Credit: Universal PicturesThe Jurassic franchise has spent the last decade widening the scope of prehistoric experimentation. But now, that could finally be about to change.
What began with straightforward cloned dinosaurs in the original Jurassic Park trilogy evolved into engineered hybrids in Jurassic World (2015), escalated into weaponized genetic creatures in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), before they were sidelined by prehistoric locusts in Jurassic World Dominion (2022) and then mutant abominations in Jurassic World Rebirth (2025).
But the question now is whether dinosaurs alone are still enough to wow audiences.
An upcoming sequel features plenty of familiar dinosaurs like T. rex, Dilophosaurus, and Velociraptor; however, it may also introduce never-before-seen prehistoric creatures.
Related: ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ May Be the Last Film to Feature Dinosaurs
Jurassic Park: Survival Could Change Everything
Jurassic Park: Survival (TBA) is an upcoming first-person action-adventure game in development at Saber Interactive and published under Universal’s banner. Set one day after the events of Steven Spielberg’s original Jurassic Park (1993), it follows Dr. Maya Joshi (Payal Mistry), an InGen scientist stranded on Isla Nublar after the collapse of the park.
The game promises a “fully realized Isla Nublar,” featuring AI-driven dinosaurs, reactive wildlife systems, and locations that include those from the film, while also extending to never-before-seen areas including a hotel resort, underground tunnels, and more dinosaur paddocks, suggesting the island was far bigger and more complex than shown on screen.
Watch the official announcement trailer for the game below:
Related: ‘Jurassic Park’ Films Won’t Be Returning to Theaters, Will Continue on the Small Screen
But there’s one particular line from the official website for the game that stands out.
Part of the description for the game states: “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.”
While dinosaurs are the stars of the upcoming game (as confirmed in a behind-the-scenes featurette with Saber and Universal that was shared last summer), that wording on the website leads us to speculate about what else could be roaming the jungles of Isla Nublar.
One possibility is human activity tied to InGen’s rival Biosyn, with dangerous individuals potentially revisiting unfinished objectives linked to Dennis Nedry’s original attempt at stealing dinosaur embryos. The website also mentions “reactive wildlife”, suggesting modern-day animals could also pose a threat to Joshi as she tries to survive on the island.
Related: Next ‘Jurassic Park’ Will Restart Series, and Adapt Elements From Original Novel
Jurassic Park Could Expand Its Prehistoric Universe
Or, there could be genetically engineered beasts that extend beyond the franchise’s firmly established prehistoric collection.
That opens the door to Ice Age fauna—creatures that have only ever appeared in tie-in media such as the Jurassic Park: Builder and Jurassic World: Alive mobile games, the fake Masrani Corporation website that was used to promote Jurassic World (2015), and the Netflix animated series Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous (2020–2022).
Species like saber-toothed cats and woolly mammoths would mark a significant expansion of the Jurassic franchise, shifting it further away from its original dinosaur focus, which has clocked in 34 years at this point.
While it sounds somewhat unlikely, especially given how the game is being developed as a direct sequel to the 1993 film, the Jurassic franchise has already experimented with hybrid dinosaurs, human clones, mutant abominations, and super locusts.
If that trajectory continues, widening the prehistoric ecosystem isn’t entirely out of the question. It’s also worth noting that the original film even features saber-toothed cats toys in its gift shop, which could hint at a larger world beyond what is shown onscreen.
“It’s really exciting to be able to translate this incredible film into a video game because you really have the opportunity to go much deeper into the film,” Jurassic World Project Executive Lisa St Amand says in the video.
Jurassic World Rebirth 2 Could Also Feature Ice Age Beasts
Looking ahead, speculation is also building around a sequel to last year’s Rebirth, which reportedly entered early talks following its $869.1 million global box-office performance.
A new report from insider Daniel Richtman (@DanielRPK) suggests the film is happening and is aiming for a production start this fall, with a targeted release date of summer 2028.
While the next Jurassic World film will, if anything, most likely explore the long-gestating human-dinosaur hybrid concept, the introduction of Ice Age creatures would be a far more grounded (and more interesting) evolutionary step for the franchise by comparison.
Whether Jurassic Park: Survival will be the first to canonize creatures such as saber-toothed cats and woolly mammoths remains to be seen. But we’re sure life will find a way.
Jurassic Park: Survival
Jurassic Park: Survival will be released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
“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 for the game reads.
It continues: “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.”
Are you excited about the new Jurassic Park game? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!