Credit: Universal PicturesA direct sequel to Jurassic Park (1993) is coming.
Jurassic World (2015) brought the Jurassic franchise back from extinction, as it had been in cold storage for 14 years since the disappointing sequel, Jurassic Park III (2001). The 2015 film devoured $1.6 billion worldwide and reignited interest in the series.
The 2015 blockbuster was also met with positive reviews. Its two sequels, however, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) and Jurassic World Dominion (2022), failed to impress audiences and critics, though they still each passed the $1 billion mark at the box office.
With Jurassic World Rebirth (2025) just months from release, the World side of the franchise is set to continue. However, on the smaller screen, it’s set to make a sharp U-turn and take fans back to the glory days of the original park with “Jurassic Park: Survival”.
“Jurassic Park: Survival” is an upcoming first-person, action-adventure game that acts as a direct sequel to the original 1993 film from Steven Spielberg. And by “direct,” we mean twenty-four hours after the events of Jurassic Park (1993).
The Game Awards 2022 dropped the first trailer in December 2023, which reveals a character named Dr. Maya Joshi, an InGen scientist who becomes stranded on an abandoned, storm-battered Isla Nublar during the dinosaur breakout.
There’s no denying that the Jurassic World rebranding gave way to three films, animated shows such as Camp Cretaceous and Chaos Theory, the two Jurassic World Evolution video games (soon to be three), Universal Studios attractions, and lots more.
However, many agree that the Jurassic World aesthetic pales in comparison to that of Jurassic Park. Of course, the white-grey-blue color scheme is deliberately corporate, while the new style also had to look very different from the jungle safari theme of the 1993 film.
Now, “Jurassic Park: Survival” is set to transport fans back to the early part of the franchise’s timeline, reuniting them with the world established in the original 1993 film that has long become incredibly nostalgic, more so than Jurassic World will probably ever be.
We’ve already analyzed the trailer scene by scene, but here’s everything we know about “Jurassic Park: Survival”.
“Jurassic Park: Survival” — Everything We Know
“Jurassic Park: Survival” Trailer
First, check out the official trailer for the game below:
There are two important things to note about this trailer before getting too excited.
Firstly, this is a cinematic trailer, which means a couple of things: a) It’s designed to showcase the game in the very best light so it’s unlikely the events depicted will actually take place, and b) The game’s cutscenes may not look anywhere near as impressive as this trailer.
Secondly, the trailer is nothing more than a whistlestop tour of iconic scenes from the 1993 film designed to elicit nostalgia. The only “true” footage is revealed at the end of the trailer in the form of gameplay, which, as stated at the foot of the screen, is “alpha in-game footage.”
Related: 7 Things We Need From an Open World ‘Jurassic Park’ Game
“Jurassic Park: Survival” Synopsis
“Return to Isla Nublar the day after the events of the beloved 1993 Jurassic Park film in an original adventure 65 million years in the making,” the official synopsis reads.
“Survive thrilling first-person action as InGen scientist Dr. Maya Joshi, who was unable to evacuate Isla Nublar, in this single-player action-adventure game and discover a never-before-told story. Through thrilling encounters, experience the wonder and danger of dinosaurs, each with their own distinct and adaptive behaviors brought to life by John Hammond’s vision.”
The website also reveals specific details about gameplay.
Though it’s unclear whether the game is open world, the environment is described as “a fully realized Isla Nublar filled with reactive wildlife, dinosaurs.”
Related: ‘Jurassic Park’ Installment Gets Rebranded Following Trailer for New Sequel
“Jurassic Park: Survival” Characters
The only character confirmed for “Jurassic Park: Survival” is Dr. Maya Joshi, an InGen scientist who appears to have missed the last boat from the docks (not a clever girl, then).
Given the nature of survival games and taking into account the premise for “Survival”, it’s unlikely to feature any other main characters (the likes of Alan Grant, Ellie Sattler, and Ian Malcolm are presumably out of the question, seeing as they’ve already escaped).
That said, there’s a minor detail worth noting, as the website refers to “other surprising threats” under the subheading “EXPLORE ISLA NUBLAR”:
“Adventure through a fully realized Isla Nublar filled with reactive wildlife, dinosaurs, and other surprising threats. From the iconic towering park gates to the Visitor Center and beyond, Jurassic Park comes alive like never before.”
“Other surprising threats” could refer exclusively to Jurassic Park’s dinosaurs, but there may also be dangers of the human variety on the island. Could InGen’s rival company, Biosyn — the biotech giant that hired Dennis Nedry (Wayne Knight) to steal dinosaur embryos in the 1993 film — also show up at some point to retrieve the lost Barbasol can?
Related: Live-Action ‘Jurassic World’ Series Is Available to Watch Online!
Is “Jurassic Park: Survival” Canon?
How “Jurassic Park: Survival” will fit into the wider franchise is unclear. While we know it acts as a direct sequel to the 1993 film, picking up the next day and therefore predating every other movie in the series from and including The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) onwards, we don’t know if it’s actually going to be considered canon per se.
Related: First Trailer for ‘Jurassic World’ TV Series Set Before ‘Dominion’ Arrives
“Jurassic Park: Survival” Gameplay
“Jurassic Park: Survival” is a first-person action-adventure game in which you can explore “a fully realized Isla Nublar,” as stated on the website.
You’ll also need to “use all the resources at your disposal to find intelligent solutions” to survive, which has lent to the current rumor that the game will not feature any firearms.
Though there are guns on Isla Nublar (as seen in the 1993 film), it’s more than likely players will have to rely exclusively on non-lethal weapons like flare guns and taser rods to survive. So, you know, you’ll want “tasers on full charge!”
Not only will this create a more thrilling experience, but it probably has something to do with continuity. If “Survival” is indeed canon, then being able to kill the Tyrannosaurus Rex (Rexy), who appears many times throughout the rest of the franchise, wouldn’t make sense.
There’s also no mention of the word “kill” or “eliminate” on the website. It says, “Outsmart, escape, and interact with the film’s iconic dinosaurs. Use your ingenuity through distraction and stealth to navigate intense and unforgettable encounters in a journey to outlast some of the deadliest creatures to ever walk the earth.”
Last June, Universal and Saber shared with IGN an internal Q&A conducted with Universal Products & Experiences executive producer John Melchior and Saber Interactive creative director Oliver Hollis-Leick, which included several titbits about “Jurassic Park: Survival”.
“Jurassic Park: Survival” Release Date
There’s no release date for “Jurassic Park: Survival,” however, as the trailer for the highly-anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI also dropped in December 2023, ahead of its late 2025 release date, it’s not unreasonable to expect the upcoming game to arrive relatively soon.
The game will be released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Are you excited about “Jurassic Park: Survival”? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!