History ArtisticLicensePaleontology / VideoGames

* Happily averted (anatomically at least) in the Japanese Xbox game ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vcl5NvqkJJ4 Dinosaur Hunting]]'', which even includes feathered maniraptorans and a ''T. rex'' with a feather crest. Unfortunately the theropods still have pronated hands, a lot of the quadrupedal dinosaurs have padded feet, ''Dilophosaurus'' has a frill[[note]]Albeit a feathery one, which is more plausible.[[/note]] and spits venom, the plesiosaurs have flexible necks and can haul themselves onto land, ''Pelecanimimus'' has an oversized head and raptor-like feet, ''Ankylosaurus'' and ''Gastonia'' can roll up into balls, and some of the animals are enlarged for dramatic effect (not counting the albinos and mutants). There's also an AccidentallyCorrectWriting example with ''Spinosaurus'', which has proportionally short hind legs.

* ''Birthdays the Beginning'' often features taxa [[InformedSpecies not resembling their real-life counterparts]], mostly due to re-using of models. We've got ''Andrewsarchus'' and ''Hyaena'' both as a PaletteSwap of the game's wolf, ''Velociraptor'' missing its killing claws due being a re-hashed model of ''Eoraptor'', apes like ''Dryopithecus'' and ''Pan troglodyes''[[note]]the scientific name for the chimpanzee[[/note]] using the same model as ''Eosimias'' (which is portrayed as a long-tailed monkey when the real animal was a lemur-like early primate), the wide-snouted amphibian ''Mastodonsaurus'' being a PaletteSwap of ''Parasuchus'', two generic frogs being labeled as ''Pliosaurus'' and ''Tarbosaurus'', a variation of ''Pteranodon''/''Geosternbergia'' labeled as ''R. muensteri'' (a species of ''Rhamphorhynchus''), and a creature resembling a bear with a raccoon's tail (which could have been identified as ''Chapalmalania'') identified as the ground sloth ''Megatherium''. It also messes up with its classification and [[EvolutionaryLevels evolutionary paths]] (the proto-mammal ''Dimetrodon'' being a reptile and evolving into dinosaurs, mosasaurs evolving from crocodiles, pterosaurs being dinosaurs and evolving into birds, etc.), and they also make use of fictional creatures. And then there's the usual anatomical inaccuracies (theropods with pronated hands, ''Smilodon'' has a much longer tail than in real life, ''Stegosaurus'''s tail is droopy, ''Alligator'' has [[SomewhereAHerpetologistIsCrying interlocking teeth instead of an overbite]], etc.) At least the cave bear is portrayed as a herbivore, ''Velociraptor'' is feathered (albeit with just a crest and a thin coat), and ''Brachiosaurus'' has its nostrils on the snout.

* ''Birthdays the Beginning'' often features taxa [[InformedSpecies not resembling their real-life counterparts]], mostly due to re-using of models. We've got ''Andrewsarchus'' and ''Hyaena'' both as a PaletteSwap of the game's wolf, ''Velociraptor'' missing its killing claws due being a re-hashed model of ''Eoraptor'', apes like ''Dryopithecus'' and ''Pan troglodyes''[[note]]the scientific name for the chimpanzee[[/note]] using the same model as ''Eosimias'' (which is portrayed as a long-tailed monkey when the real animal was a lemur-like early primate), two generic frogs being labeled as a ''Pliosaurus'' and a ''Tarbosaurus'', a variation of ''Pteranodon''/''Geosternbergia'' labeled as ''R. muensteri'' (a species of ''Rhamphorhynchus''), and a creature resembling a bear with a raccoon's tail (which could have been identified as ''Chapalmalania'') identified as the ground sloth ''Megatherium''. It also messes up with its classification and [[EvolutionaryLevels evolutionary paths]] (the proto-mammal ''Dimetrodon'' being a reptile and evolving into dinosaurs, mosasaurs evolving from crocodiles, pterosaurs being dinosaurs and evolving into birds, etc.), and they also make use of fictional creatures. And then there's the usual anatomical inaccuracies (theropods with pronated hands, ''Smilodon'' has a much longer tail than in real life, ''Stegosaurus'''s tail is droopy, ''Alligator'' has [[SomewhereAHerpetologistIsCrying interlocking teeth instead of an overbite]], etc.) At least the cave bear is portrayed as a herbivore, ''Velociraptor'' is feathered (albeit with just a crest and a thin coat), and ''Brachiosaurus'' has its nostrils on the snout.

