is one of the most exciting prehistoric video games for dinosaur lovers of all ages. This beautifully designed early-access dinosaur sim game transports its players into the magical land of dinosaurs, where they’ll get to use their creativity and management skills to build their own prehistoric kingdoms.

Gamers will have to use their skills to create and decorate housing, grow jungles, and even raise mountains to build a perfectly beautiful and sustainable home for their dinosaurs. Thanks to Prehistoric Kingdom, casual and avid gamers alike can build one of the most unique gaming zoos of all time while also getting to know extinct animals a bit better.

12 Jurassic World Evolution 2

A Dino Management Challenge

Jurassic World Evolution 2 is one of the most popular prehistoric video games with a stunningly designed open world. This beautiful and deeply atmospheric sim game will transport its players into the beloved but deadly Jurassic World, where they’ll have to use their management and survival skills.

This adventure sim takes its players on an immersive journey while helping them learn more about some of the most popular prehistoric animals of all time. While Jurassic World Evolution 2 can be challenging at times beginners can check out useful tips about the best dinosaurs to put together before getting started. It’s also one of the best options for those who want to learn more about prehistoric animals but are looking for a game with a stunning modern setting.

11 Sapiens

Shape Civilization From Scratch

• Platforms: Microsoft Windows, macOS
• Initial release date: July 26, 2022
• Developer: Majic Jungle

Sapiens is one of the most beautiful early-access prehistoric games with a stunningly designed open world. Thanks to this thrilling colony, sim players can build their very own prehistoric civilization and help their tribe survive in a dangerous world.

Gamers will get a chance to build everything from scratch and eventually build modern towns after advancing through thousands of years. Players will get to explore an exciting and challenging open world while learning about history and using their creativity to build a happier and safer future for humanity. Sapiens is one of the best prehistoric video games for casual and experienced gamers who love challenging but gorgeously designed sim games.

10 Bonk’s Adventure

Classic Caveman Adventure

• Platforms: TurboGrafx-16, Nintendo Entertainment System · See more
• Initial release date: December 15, 1989
• Developers: Red Entertainment, Hudson Soft, Factor 5, Atlus

Bonk’s Adventure is one of the most fun Prehistoric retro video games from 1989, where players get to control a large-headed caveman named Bonk. It’s a 2D platform game with a nostalgic box design, but it has charming creatures and vibrant colors.

Players will have to save Princess Za after Drool, the evil King, kidnaped her. As players go on their journey to save the pink reptile princess they’ll have to keep banging their heads against enemies or jump over them and avoid traps.

9 Stone Rage

Wilderness Survival In The Stone Age

• Platform: Microsoft Windows
• Initial release date: Aug 28, 2020
• Developer: Mountainwheel Games

Stone Rage is an early access survival indie game that’s perfect for casual RPG gamers who are looking for something new that’s set in the prehistoric era. In this open-world game, players get to explore a waste prehistoric landscape filled with dangerous animals and other enemies.

Gamers will get to control Cro-Magnon a Neanderthal and will be able to shape-shift into various animals. Other than fighting off prehistoric beasts players will have to make new friends and fight for scarce resources to stay alive in an almost uninhabitable climate.

8 E.V.O.: Search for Eden

Evolution Journey From Fish To Human

E.V.O.: Search for Eden is an RPG adventure side-scrolling retro video game perfect for those who love nostalgic playtime and have patience for games that require time. Other than that, it’s a pretty entertaining game where players have to progress through five eras while evolving organisms and animals.

This retro prehistoric video game has good graphics, fun music, and a great myths-inspired story about life’s evolution on Earth. Players have to go on a difficult journey of evolving from a tiny fish to a mighty human while dealing with various threats and even beating some strong bosses.

7 Ice Age 2: The Meltdown

Survive The Meltdown

• Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Wii, PlayStation 2, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Xbox, Nintendo DS
• Initial release date: March 14, 2006
• Developers: Eurocom, Vivendi Games, Amaze Entertainment

Ice Age 2: The Meltdown is one of the cutest but still challenging movie-based games and just like the movie it’s kind of a family game and is entertaining for adults and kids alike who love cute games with great stories.

