Jurassic World Evolution 3 is the most ambitious and feature-rich entry in Frontier’s dinosaur park management series to date — it’s a visually stunning, mechanically deep sandbox that finally delivers on the fantasy of building your own living, breathing Jurassic World and corrects the (admittedly quite minor) issues that appeared in Frontier’s second outing. The addition of juvenile dinosaurs and proper mating mechanisms couldn’t hurt either, could it?
Jurassic World Evolution 3 on Xbox Series XS is a confident and expansive sequel that builds on the strengths of its predecessors while introducing a small but focussed set of new features that elevate both the creative and strategic dimensions of park management. Frontier Developments has clearly listened to its community — and the result is a game that feels more alive, more flexible, and more rewarding than ever before.
The most immediately noticeable upgrade is the introduction of juvenile dinosaurs. While previous games featured hatchlings in a limited capacity, Jurassic World Evolution 3 brings them to life with unique behaviours, growth cycles, and visual transitions as dinosaurs grow and age. Juvenile dinosaurs now interact with adults, form herds and respond to environmental stimuli in ways that feel organic. Watching a young Triceratops shadow its parent or a juvenile Velociraptor test its boundaries adds a layer of emotional depth that was previously missing.
Speaking of breeding, Jurassic World Evolution 3 introduces a fully-fledged breeding system. Players can now pair compatible dinosaurs, manage gestation periods and influence genetic traits across generations. This system ties into the game’s expanded genetic modification suite, which allows for more granular control over traits like aggression, lifespan, and disease resistance. The result is a more strategic approach to population management — balancing spectacle with stability, and tailoring your park’s inhabitants to suit your goals.
The game’s modular building system is another standout. Gone are the rigid placement grids and limited customization options of earlier entries. Instead, players can now design facilities piece by piece — choosing wall types, roof styles, signage, and internal layouts. Want to build a research center with a panoramic viewing deck and integrated guest lounge? You can — although on console the system is perhaps a bit limited by use of a controller. Nonetheless, this system dramatically expands creative freedom and makes each park feel truly unique.
Terrain manipulation has also been overhauled. Players can now sculpt landscapes with greater precision — adjusting elevation, carving rivers, and layering vegetation to create immersive biomes. Again, this is limited somewhat by the controller, but I would say that this is perhaps the best implementation of a system like this that I’ve seen on console. Brush tools, sliders and similar mechanisms make a powerful system just about as simple as possible.
The campaign mode has been restructured into a globe-trotting narrative that is not dissimilar to those in past iterations, with missions set across multiple continents and climates. These scenarios introduce new challenges — from managing dinosaur populations in unstable political regions to adapting to extreme weather events like sandstorms and blizzards. Familiar faces (and voices) from the series return, with Jeff Goldblum narrating many key parts of the story in his now iconic role as Dr Ian Malcolm. The story now leans more into conservation and scientific ethics than corporate spectacle, and the player will need to manage external threats from both humans and dinosaurs. The change of narrative pace is tangible, and adds weight to the experience above and beyond pure mechanics.
Sandbox mode remains a core draw, and it’s been expanded with more granular settings. You can now toggle individual mechanics — like disease outbreaks, power failures, or guest needs — to tailor the experience to your preferences. Want a chill creative session with unlimited funds and no disasters? Done. Prefer a hardcore simulation with limited resources and unpredictable events? That’s here too. For the real diehard fans, a set of predefined scenarios offers specific challenges, but I found these a bit too short term to be completely immersive.
Guest AI has been improved, with visitors now responding more realistically to park layout, amenities, and dinosaur behavior. Crowds will gather around active enclosures, flee from rampaging predators, and leave reviews that reflect their experience. This feeds into the revamped park rating system, which now considers factors like educational value, biodiversity, and ethical treatment, in addition to thrills and profit.
Security systems have been refined as well. You’ll need to manage patrol routes, upgrade containment protocols, and respond to emergencies with greater urgency. Dinosaurs can now escape due to environmental stress, social conflict, or enclosure flaws — not just sabotage or storms. This makes park design more strategic, as you’ll need to consider species compatibility, visibility, and containment strength from the outset. Separating adult dinosaurs from their babies, for example, can be a bad idea.
Visually, Jurassic World Evolution 3 is quite stunning. The dinosaurs are more detailed than ever, with improved skin textures, muscle movement, and facial expressions. Lighting effects — especially during dawn and dusk — add cinematic flair, and weather systems are more dynamic. Rain slicks the ground, fog rolls in over valleys, and lightning illuminates the sky in dramatic flashes. On Xbox Series X, the game runs smoothly at 60fps with minimal loading times and crisp resolution. Detail is lost as the player zooms out, but up close, dinosaurs look pleasingly real.
The UI has been cleaned up, with collapsible menus, contextual tooltips, and better integration of data. You can now access dinosaur stats, guest feedback, and financial reports from a single dashboard and Jurassic World Evolution 3 does a better job of surfacing important alerts without overwhelming you. I particularly liked some of the park overlays, which are remarkably easy to access and generally do exactly what you want them to.
There are still a few rough edges. Micromanagement can become tedious in larger parks — especially when juggling breeding, guest needs, and security simultaneously. The tutorial system, while improved, still leaves some mechanics underexplained — particularly around advanced genetics and modular building. On the same note, it took me ages to work out how to release dinosaurs. While the campaign is more cohesive, it occasionally leans too heavily on scripted events that limit player agency.
These issues are minor blemishes on an otherwise polished experience. Jurassic World Evolution 3 is a triumph of iterative design — a game that understands its audience and delivers on their dreams. It’s not just about building a park. It’s about creating a world where dinosaurs live, thrive, and provide a suitable amount of awe. Thanks to Frontier’s thoughtful upgrades, the world of Jurassic Park has never felt more alive — especially considering the distinct drop in quality across the movies since Spielberg’s captivating original.
Jurassic World 3 is available now on PlayStation, Xbox and PC.