* ''Birthdays the Beginning'' often features taxa [[InformedSpecies not resembling their real-life counterparts]], mostly due to re-using of models. We've got ''Andrewsarchus'' and ''Hyaena'' both as a PaletteSwap of the game's wolf, ''Velociraptor'' missing its killing claws due being a re-hashed model of ''Eoraptor'', apes like ''Dryopithecus'' and ''Pan troglodyes''[[note]]the scientific name for the chimpanzee[[/note]] using the same model as ''Eosimias'' which is portrayed as a long-tailed monkey, two generic frogs being labeled as a ''Pliosaurus'' and a ''Tarbosaurus'', a variation of ''Pteranodon''/''Geosternbergia'' labeled as ''R. muensteri'' (a species of ''Rhamphorhynchus''), and a creature resembling a bear with a raccoon's tail (which could have been identified as ''Chapalmalania'') identified as the ground sloth ''Megatherium''. It also messes up with its classification and [[EvolutionaryLevels evolutionary paths]] (the proto-mammal ''Dimetrodon'' being a reptile and evolving into dinosaurs, mosasaurs evolving from crocodiles, pterosaurs being dinosaurs and evolving into birds, etc.), and they also make use of fictional creatures. And then there's the usual anatomical inaccuracies (theropods with pronated hands, ''Smilodon'' has a much longer tail than in real life, ''Stegosaurus'''s tail is droopy, ''Alligator'' has [[SomewhereAHerpetologistIsCrying interlocking teeth instead of an overbite]], etc.) At least the cave bear is portrayed as a herbivore, ''Velociraptor'' is feathered (albeit with just a crest and a thin coat), and ''Brachiosaurus'' has its nostrils on the snout.

* ''Birthdays the Beginning'' often features taxa [[InformedSpecies not resembling their real-life counterparts]], mostly due to re-using of models (''Andrewsarchus'' and ''Hyaena'' are both a PaletteSwap of the game's wolf, ''Velociraptor'' is missing its killing claws due being a re-hashed model of ''Eoraptor'', apes like ''Dryopithecus'' and ''Pan troglodyes''[[note]]the scientific name for the chimpanzee[[/note]] use the same model as ''Eosimias'' which is portrayed as a long-tailed monkey, etc.). The most egregious examples are two generic frogs being labeled as a ''Pliosaurus'' and a ''Tarbosaurus'', a variation of ''Pteranodon''/''Geosternbergia'' labeled as ''R. muensteri'' (a species of ''Rhamphorhynchus''), and a creature resembling a bear with a raccoon's tail (which could have been identified as ''Chapalmalania'') identified as the ground sloth ''Megatherium''. It also messes up with its classification and [[EvolutionaryLevels evolutionary paths]] (the proto-mammal ''Dimetrodon'' being a reptile and evolving into dinosaurs, mosasaurs evolving from crocodiles, pterosaurs being dinosaurs and evolving into birds, etc.), and they also make use of fictional creatures. And then there's the usual anatomical inaccuracies (theropods with pronated hands, ''Smilodon'' has a much longer tail than in real life, ''Stegosaurus'''s tail is droopy, ''Alligator'' has [[SomewhereAHerpetologistIsCrying interlocking teeth instead of an overbite]], etc.) At least the cave bear is portrayed as a herbivore, ''Velociraptor'' is feathered (albeit with just a crest and a thin coat), and ''Brachiosaurus'' has its nostrils on the snout.

* ''Birthdays the Beginning'' often features taxa [[InformedSpecies not resembling their real-life counterparts]], mostly due to re-using of models (''Andrewsarchus'' and ''Hyaena'' are both a PaletteSwap of the game's wolf, ''Velociraptor'' is missing its killing claws due being a re-hashed model of ''Eoraptor'', etc.). The most egregious examples are two generic frogs being labeled as a ''Pliosaurus'' and a ''Tarbosaurus'', a variation of ''Pteranodon''/''Geosternbergia'' labeled as ''R. muensteri'' (a species of ''Rhamphorhynchus''), and a creature resembling a bear with a raccoon's tail (which could have been identified as ''Chapalmalania'') identified as the ground sloth ''Megatherium''. It also messes up with its classification and [[EvolutionaryLevels evolutionary paths]] (the proto-mammal ''Dimetrodon'' being a reptile and evolving into dinosaurs, mosasaurs evolving from crocodiles, pterosaurs being dinosaurs and evolving into birds, etc.), and they also make use of fictional creatures. And then there's the usual anatomical inaccuracies (theropods with pronated hands, ''Smilodon'' has a much longer tail than in real life, ''Stegosaurus'''s tail is droopy, ''Alligator'' has [[SomewhereAHerpetologistIsCrying interlocking teeth instead of an overbite]], etc.) At least the cave bear is portrayed as a herbivore, ''Velociraptor'' is feathered (albeit with just a crest and a thin coat), and ''Brachiosaurus'' has its nostrils on the snout.

