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Prehistoric Kingdom is a single player economy city builder game with economy, historical and science fiction themes. It was developed by Blue Meridian and was released on April 8, 2021. It received positive reviews from players.

Prehistoric Kingdom is a zoo management game that gives players total control over the creation of their extinct animals and exhibits.

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90%
Audience ScoreBased on 3,807 reviews
gameplay85 positive mentions
optimization44 negative mentions

  • Highly detailed and scientifically accurate models of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals with superb animations and lifelike behavior.
  • Extensive and intuitive modular building system allowing for great creative freedom to customize parks and enclosures.
  • Engaging management mechanics with breeding, seamless growth of babies, social and herding behaviors, and a focus on realism over sensationalism.
  • The game is still in early access and suffers from bugs, performance issues, crashes, and AI problems such as animals or staff getting stuck.
  • The user interface and tutorial system are often described as confusing or insufficient, making it hard for new players to learn gameplay mechanics.
  • Some gameplay systems such as feeding, quarantine, guest management, and pathing are incomplete or frustrating to manage currently.
  • gameplay
    324 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Prehistoric Kingdom's gameplay is praised for its deep, customizable building mechanics and scientifically accurate, beautifully rendered prehistoric animals, offering a solid core experience comparable to Planet Zoo. However, many reviewers note the current gameplay remains limited and shallow due to missing features like staff management, guest interaction, and advanced systems, with some technical issues and a steep learning curve affecting accessibility. Overall, while still early access and incomplete, the game shows strong potential and ongoing updates promise to enhance gameplay depth and polish.

    • “This game has so many in-depth features, the animals look incredible, the mechanics are fleshed out, and there's still so much to come.”
    • “While development is still ongoing, the mechanical foundation and scientific rigor already feel incredibly solid and mature, making the gameplay experience a masterpiece with great potential for the future of zoo management games.”
    • “The animals themselves are beautifully rendered and animated, they behave realistically, and the gameplay loop encourages you to place them in natural settings/groups and rewards you for raising family groups.”
    • “The limited tutorial doesn’t help much in making the mechanics easier to grasp, either.”
    • “The game is also lacking any type of teaching mechanic.”
    • “The mechanics are weird and frustrating and only 10 guests show up.”
  • graphics
    284 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game features stunning, highly detailed, and scientifically accurate graphics that are widely praised for their beauty and realism, especially in dinosaur and animal models. However, many users report performance issues and poor optimization, requiring powerful PCs to run smoothly, with frequent frame rate drops and graphical glitches on lower-end systems. Despite occasional bugs and heavy system demands, the visuals remain a strong highlight, contributing significantly to the game's immersive and enjoyable experience.

    • “The graphics are amazing beyond any prehistoric game you can play at your own pace. There are so many dinosaurs and other extinct animals, not just dinos. The game features beautiful weather systems, cinematic views, facts about every animal including sounds they make, a beautiful pathing system that works amazing, perfect animal shades and colors, amazing music during gameplay, realistic animal movements. It's perfection, hands down to the devs. Thank you for this masterpiece; it's incredible and worth the hype!”
    • “Amazing game with awesome building possibilities, extremely good graphics and accurate animal design.”
    • “The graphics and detail are phenomenal. The dinosaurs are absolutely stunning and seem real, and the graphics are beautiful.”
    • “The game runs slowly, it is not optimized to have any kind of smooth graphics and really made my PC chug.”
    • “I have well over the recommended specs yet I can't even hit a solid 60fps on ultra or low graphics.”
    • “Mind you I have an AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, something that should be easily able to handle the graphics here, but within my 55 minutes of playing it I crashed the game twice, and the second time was bad enough Windows actively disabled my graphics card.”
  • optimization
    203 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Optimization is a significant issue in the current early access version, with many users reporting severe performance problems including frequent frame drops, stuttering, and poor frame rates even on high-end rigs. While the game shows promise and improvements have been made over time, it remains poorly optimized for mid-to-lower-end systems and large, complex parks, often requiring players to drastically reduce graphics settings. The developers appear committed to ongoing performance improvements, but substantial optimization work is still needed before the game can run smoothly and reliably for most players.

