These are the Best Games Set In Prehistoric and Ancient Times
There’s something raw and strangely magnetic about games that take players all the way back to the earliest pages of human history. Without guns, skyscrapers or cities, these titles strip away the modern-day noise and throw players into a world where survival comes down to sticks, stones and instinct.
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Whether they’re about hunting dinosaurs, evolving as early hominids or just clobbering enemies with clubs, these games all use their prehistoric settings to shape gameplay in unique and meaningful ways.
10
Stone Rage
Club First, Ask Questions Later
Still in development limbo but too interesting to ignore, Stone Rage was supposed to be a multiplayer survival game where players chose between prehistoric humans and beasts. Playing as a Neanderthal or even a sabertooth, the game promised asymmetrical gameplay where the hunted could become the hunter. The environments were primitive but atmospheric, with thick forests and tribal camps giving it the feel of a world untouched by civilization.
Although progress on the game has slowed to a crawl, its core idea of combining survival mechanics with a prehistoric food chain still stands out as one of the more ambitious attempts at recreating the ancient past. The game, in its most recent versions, gives players the ability to control primitive animals like the Saber-tooth Tiger and the Mammoth, and also has survival and crafting elements.
9
The Isle
Dinosaurs Don’t Need HUDs
What makes The Isle special is that there are no humans in it at all. No cavemen, no tribes, no survival gear. Just dinosaurs. Players pick a species and live their lives on a massive island filled with other players doing the same.
Survival in The Isle means managing hunger, thirst and threats from rival species, all while navigating the thick, often disorienting terrain. There’s no map, no objective marker and no hand-holding. It’s an immersive and brutal simulator of what it might’ve been like to exist at the very bottom or top of the food chain during the Mesozoic era.
8
E.V.O.: Search for Eden (1992)
A Side-Scrolling Case of Evolution
Released on the SNES in 1992, E.V.O.: Search for Eden took the concept of evolution and turned it into an action RPG platformer. Players start as a humble sea creature and gradually evolve into more advanced life forms by defeating enemies and choosing different evolutionary paths.
The game’s science might be loose, but its mechanics were bold for the time. From walking on land for the first time to growing wings, E.V.O. captured a sense of ancient transformation that few games have tried to replicate since.
7
Roots of Pacha
Stardew with Stone Tools
At first glance, Roots of Pacha looks like a prehistoric skin on Stardew Valley, but it does more than just imitate. Set in a tribal village before the dawn of agriculture, players help their clan discover tools, domesticate animals and improve their way of life over time.
There’s fishing, farming, cave exploring and even spiritual animal festivals. Instead of earning gold, players build relationships and contribute ideas that evolve the entire community. It’s a relaxing game that subtly highlights how early humans innovated to build the foundations of civilization.
6
Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
Sid Can’t Die, but He Can Fall a Lot
Based on the animated film, Ice Age 2: The Meltdown surprised players by being more than just a movie tie-in. While it features the expected platforming sequences and light puzzle-solving, what makes it stand out is how it taps into the prehistoric charm of the film’s setting. Glaciers, geysers, mammoths and saber-tooths all shape the levels in ways that feel connected to the Ice Age.
Playing as Sid, players are mostly bumbling their way through hazards, but the charm and creativity packed into the environments help the game rise above its license.
5
Prehistorik 2 (1993)
Cavemen and Chicken Legs
With oversized clubs and even bigger enemies, Prehistorik 2 was a 1993 DOS platformer where every level looked like it was pulled from a Flintstones cartoon. Players control a caveman smashing dinosaurs and giant bugs while collecting food for points, especially the hilariously oversized turkey legs and steaks.
It’s a simple game by today’s standards, but the pixel art and oddball humor helped it find a cult following. It didn’t try to be historically accurate, but it had enough mammoths and lava pits to at least feel like it belonged in the ancient world.
4
The Flintstones (1993)
Yabba Dabba Platforming
On the SNES, The Flintstones game offered surprisingly tight platforming wrapped in the stone-age sitcom world of Bedrock. Fred Flintstone could climb, jump, club enemies and use gadgets like prehistoric helicopters. The levels included stone-age suburbs, dino-filled forests and even time travel segments.
While based on a cartoon, the game made clever use of its setting, especially with enemy designs and vehicles powered by foot-pedals. Its vibrant pixel art and varied levels made it one of the better licensed games of its generation, especially for anyone who grew up watching reruns of the original show.
3
Turok: Dinosaur Hunter
Arrows, Dinosaurs and Fog
Back in 1997, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter was one of the few shooters that dared to step away from sci-fi corridors and set its action in a prehistoric jungle. While it had guns, they felt primitive by comparison and the real stars of the game were the dinosaurs. Raptors lunged from the trees, and boss fights included everything from grotesque mutants to enormous beasts.
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The game’s thick fog was mostly due to hardware limitations on the N64, but it added to the feeling of being constantly hunted in the unknown. It was fast, weird and still holds up as one of the more unique FPS experiences of its time.
2
Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey
Learning to Walk Again
Developed by Patrice Desilets, the original creator of Assassin’s Creed, Ancestors is less about fighting and more about survival and evolution. Set 10 million years ago, players control an early hominid clan trying to survive the African wilderness. There are no missions, no scripted events and no dialog.
Progress is tied to discovering how to use tools, recognize danger and teach skills to the next generation. It’s a slow and sometimes punishing game, but it immerses players in a version of prehistory that feels both beautiful and brutally indifferent to survival.
1
Far Cry Primal
The Most Brutal of the Bunch
Released as a spinoff from the modern Far Cry series, Primal ditches guns for spears, bows and animal taming. Set in 10,000 BC, it throws players into a tribal conflict in the fictional land of Oros.
Hunting mammoths, fighting saber-tooths and leading your people from caves to settlements, the game reworks the familiar open-world formula to fit the stone age. Players can craft weapons from bone and rock, tame wolves and sabertooths and use fire as a tool or weapon. Despite being a departure from the rest of the series, it manages to feel just as chaotic and empowering as any Far Cry game.
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