Survival horror PS1 horror Fixed camera horror Horror puzzle Horror

Dino Crisis

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A covert mission on a remote island, and the dinosaurs know where you are.

Platforms: PC, PlayStation
Stores: Steam, GOG
Price: Paid
Rated: Very Positive on Steam (81% of 1,061 reviews); 4.7 out of 5 on GOG from 705 reviews; 4.69 out of 5 from 8,128 ratings on the PlayStation Store
Length: about 6.5 hours for the main story (HowLongToBeat, shown on GOG)
Players: 1
Made by: Capcom (directed by Shinji Mikami); PC re-release co-developed by GOG
Released: 1999

On PlayStation: one of the PlayStation horror games.

No. 13 of the horror games about human experiments · No. 12 of the island horror games · No. 9 of the laboratory horror games

Get it on GOG Steam PlayStation Store

What frightens Regina's covert team lands on the island of Ibis to retrieve a scientist from a military research facility and finds it overrun by dinosaurs. Raptors stalk the corridors and burst through doors and windows to follow you from room to room, and the screen shakes as a T-Rex closes in.
Content: gore, blood, violence.

Dino Crisis is Capcom's 1999 survival horror game, back on modern PC through GOG and Steam and on PS4 and PS5 as a PlayStation classic. As the agent Regina you search an island research facility for a scientist reported dead three years ago, while raptors and a T-Rex hunt you through it. The fear is being chased: the dinosaurs follow you from room to room and break through doors and windows.

About Dino Crisis

Dino Crisis was made by Capcom, directed by Shinji Mikami, and released on the original PlayStation in 1999, with Windows and Dreamcast versions in 2000. Today it is sold in three places: GOG and Capcom brought the PC version back for modern Windows as part of GOG's preservation programme, the same release came to Steam on 12 February 2026, and Capcom sells the PlayStation original on PS4 and PS5 with rewind, quick save and video filters.

The story begins three years after a scientist researching Third Energy, a clean power source, was reported dead in an accident. Word comes that he is alive and working again at a military facility on Ibis, an isolated island in the Republic of Borginia. Regina, part of a government spy team, is sent in to bring him back. The mission goes wrong fast: the facility is full of dinosaurs.

You guide Regina through offices, labs, control rooms and loading yards seen from set camera angles, as in the early Resident Evil games, but drawn in real-time 3D rather than over painted backgrounds. Inventory space is limited, medicine heals and hemostats stop the bleeding a wound causes, and you save in save rooms. Many doors are locked with D.D.K. codes you work out from discs found in the base, and a map marks save points and locked doors.

What sets it apart from the zombie games of the same era is that the dinosaurs do not stay behind. Raptors follow you from room to room and break through doors and windows, so a closed door is no promise of safety, and the screen shakes as the T-Rex gets closer. When a DANGER prompt appears, only fast button presses keep Regina alive. The story has more than one ending, depending on choices you make near its end.

The PC release includes the Original and Arrange modes and the Operation Wipe Out mode, all six original languages, a renderer with resolution up to about 4K, windowed mode and support for modern controllers. Players on GOG note that Arrange is the American version and Original the Japanese one, with different door codes. The Steam copy uses Enigma Protector DRM; the GOG copy is DRM-free.

Critics at the time called it Resident Evil with dinosaurs, praising its tension, sound and the way the dinosaurs move, and finding fault with the few kinds of dinosaur and the repetitive corridors. It suits players who like the original Resident Evil games and want the same studio's take on the formula with enemies that keep chasing you.

How to play Dino Crisis

Buy Dino Crisis on GOG or Steam for a Windows PC, or on the PlayStation Store for PS4 or PS5 (it is also included in PlayStation Plus Premium).
On PC, set the display options you want: windowed or fullscreen, aspect ratio, scaling and gamma.
Start the Original or Arrange mode for the story; Operation Wipe Out is a separate scored mode.
Guide Regina through the research facility, searching rooms for items, weapons, discs and a way forward, and check the map for save points and locked doors.
When a dinosaur appears, decide quickly whether to fight it or get through the next door, and press buttons fast when a DANGER prompt appears.
Save in the save rooms and keep going deeper into the base to find the missing scientist.

Screenshots

Dino Crisis screenshot: a T-Rex bursts its head through a broken office window while Regina aims a handgun at it

Dino Crisis screenshot: Regina aims a shotgun at a raptor with open jaws in a grey metal facility corridor

Dino Crisis screenshot: Regina, rifle in hand, walks through a dark industrial yard while a T-Rex leans over a crate at the right

Dino Crisis screenshot: Regina on a staircase in a green-lit metal corridor, facing a raptor crouched in the foreground

Dino Crisis screenshot: Regina, pistol in hand, stands in a white tiled lab over a dead man in a lab coat lying in a pool of blood

Dino Crisis screenshot: Regina aims a pistol at a raptor baring its teeth in a white metal lab corridor, a green supply crate beside her

Dino Crisis screenshot: Regina stands armed beside a crewmate typing at glowing consoles in a dim blue-grey control room

Tips

Do not assume a closed door keeps you safe; the dinosaurs can follow you into the next room.
Keep a pen and paper beside you for the D.D.K. passwords and codes; players on GOG recommend it.
Carry hemostats: they stop Regina bleeding, which a medicine pack alone does not.
Watch for the screen shaking; it means the T-Rex is getting close.
Original and Arrange modes use different door codes, so a guide written for one may not work in the other.
On PS4 and PS5, the classic's rewind and quick save make it gentler if you are new to games of this age.

Questions

Is Dino Crisis a horror game?

Yes. Capcom presented it as survival horror: you are hunted through a research base by dinosaurs that break through doors and windows, with limited supplies and save rooms.

How long is Dino Crisis?

GOG shows HowLongToBeat figures of about 6.5 hours for the main story, 8.5 hours with side content and about 10 hours to see everything.

Can I play Dino Crisis on PlayStation 5?

Yes. It is sold on the PlayStation Store for PS4 and PS5 as a classic converted from the original PlayStation version, with English voices and on-screen text in five languages, and it is also part of PlayStation Plus Premium.

Is Dino Crisis on Steam?

Yes, since 12 February 2026, in the same Capcom and GOG re-release that is sold on GOG. The Steam copy uses Enigma Protector DRM, while the GOG copy is DRM-free.

What is the difference between Original and Arrange mode?

Players on GOG explain that Arrange is the American version of the game and Original the Japanese one; the most noticeable difference is that door codes are changed.

Is Dino Crisis part of Resident Evil?

No. It is a separate Capcom series about dinosaurs, though it plays in a similar way.

What does the PC re-release add?

Windows 10 and 11 support, an improved DirectX renderer with resolution up to about 4K, windowed mode, vertical sync, gamma correction, integer scaling, anti-aliasing, modern controller support, all six original languages and a fix for corrupted saves.