Players can meet their favorite Ice Age characters again while seeing their world through the eyes of Scrat who’s still searching for more acorns while trying to survive the oncoming flood. Players will have to overcome various obstacles on land and water while keeping Scrat alive and collecting the acorns. Players can explore a wide variety of mini-games too, including Sid’s supper fun slippery sloth slide.

6 Saurian

From Hatchling To Predator

Saurian is one of the most exciting early access prehistoric games for dinosaur lovers. So far, gamers can choose from two playable dinos the Dakotaraptor and Triceratops, but more playable dinosaurs are going to be added in the future. This survival simulation open-world game lets players experience what life was like for dinosaurs 66 million years ago.

This visually beautiful game is also educational since the game was created with the help of professional paleontologists who make sure that everything in the game is scientifically accurate. Players will start when their dino is hatching from an egg and will have to survive until it reaches adulthood. Gamers have to avoid dangerous predators and natural hazards of the Hell Creek ecosystem.

5 Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey

A Journey Through Human Origins

Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey is one of the best survival games that’s perfect for prehistory lovers too. This stunning and educational third-person open-world game lets players explore a wondrous world where they have to be responsible for human evolution.

Players have to grow and help their clan survive and evolve through eight million years. Through beautiful scenery, players have to hunt, defeat enemies, and explore the wast land. While players can’t evolve their hominids into humans it’s still an exciting and breathtaking game that’s just as entertaining as it is informational.

4 Dawn of Man

Stone Age Survival And City-Building

Dawn of Man is the most entertaining prehistoric survival and city-building video game right now. It’s a visually beautiful game that’s slow-paced and gives its players enough time to just relax and enjoy the environment. Players start in the Stone Age and have to learn how to hunt, gather, survive through winter, trade, and grow their settlement to eventually reach Iron Age.

As players go through the more than ten thousand years of human prehistory they’ll get to build some of the most beautiful ancient human settlements while earning knowledge points whenever they achieve milestones.

3 ARK: Survival Ascended

Survive The Prehistoric Wilds With Tamed Dinosaurs

ARK: Survival Ascended is the sequel to the much-beloved survival game ARK: Survival Evolved. It took everything that made the original great and built on top of it with better graphics thanks to Unreal Engine 5 and a more streamlined multiplayer experience.

The game features all the hallmarks of a typical survival game, like base-building, resource gathering, hunger/thirst meters, and craftable weapons and armor. But it’s all set in a world where many different types of dinosaurs roam the land, and everything that’s not the player is out to get them. The prehistoric animals in ARK: Survival Ascended are not just monsters to put down but potential allies who can be tamed to fight on the player’s side. Players can play the game alone or alongside friends in multiplayer for a co-op experience where they all survive together.

2 The Isle

Survive As A Dinosaur In A Realistic Prehistoric World

Where most survival games set in the Stone Age force the player to take up the role of the caveman who’s forced to survive a land of dinosaurs and untamed wilderness, The Isle does the opposite. Instead of just a bog-standard human start, players can choose to play as a dinosaur in a prehistoric setting.

There are dozens of different dinosaurs to choose from, and more are being added every update. The choices range from the agile, small hunters like Dilophosaurus to hulking beasts like the Tyrannosaurus, swamp dwellers like Deinosuchus, and fliers like Pteranodon. All dinosaurs have their own strengths and weaknesses, and there is no true king of the jungle; it’s all about who can utilize the tools at their disposal with the most skill. The Isle is one of the most realistic depictions of life in prehistoric times in a video game, providing a glimpse into the past and how the cycle of life might have looked.

1 Far Cry Primal

A Brutal, Beautiful Open World

Far Cry Primal is one of the best adventure games for adults who love immersive open-world games that are just as brutal as entertaining. It’s a tense game that’s filled with memorable characters, and gorgeous environments, and has a well-written story. Players will get to control Takkar who starts out as an unarmed hunter.

Through several bloody battles with massive beasts and by using his animal taming skills, Takkar can become a leader of a tribe. It’s a violent game for sure, but it’s also visually stunning and a historically accurate one where the tools and weapons match the Mesolithic era.