The Jurassic Park franchise has spent more than three decades stomping through every corner of pop culture, from novels to films, theme parks, and, of course, video games.
For many, the 1993 film remains a near-sacred text, its awe-struck lens matched only by John Williams’ iconic score. Most adaptations fell victim to a constant identity crisis: were these games supposed to be shooters? Adventure titles? Survival horror? We still don’t know.
Frontier’s Jurassic World Evolution launched in 2018 and finally gave the franchise a long-overdue direction, embracing a park-building/management approach that leaned into the series’ strengths rather than trying to recreate the events of the movie.
You are given free rein to build and manage your own version of Jurassic Park (or World!). While both the first game and its sequel delivered promising foundations, they never quite reached the creative depth offered by developer Frontier’s other creative sims Planet Zoo or Planet Coaster.
With Jurassic World Evolution 3, that ceiling has finally been smashed. The suite of quality-of-life improvements, mechanical refinements, and deepened building tools makes this easily the most complete entry in the series. From a robust campaign across global locations to challenging scenario modes and a limitless sandbox, it’s the first JWE title that truly feels like a complete package.
A Serious Campaign… With Serious (and Sometimes Hilarious) Consequences
My fascination with tycoon games stretches right back to Theme Park World, where building dream parks and creating engineering chaos went hand in hand. JWE3 adopts a more focused tone, especially throughout its extensive campaign.
Here, Frontier makes its intentions clear: this is a masterclass-sized tutorial designed to teach everything players need to thrive in sandbox and challenge modes.
And yes—chaos still thrives.
Even when attempting to run a clean, efficient operation, dinosaurs will escape. Fences will fail. Power will go out. Guests will be eaten. It all feels very true to the lore and the series’ message.
If that wasn’t enough, the game managed to recruit JP actor Jeff Goldblum to reprise his character of Dr Ian Malcolm to come in and warn you when things were about to do something potentially damning.
The campaign keeps things structured, but never restrictive. The all-important pause button allows for full strategic control, while the underlying systems constantly remind you that managing prehistoric beasts is anything but predictable.
A Campaign That Teaches, Expands, and Celebrates the Franchise
Clocking in anywhere from 20 to 70 hours, depending on your completionism, the campaign is built to educate. Players learn every component of park management, from building enclosures and researching upgrades to sending scientists on expeditions, synthesising dinosaurs, and balancing ecological needs.
While the narrative isn’t the emotional core of the experience, fans of the franchise will appreciate the IP flourishes sprinkled throughout. Classic locations, familiar structures, and more than 90 dinosaurs evoke the movies without overwhelming the gameplay. The biggest new part of the game is juvenile dinosaurs. You can create nests and are encouraged to create habitats that support dinosaur breeding.
The animation videos are simply spectacular, and I NEVER skipped one, no matter how many times I had seen it before. It is a cost effective and easy way to up the dinosaur numbers in your park, pull in the crowds, and stop you from having to replace elder dinosaurs when they pass due to age.
You can do the bare minimum to move onto the next part of the campaign map, or you can stick around and get your park to 5 star status to truly complete the campaign (this is why I am at the 70 hour end of the stick)
By the end of the campaign, you’re prepared for the real heart of the game: creative expression.
Controls, Construction & Comfort: Surprisingly Slick on PS5
Simulation and tycoon games usually feel most at home with a mouse and keyboard, yet JWE3’s PS5 controls perform perfectly. Once the layout becomes second nature, building, navigating menus, and snapping between tasks become intuitive. Early camera awkwardness fades with practice, and controlling ranger vehicles or maintaining the park manually adds a refreshing layer of immersion.
Creating and shaping enclosures remains the early-game priority. Comforting dinosaurs with water and vegetation, ensuring adequate power distribution, and fine-tuning breeding cycles keep you busy but never overwhelmed. The pacing of new mechanics across dozens of hours is excellent; it’s gradual, digestible, and satisfying.
By the time I entered sandbox mode, I felt well-equipped to build the park I wanted. The big addition in JWE3 is waterfalls. you can manipulate the terrain and create cascading waterfalls really easily, and they look spectacular on the PS5 Pro.
Economy, Customisation & Player Freedom
Money plays a central role in progression, though outside of challenge mode, the economy rarely becomes oppressive. Revenue flows through classic avenues: amenities, tours, and the dinosaurs themselves. Scientist selection can dramatically affect efficiency, but the larger economy stays flexible enough to encourage experimentation.
The control room is where your park’s soul is shaped. Specialisation isn’t mandatory, but it’s encouraged.
Will you build an expansive aviary of soaring pterosaurs? Tranquil wetlands teeming with marine reptiles? A fortress-like enclosure for apex predators? Or all three? The map size allows for enormous variation.
Where JWE3 truly excels is in customisation. Terrain, structures, foliage, lighting, pathways—you can alter nearly everything. Decorative pieces are plentiful, allowing for endless personalisation. Better yet, you can upload and download custom structures, meaning your park can incorporate the community’s architectural brilliance or your own chaos-infused creations.
Building a café that looks exactly like your local just because you can? Completely valid. Crafting natural barriers instead of fences? Go for it. Sculpting a towering mountain simply because it feels cool? Absolutely. It all flows similarly to Planet Coaster 2, which was recently released.
There is a community where you can view the top rated creations from other players. You can also save them to your favourites, download and edit them to your own liking. You can also upload your own for a chance to see your stuff on the front page.
Final Thoughts
Jurassic World Evolution 3 is the most ambitious, polished, and creatively fulfilling Jurassic Park game ever produced. It confidently embraces the park-simulator genre, allowing players to craft breathtaking spaces that capture the franchise’s awe, danger, and wonder.
This isn’t a traditional action game filled with gunfights or survival escapades, and it doesn’t need to be. Seeing a guest witness a juvenile dinosaur birth for the first time, sculpting a biome to perfection, or watching your park come alive with interconnected systems is where the beauty of this game lies.
With a lengthy campaign, enormous sandbox potential, deep customisation tools, and a strong pipeline of DLC and community content, JWE3 feels like a forever game, one destined to live on your console for years, ready to revisit on rainy afternoons when creativity strikes.
For fans of management sims, dinosaur lovers, and franchise diehards alike, this is one of Frontier’s finest achievements and easily the definitive Jurassic Park game.
FOUR AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Unlimited customisation, Decent campaign, Juvenile dinosaurs!
Lowlights: Lack of content from JWE2 carried over
Developer: Frontier
Publisher: Frontier
Platforms: Windows PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Available: Now
Review conducted on Playstation 5 Pro with a release code provided by the publisher.
Featured header image also provided by the publisher.