    • “It runs smoothly and already has a decent amount of features and animal variety.”
    • “With the recent EA 1.15.50 patch adding the oviraptor and noticeable performance improvements, it’s clear the devs aren’t slowing down — they’re committed to making the game better and better for the community.”
    • “On the positive side: the game lacked a lot of optimization at the beginning but got fixed a lot.”
    • “Optimization is terrible, even for early access. I have an RTX 4060 Ti, 32GB RAM, and an i5 13th gen, yet the game doesn't run at 60fps. This is a deal breaker for me.”
    • “The optimization is borderline non-existent; I still experience stuttering and lag on the lowest visual settings, which I never get when playing similar zoo management games like Planet Zoo or Jurassic World Evolution 1 & 2 on higher settings.”
    • “The game is also poorly optimized and causes my PC to run very hot and loud, while I can run Elden Ring at maximum settings with no such issues.”
  • stability
    121 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is currently in early access and is notably buggy, with frequent glitches, crashes, and stability issues such as breeding bugs, framerate drops, and UI malfunctions. While these flaws often disrupt gameplay and may frustrate players, the development team is actively working on fixes, and many reviewers see strong potential for future improvement. Overall, the game offers a promising experience but requires tolerance for technical problems until more polished.

    • “At least for me, the game runs great.”
    • “I did have trouble running it to begin with but we have since updated our PC and it runs great now.”
    • “This recommendation I should stress is more about what's here being relatively bug free (though some quality-of-life features, especially for changing feeder types, are needed) and the game has a lot of potential.”
    • “It's just too buggy, barely playable for 6-8 minutes before you have to relog in the game.”
    • “The game is very buggy, UI barely works, settings do not save at all, when placing anything it sometimes spawns way up in the air and requires multiple attempts to place correctly.”
    • “The challenge mode is unplayable, with many glitches that are too big to ignore and ruin the experience.”
  • story
    59 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game currently lacks a developed story or campaign mode, with no introductory missions or narrative elements to guide players, leaving many feeling thrown into the gameplay without clear direction. While it offers extensive customization and sandbox freedom, users commonly request a structured story, better tutorials, and mission-driven gameplay to enhance engagement and provide clearer objectives. As it stands in early access, the story aspect is minimal or nonexistent, but there is potential for future inclusion.

    • “The story mode is still a work in progress, which is clearly mentioned both on the store page and on the loading screen.”
    • “Its just straight up a game about designing cool prehistoric parks without any storyline or overcomplicated requirements to unlock things; you can just do whatever you want on the sandbox and already have lots of options to make nice designs.”
    • “A more fleshed out campaign with a story across multiple chapters and maps will be most welcome at a later date.”
    • “There is no introductory mission to explain things to you and show you the ropes; you're just thrown straight in with what little instructions it gives you.”
    • “Game gets tedious and repetitive and has no story.”
    • “There isn't a tutorial nor story to it; you are thrown into the mix without any hand holding.”
  • music
    41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is widely praised for its calming, immersive, and atmospheric qualities that enhance the dinosaur park-building experience. Composed by Byron McKay, the soundtrack is memorable and beautifully crafted, complementing the realistic animal sounds and creating a nostalgic and serene vibe. While some find the music a bit generic or discreet, most reviews highlight it as a standout, integral element that enriches gameplay without becoming repetitive or intrusive.

    • “His music builds the atmosphere of the park and is genuinely memorable.”
    • “Sound: absolutely amazing, one of the most robust aspects of this game; the sounds of the animals, the ambient noises and the music itself are all top notch and gorgeous.”
    • “The music, for me at least, doesn't say 'prehistoric kingdom'; it sounds very generic.”
    • “A soundtrack so generic I muted it within 10 minutes and replaced it with podcasts.”
    • “The soundtrack is discreet, but it didn’t become repetitive or annoying at any point.”
  • grinding
    23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Grinding in the game is often described as tedious and time-consuming, especially when researching dinosaurs or building custom structures. While progression provides a satisfying sense of advancement, many players find the gameplay repetitive and slow, requiring significant effort and patience. Nonetheless, some aspects like landscaping are considered less tedious compared to similar games, and overall, the game balances challenge with fun despite the grind.

