Credit: Universal City Studios LLC and Amblin Entertainment / Saber InteractiveJurassic Park: Survival (TBA) was first unveiled at the Game Awards way back in December 2023. That’s well over two years ago, and still, there is no release date or even a release window in sight for Saber Interactive’s upcoming first-person action-adventure video game.
What We Know About Jurassic Park: Survival
Set just 24 hours after the events of Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park (1993), the game is a direct sequel to that original film. It explores the immediate aftermath of the dinosaur breakout through the lens of a new protagonist named Dr. Maya Joshi, an InGen scientist hired by Dr. Henry Wu, who was unable to evacuate the island with all her co-workers.
As Joshi, players will explore familiar locations like the Visitor Center and the iconic park gates, as well as never-before-seen areas such as a hotel resort and underground bunkers. All the while, she must outlast genetically engineered prehistoric predators that now roam free, like T. rex and Velociraptor, using intelligence, stealth, and all the resources available to her.
While the initial cinematic trailer was released over two years ago, the developer has since shared a lot more details about this ambitious project, including an exclusive reveal with IGN in 2024, and a behind-the-scenes featurette video last summer that showcases the environments on offer, the dinosaur models, gameplay mechanics, the game’s lead character, and how the teams have meticulously recreated everything seen in the 1993 film and more.
Is Jurassic Park: Survival Open World?
However, there are still many things fans don’t know about Jurassic Park: Survival, with the biggest question being whether or not it’s actually open world. At first glance, it takes a more fragmented approach to how players will explore its world — similar to Creative Assembly’s horror Alien: Isolation (2014), with which Survival is being compared by fans.
There are many other gaming titles that create the illusion of an open-world experience without actually allowing players to roam a sandbox environment. But with that said, there are a few details across the marketing for Survival that suggest it might be fully explorable.
Related: Next ‘Jurassic Park’ Will Restart Series, and Adapt Elements From Original Novel
Starting with the official website for the game, one description mentions “a fully realized Isla Nublar.” In full, that blurb reads: “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.”
Elsewhere on the site, it says, “Explore the park and face its dangers. Use all the resources at your disposal to find intelligent solutions to endure the many threats lurking on Isla Nublar.”
Of course, neither the words “fully realized Isla Nublar” nor “explore the park” mean that players will be able to access the entire island whenever they want. But at the same time, they also don’t indicate otherwise.
Per the behind-the-scenes video, the teams at Saber Interactive and Universal are admittedly in the process of painstakingly recreating the world introduced in Spielberg’s 1993 blockbuster. So, if that’s the case, why would they limit that experience by giving the island to players in parts or through a level-based outing?
One of the most detail-heavy pieces of marketing we’ve had so far is that BTS featurette, which contains many potential clues that the game is indeed open world. Watch it below:
“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, adding, “We worked really closely with our partners and with Amblin and our filmmakers to make sure that we’re capturing the island and all the dinosaurs in really great detail.”
“There’s lots of facilities, there’s lots of buildings, there’s lots of attractions that are under construction, there’s a hotel under construction,” Universal Products & Experiences executive producer John Melchior says. “So fans are going to see things they only wish they saw.”
The team also says that “because Jurassic Park: Survival is designed in game format, [it] gives you more time to explore new locations.”
It’s also worth noting that, in the IGN exclusive from 2024, Saber Interactive creative director Oliver Hollis-Leick commented on Isla Nublar’s varying geological landscape, saying, “The island is full of different types of terrain, many of them quite challenging.”
He also explained how players need to be vigilant in navigating those environments, which makes the game sound like a more free-roaming adventure than a limited one.
He said, “The player will need to use caution and planning in some cases, checking routes in advance. There will also be times when the player will need to move very carefully through an environment to avoid the attention of certain predators.”
With all of that said, the term “open world” has not been used in any of the marketing so far. As such, it’s best to assume that Jurassic Park: Survival won’t fall into that genre of gaming. Still, it’s hard to imagine this ambitious title committing to the meticulous recreation of the thrilling world established in the 1993 film without letting players truly immerse themselves.
When Is Jurassic Park: Survival Out?
Jurassic Park: Survival will be released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
There’s no release date yet.
“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.”
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