The return to the prehistoric playground of Jurassic World hasn’t been as momentous as most people had hoped to be – although a lot of changes have been made, a rather predictable culmination of all three entries. On paper, it truly is a mix and evolutions, if you will, of everything developer Frontier has learned since the first Jurassic World Evolution back in 2018.
If Evolution 2 felt like a course correction, expanding beyond the franchise’s film tie-in roots into something closer to a fully-fledged management sim, Evolution 3 feels like a studio finally confident enough to tweak the formula, rather than trying to reinvent the wheel. The result is a strategic game that’s undeniably better, but not the revolution we had hoped it was going to be.
Let’s compare Jurassic World Evolution 3 to the other two entries, and maybe even make predictions of what a fourth entry could change to truly make a large leap forward.
A More Immersive Park
The most striking improvement in Jurassic World Evolution 3 comes from its revamped ecosystem simulation. Dinosaurs now interact with their environment – and each other – in deeper, more unpredictable ways. Where Evolution 2 introduced the concept of pack dynamics, Evolution 3 expands it to entire species ecosystems. Carnivores stalk herds dynamically, scavengers follow the carnage, and herbivores migrate based on vegetation patterns and weather conditions.
This layer of realism transforms your park from a static zoo into something that genuinely feels alive. Watching a pack of velociraptors hunt across a thunderstorm-lit valley, or a herd of triceratops stampeding toward new feeding grounds, is still as breathtaking as ever, but we didn’t need a third entry for that, arguably.
Frontier also expanded the terrain and biome diversity, allowing players to create parks in sprawling wetlands, arid deserts, and even volcanic islands. Each environment presents new challenges – such as managing heatwaves or maintaining electricity in extreme storms – that force players to adapt their strategies.
The Dinosaurs Got Smart, The Guests Even Dumber
As you probably expected, Evolution 3 stumbles in one area – and that is guest management. True, Dinosaurs got a significant update, and even full personality traits, but the humans visiting the park (seriously, didn’t you watch Jurassic Park, why would you still go there?) are…well. There’s no two ways about it, they’re dumb. They walk around rather aimlessly, they ignore obvious hazards, and they rarely respond to anything, much less dynamically.
Now, we’re not saying there’s no improvement to the formula at all, since Frontier added more customization options for many attractions, letting players design the most detailed enclosures in the history of the series. The management depth, however? Well, let’s just say even Planet Zoo or Cities: Skylines did it better. This ain’t enough for 2025, sadly.
The pacing compared to number one and two has evolved in the right way. The campaign for example feels more cohesive, and it unfolds through a series of interconnected parks across the globe, obviously still being a glorified – albeit quite large – tutorial, where the real meat of the game is the sandbox mode. It’s a lot less linear than Evolution 2 and 1 though, and still gives you some freedom to experiment with different strategies – but the storytelling still feels like an afterthought, which could put the next entry up top yet again.
Our Closing Thoughts – Is Evolution 3 the Best of the Bunch?
Okay, time to talk business – is Evolution 3 the best of the three entries so far? Yes and no. It’s no radical reinvention, it’s more of a justified refinement. It’s more polished, more feature-rich, but also it just plays it way too safe. The simulation systems are strong, and it still never fails to amaze, seeing those animals in your very own dinosaur park.
That being said, the lingering issues that plague the series since the first entry are still – sadly – here. The economic depth is as shallow as a puddle, the guest AI might as well not be there, and the narrative is forgettable – but maybe this isn’t what this series even wants to be about, what with all the dinosaur goodness on the table.
For fans of the series Evolution 3 is a must-buy, and yes, the definitive version of the formula, that much is a fact. So can Jurassic World Evolution 4 maybe take care of all the points we’ve mentioned, so it finally will become the best park simulator out there? Thanks. We appreciate it.