    • “Gameplay is a lot of fun when you start getting the hang of things, and figuring it out isn't tedious or anything either.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “I spent about 4 hours grinding a lot of dinosaurs to research, then I restarted the game because I downloaded a few workshop items, only to come back and find all of the dinosaurs I had researched were completely reset.”
    • “The game progression is very slow and tedious.”
    • “Without features to help you build up your park, it's quite tedious to do anything in my opinion.”
  • humor
    16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is often derived from amusing glitches, quirky AI behaviors like characters walking through buildings or dinosaurs acting strangely, and playful voice lines that humorously reference Jurassic World. These lighthearted moments, including funny dinosaur animations and unexpected bugs, add charm without detracting from gameplay. Players appreciate the game's funny and endearing touches, enhancing their overall enjoyment.

    • “Keepers and labourers ignoring structures and walking over buildings to get to their destinations (actually quite funny to watch).”
    • “Nigel also has a few very funny voice lines, taking a dig at Jurassic World and Park for their inaccuracy.”
    • “Otherwise good game so far, cute dinos (& other creatures) have had fun sharing parks with friends & laughing at current not-game breaking bugs (dino fidget spinners).”
  • replayability
    15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Replayability in the game is currently limited due to the lack of a campaign and fewer gameplay mechanics compared to similar park builders, though building and customization offer significant replay value. As more features and dinosaur species are added, along with potential challenges and scenarios, replayability is expected to increase substantially. Fans of park builders appreciate the creative freedom and anticipate improved longevity as the game progresses through updates.

    • “Beautiful game, you get out what you put in so if you're looking to spend hours making a beautiful exhibit like in Planet Zoo, or just see some cool species like in JWE either is possible, 10/10 tons of replayability.”
    • “The building mechanics however make this game so replayable, allowing you to easily customize and make complex enclosures and buildings.”
    • “However, with some very good and significant updates, the game has quickly become much more replayable.”
    • “There isn't much replay value since there is no campaign and it lacks gameplay mechanics that other park builders have.”
    • “In all honesty, I'll likely jump between this and Planet Zoo/Jurassic World Evolution for the near future, as I'm sure the unfinished state of the game will lead to a lack of replayability for me.”
    • “It's quick to run out of species to keep the games interesting, which is the lowest factor toward replayability at the current stage.”
  • atmosphere
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is praised for its immersive and detailed design, supported by memorable music that enhances the park's unique, serene, and sometimes dream-like vibe. While some find the environments lively and cozy, others feel they lack vibrancy and a sense of life, resulting in a mixed reception regarding atmospheric engagement. Overall, the atmosphere contributes significantly to the game's distinctive and enjoyable experience.

    • “His music builds the atmosphere of the park and is genuinely memorable.”
    • “Very enjoyable game, chill and cozy atmosphere.”
    • “The music creates a very exciting and dream-like atmosphere.”
    • “The environments are dull and lack any sense of life or atmosphere.”
  • emotional
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users find the game's emotional impact deeply moving, especially praising the immersive sound design and wholesome atmosphere that evoke genuine feelings of awe and passion. The experience is described as heartfelt and one of the most wholesome in recent memory.

    • “God, talking about the sound design, do yourself a favour if you pick this game up, go to first-person mode and stand next to any massive sauropod, it is so beautiful that it made a grown man in his mid-twenties emotional.”
    • “The most wholesome game I've played in a while.”
    • “This game's wholesome passion is fantastic.”
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12h Median play time
17h Average play time
6-22h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 19 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Prehistoric Kingdom is a economy city builder game with economy, historical and science fiction themes.

Prehistoric Kingdom is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 17 hours playing Prehistoric Kingdom.

Prehistoric Kingdom was released on April 8, 2021.

Prehistoric Kingdom was developed by Blue Meridian.

Prehistoric Kingdom has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked Prehistoric Kingdom for its gameplay but disliked it for its optimization.

Prehistoric Kingdom is a single player game.

Similar games include Jurassic World Evolution 3, Planet Zoo, Jurassic World Evolution 2, inZOI, Planet Coaster 2 and others.