Five Best Offline Android Dino Games
It’s happened to all of us: You find yourself stuck on a long cross-country flight, out camping in the wilderness, or at the home of your conspiracy theorist aunt who is afraid of 5G towers. Wherever you are, it is a place without any internet whatsoever. But you desperately crave a sweet mobile gaming experience that must specifically involve dinosaurs.
In these situations, Dino T Rex, that game with the running dinosaur in the desert jumping over cacti, has bailed us out many a time. However, have you ever considered that there are other dinosaur mobile games worthy to be counted alongside that masterpiece, and that at least five of those games could be played without internet access? Of course you haven’t, because considering things is our job. So leave it to us to tell you about some of the best offline dinosaur games for mobile.
5. Dino T Rex
The one that started it all. Born out of Google visual designer Sebastien Gabriel’s ‘Lonely T Rex’ symbol, this game is known to almost anyone who has tried to load a web page on Chrome with no internet. The Lonely T Rex symbol appears and, if you hit the space bar, the game begins. The simplicity of Dino T Rex is such that it eludes a fitting description. As the Lonely T Rex runs across the desert on autopilot, you make him jump or crouch to avoid debris. It’s the side-scrolling platformer reduced to its most basic and simple form. Anyone can understand what to do, and that’s part of the reason why it’s arguably the best offline dinosaur games of all time. Now this cute little time killer is a full-fledged mobile game, so you no longer have to unplug your router to play it.
4. Jurassic Life: T-Rex Simulator
At the climax of the 2008 film Stepbrothers, actor Richard Jenkins delivers a stirring monologue about his character’s failed dream of one day becoming a Tyrannosaurus Rex. If only he had known about Jurassic Life: T-Rex Simulator by Gluten Free Games. If you’ve ever dreamed of becoming king of the prehistoric jungle, this is the one to buy. As a T-Rex, you’ll need to survive by hunting for food and fending off enemies in an open-world setting. You also can find a mate to raise a family with, making this one of the few dating sim games I know of that takes place in the Cretaceous period. There are many titles out there that allow you to take over the mind of a T-Rex, one of history’s largest apex predators, but Jurassic Life: T-Rex Simulator is perhaps the most comprehensive and enjoyable.
3. Lego Jurassic World
Remember those Steven Spielberg movies from the 90s and also more recently about dinosaurs chasing Jeff Goldblum/Chris Pratt around on an island or something? Now they are in Lego form. If you’ve played any of the Lego installments from TT Games, you know they are delightful, solid outings that will appeal to everyone. And this title is no different. Kids will love the straightforward gameplay and funny cutscenes, while hardcore adults will enjoy digging around for collectible Minikits and Amber Fossil Bricks. This particular game follows the plots of the first four movies, so get your popcorn ready to relive those blockbusters in Lego format.
2. Dinosaur Hunter Dino City 2017
Every dinosaur game can be split into two categories: 1) Games where you play as a dinosaur and do sweet dinosaur stuff, or 2) games where you play as a human in a timeline where dinosaurs are alive, and you must reckon with the existential weight of that fact. Dinosaur Hunter Dino City 2017 falls into the second category. From the prolific yet mysterious Czech studio HGames-Artworks, this is a first-person shooter where you have to kill dinosaurs in a city using various weapons. Anyone who has played one of HGames’ many entries knows how violent and nonsensical they are. Often, there isn’t much of a plot, but the goal is to cause as much death and destruction as possible.
They’re sort of like unintentional parodies of ultraviolent video games, made by a vague Eastern European algorithm that has been watching nothing but monster B movies and Spike TV for the past decade. This game is pretty true to form. But is it any good? Just consult the game’s cryptic Google Play page, which promises “hours of not ordinary gameplay.” Note: This one does have some online features like ads and leaderboards, but the experience is the same even if you switch your internet off.
1. Ultimate Raptor Simulator 2
Velociraptors are really cool. They’re fast, they have sharp claws, and their name sounds awesome. You get to play as one in Ultimate Raptor Simulator 2, also by Gluten Free Games. Along with Jurassic Life: T-Rex Simulator, this title is part of a series of simulation games by the developer where you play as different animals. There’s ones for lions, wolves, dragons, etc. Most involve the same core Darwinistic gameplay of fighting and family building. However, Ultimate Raptor Simulator 2 has the added benefit of being a sequel. The developers had a chance to work out some issues and improve on an already excellent offline dinosaur game. And the game dropped this past July, so it is also recent. For all of these reasons, it’s a little more layered as a game than the other installments from this studio, at least for now. It’s worth checking out.
