There's endless innovation in play in the video game industry, and the immersive form of entertainment has truly been able to prove itself as an art form during the past few decades. Video games have evolved from a niche curiosity into a universal pastime, and there are more genres than ever before that cater to the eclectic interests of gamers.

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Certain genres and topics are perennially popular in the gaming industry, while others are more difficult to effectively bring to life. There are high expectations that are associated with dinosaurs, and it's not easy to do them justice, especially when it comes to the level of terror that these beasts should conjure. However, some games rise to the occasion and present dinosaurs as scary lizard kings of legend.

10 The Fiery Dino Piranha Pushes A Dopey Mario Enemy Into Terrifying Territory

Games Super Mario Galaxy Firey Dino Piranha

The Super Mario franchise has pitted Nintendo's platforming legend against a wide assortment of enemies, some of which have included various prehistoric beasts. The Nintendo Switch's Super Mario Odyssey even allows him to temporarily take control of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. The bumbling behemoth, Petey Piranha, enters the canon in Super Mario Sunshine, and the monstrosity has undergone some unique transformations over time.

The Melty Molten Galaxy turns up the heat, literally, and also features a creature known as the Fiery Dino Piranha. This boss is technically a dinosaur that may not be as terrifying as a traditional dino, but it's a strong and intimidating evolution of this enemy's previous forms.

9 Riptor From Killer Instinct Is A Hybrid Raptor With Murderous Bloodlust

Games Killer Instinct Riptor

​​Aggressive and mature fighting games helped the combative genre thrive during the 1990s, and Killer Instinct was a popular alternative to games like Mortal Kombat. Killer Instinct makes its mark through a roster of dangerous characters, including Riptor.

The major appeal with Riptor is that he's a playable dinosaur in a fighting game, but he also has a surprisingly deep backstory that reveals that he's actually a hybrid with a human. Riptor represents the most frightening and dangerous aspects of a velociraptor, but with the intelligence and added capacities of a human.

8 The T-Rex Out Of Peter Jackson's King Kong Is Worthy To Be The Kind Of The Lizards

Games Peter Jackson King Kong Game T-Rex

Video games have a long history with movie tie-ins and adaptations that allow a property's popularity to transcend across multiple mediums of entertainment. Peter Jackson's King Kong is an extravagant love letter to the original movie, and he also helped put together a very satisfying video game adaptation that expands upon the universe.

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Peter'Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie celebrates the insurmountable simian that is King Kong, but it also doesn't shy away from the fact that Skull Island is also rampant with dinosaurs. King Kong contains a grandiose battle against a huge Tyrannosaurus Rex that's as satisfying as anything out of Peter Jackson's movie.

7 TheHunter: Primal Gives Its Tyrannosaurus A Classical Edge

Games TheHunter Primal T-Rex

The rising popularity of shooters and the action genre in gaming naturally lends itself to dangerous creatures like dinosaurs. TheHunter: Primal riffs on some familiar tropes as its put-upon protagonist gets transported to Primal Eden, a planet that's overrun with dinosaurs and other aggressive lifeforms.

TheHunter: Primal touches upon many of the most basic dinosaurs, but their approach to the T-Rex is unique. The rendition of a Tyrannosaurus Rex that's present in TheHunter isn't as large as the versions in other games, but it stands out through its feathered design, which happens to make the giant lizard even scarier than the standard.

6 Dino Crisis' T-Rex Is A Terrifying Twist On A Classic Creature

Games dino_crisis_hero_image

Shinji Mikami and Capcom forever changed the gaming industry with Resident Evil, which has become emblematic of the survival horror genre as a whole. Mikami attempted to follow up this success with Dino Crisis, which would do for dinosaurs what he accomplished with zombies. Sadly, the Dino Crisis games did not take off, and the franchise has laid dormant for decades.

The original Dino Crisis is really the only title that leans into the horror angle. While it turns to conventional creatures instead of original creations, the game knows how to make them all work. The final setpiece that pits Regina up against a Tyrannosaurus Rex is up there with the best concluding showdowns from the Resident Evil series.

5 Thunder From Turok - Dinosaur Hunter Merges Monster And Machine

Games Turok Dinosaur Hunter Thunder

Turok - Dinosaur Hunter has its gaming roots all the way back on the Nintendo 64 as one of the console's very first shooters. The Turok games mash together a lot of science fiction elements that allow Turok's pursuits against malevolent warlords and rampaging dinosaurs to reach even greater heights.

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The exaggerated arsenal and increased focus on multiplayer battles helped the Turok series thrive during the late '90s. The Campaigner is a villain who engages in morbid cybernetic experiments on dinosaurs that are already efficient killing machines. Thunder is a Tyrannosaurus Rex that the Campaigner has turned into a Bionosaur that can now breathe fire and shoot lasers out of its eyes.

4 Horizon Forbidden West's TremorTusks Give Mammoths A Mechanical Upgrade

Games Horizon Forbidden West TremorTusks

Horizon Forbidden West is the celebrated continuation of Horizon Zero Dawn that follows Aloy's continued struggles to survive in a post-apocalyptic world that's full of gigantic monsters, robotic anomalies, and everything in between. A lot of the creatures in Horizon Forbidden West are likely to provoke nightmares in the player, but the TremorTusks are on a whole other level.

These threats are essentially mechanical woolly mammoths that boast intensified strength and would make even the angriest of T-Rexes retreat in fear. They're one of the most significant dangers for Aloy in the game.

3 The Rockwell Aberration From ARK: Survival Evolved Merge Man With Monster

Games ARK Survival Evolved Aberration

ARK: Survival Evolved is such a striking evolution of the typical monster hunting formula due to how it's set millions of years following Earth's downfall courtesy of hordes of determined kaiju. Monsters take over the planet, which pushes humanity to take refuge elsewhere in the universe, only to return much later and with a vengeance.

These monsters aren't all necessarily dinosaurs, but they toe the line and push the planet back into chaotic lawlessness where monsters reign supreme. The Rockwell Aberration from the game's robust Expansion Pack DLC is like if one of the Umbrella's head scientists from Resident Evil started getting involved with dino genes.

2 Primal Rage's Necrosan Is A Zombie Dinosaur That Can Control The Dead

Games Primal Rage Necrosan

There's a lot of appeal in a fighting game that revolves around dinosaurs and primitive beasts that are set in an apocalyptic wasteland where humans revere these creatures as Gods. Primal Rage didn't turn into a runaway success, but it includes some creative dinosaur designs of both the friendly and ferocious persuasion.

Admittedly, Necrosan, the God of Death, is a deleted final boss from Primal Rage and was supposed to be in the game's potential sequel. Necrosan is a horrific idea that puts a cosmic horror twist on a dinosaur. He feeds on all life and forces a maggot reckoning on the world.

1 The Khezu From Monster Hunter Rise Are Nightmarish Creatures That Are Too Intense

Games Monster Hunter Rise Khezu

Capcom's Monster Hunter franchise has been popular in Japan ever since its debut on the PlayStation 2 in 2004, but it took some time for it to gain universal appeal. Now, nearly two decades later, Monster Hunter has never been more popular. Monster Hunter Rise has proven itself to be one of the deepest Monster Hunter experiences and it also includes some of the scariest beasts from any game.

One might debate if Khezu is actually a dinosaur or just a broad "monster," but there's enough evidence to indicate the former. The Khezu puts the Uragaan, Thunder Serpent Narwa, and other Monster Hunter behemoths to shame. It's pure nightmare fuel.