5 Best Games Like Jurassic World Evolution 2

City-building and park management games have played key roles in the industry for as long as we can remember. Ever since The Sumerian Game launched to a small school of sixth-grade students back in 1964, creators have been pitching in to help develop its very foundations. Fast-forward a few decades, and this wound up inspiring Frontier Developments to erect a new column, one that loosely followed the events of the Jurassic Park movie franchise.

A well-deserved sequel has, of course, come about to the dinosaur park management series since launching back in 2018. Jurassic World Evolution 2, like its first chapter, has players building and maintaining a well-oiled machine of a dinosaur park. Through genomes and a heavy dose of research, its puppeteer can control the prehistoric world and shape a future where two timelines collide for the greater good.

5. Planet Zoo

One of the biggest issues with Jurassic World Evolution 2 is that its dinosaurs have a habit of breaking out, regardless of how many live prey feeders and rock clusters you scatter around the enclosure. Fortunately, that problem doesn't carry over to Planet Zoo, an all-round park management simulator that settles for a much calmer, less threatening experience. And, you know, that's a major relief for those who don't want their guests annihilated by prehistoric beasts.

Planet Zoo stems from a long line of acclaimed park management games, many of which have shaped the new era with their accessible features and family-friendly settings. Like its sibling entries, the tycoon chapter has you porting the animal kingdom to a world of your choice. Through research, you can develop a blossoming utopia with all the gadgets and gizmos that constitute an award-winning theme park. And hey, no guests will die as a result, so that takes the pressure off ever so slightly.

4. Surviving Mars

Surviving Mars certainly isn't for the fainthearted, as you'll come to learn when you establish roots in its hostile city-building world. But, if you happened to enjoy chasing after unruly raptors as they tried to play hooky, then you'll definitely enjoy sinking your teeth into this thread of challenges. Though, best be warned — Mars isn't exactly known for being an accommodating host.

Like other city-building games, the challenge here lies with erecting a bastion fit enough to house a community. However, where other games based on Earth will have you facing gentle storms, Mars, on the other hand, opts for mind-boggling disasters. So, providing you don't mind having your colony hurled about like a ragdoll, then you should find solace somewhere in Surviving Mars. Probably.

3. Frostpunk

Frostpunk doesn't exactly lift the pressure to formulate a plan to survive from your shoulders. Instead, it adds two slabs of concrete over it, forcing you to devise a worthy scheme fit enough to satisfy a whole community. Failure to do so in the allotted time, and you'll find yourself thrown out to the blizzards, a place that banishes folk who can't pull their own weight. The problem there, unfortunately, is that you only have ten or so minutes to convince them otherwise.

Of course, you won't be tending to any dinosaurs over in the icy realms of Frostpunk. That said, you will be building a steampunk-themed metropolis out on the snow-drizzled mountaintops, as well as carrying out all the usual duties as seen in most park management games. The major difference between Frostpunk and Jurassic World Evolution 2, of course, is the difficulty. But then, it all depends on the sort of obstacle course you enjoy signing up for.

2. Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis

Long before Frontier Developments got its hands on the Jurassic Park IP, Blue Tongue Entertainment pulled a few strings to build Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis, a park management simulator on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC. Although slightly dated in regards to platforms, its gameplay still holds up surprisingly well, perhaps to the point of rivalling that of Evolution.

Operation Genesis is much like Evolution, in the way that your primary goal is to build a successful park and share it with the masses. As per the usual routine, you must use a combination of research and expertise to prosper and, in turn, flip a lofty profit. Easier said than done, of course, especially when your dinosaurs refuse to play ball and aim only to slaughter your peers. Tut, tut.

1. Prehistoric Kingdom

It's easy to get Jurassic World Evolution 2 and Prehistoric Kingdom mixed up, as they are both undeniably plucked from the same flock of feathers. The goal behind the latter, like the former, is to build a zoo and cram it full of prehistoric exhibits. And so, you can see why city-building fans are conflicted between the two these days. It also doesn't help that both released around a similar time, either.

Anyway, if you're looking to fill a gap after wiping the slate clean of all the Chaos Theory campaigns in Jurassic World Evolution 2, then it's definitely worth scooting over to Prehistoric Kingdom. Although still locked to its early access state, it's surprisingly chock-full of features and playable modes. Plus, if you want to branch out past the dinosaur realm, then you'll pleased to know that the park management game isn't limited to a single species. And yes, there are mammoths involved. Convinced? You should be.

So, what's your take? Do you agree with our top five? Are there any park management games we should know about? Let us know over on our socials here or down in the comments below.