* ''Birthdays the Beginning'' often features taxa [[InformedSpecies not resembling their real-life counterparts]], mostly due to re-using of models (''Andrewsarchus'' and ''Hyaena'' are both a PaletteSwap of the game's wolf, ''Velociraptor'' is missing its killing claws due being a re-hashed model of ''Eoraptor'', etc.). The most egregious examples are two generic frogs being labeled as a ''Pliosaurus'' and a ''Tarbosaurus'', a variation of ''Pteranodon''/''Geosternbergia'' labeled as ''R. muensteri'' (a species of ''Rhamphorhynchus''), and a creature resembling a bear with a raccoon's tail (which could be easily identified as ''Chapalmalania'') identified as the ground sloth ''Megatherium''. It also messes up with its classification and [[EvolutionaryLevels evolutionary paths]] (the proto-mammal ''Dimetrodon'' being a reptile and evolving into dinosaurs, mosasaurs evolving from crocodiles, pterosaurs being dinosaurs and evolving into birds, etc.), and they also make use of fictional creatures. And then there's the usual anatomical inaccuracies (theropods with pronated hands, ''Smilodon'' has a much longer tail than in real life, ''Stegosaurus'''s tail is droopy, ''Alligator'' has [[SomewhereAHerpetologistIsCrying interlocking teeth instead of an overbite]], etc.) At least the cave bear is portrayed as a herbivore, ''Velociraptor'' is feathered (albeit with just a crest and a thin coat), and ''Brachiosaurus'' has its nostrils on the snout.

* ''Birthdays the Beginning'' often features taxa [[InformedSpecies not resembling their real-life counterparts]], mostly due to re-using of models (''Andrewsarchus'' and ''Hyaena'' are both a PaletteSwap of the game's wolf, ''Velociraptor'' is missing its killing claws due being a re-hashed model of ''Eoraptor'', etc.). The most egregious examples are two generic frogs being labeled as a ''Pliosaurus'' and a ''Tarbosaurus'', a variation of ''Pteranodon''/''Geosternbergia'' is labeled as ''R. muensteri'' (a species of ''Rhamphorhynchus''), and a creature resembling a bear with a raccoon's tail (which could be easily identified as ''Chapalmalania'') identified as the ground sloth ''Megatherium''. It also messes up with its classification and [[EvolutionaryLevels evolutionary paths]] (the proto-mammal ''Dimetrodon'' being a reptile and evolving into dinosaurs, mosasaurs evolving from crocodiles, pterosaurs being dinosaurs and evolving into birds, etc.), and they also make use of fictional creatures. And then there's the usual anatomical inaccuracies (theropods with pronated hands, ''Smilodon'' has a much longer tail than in real life, ''Stegosaurus'''s tail is droopy, ''Alligator'' has [[SomewhereAHerpetologistIsCrying interlocking teeth instead of an overbite]], etc.) At least the cave bear is portrayed as a herbivore, ''Velociraptor'' is feathered (albeit with just a crest and a thin coat), and ''Brachiosaurus'' has its nostrils on the snout.

* ''Birthdays the Beginning'' often features taxa [[InformedSpecies not resembling their real-life counterparts]], mostly due to re-using of models (''Megatherium'' looking more like a bear with a raccoon's tail, ''Andrewsarchus'' and ''Hyaena'' are both a PaletteSwap of the game's wolf, ''Velociraptor'' is missing its killing claws due being a re-hashed model of ''Eoraptor'', etc.). The most egregious examples are two generic frogs being labeled as a ''Pliosaurus'' and a ''Tarbosaurus'', while a ''Pteranodon''/''Geosternbergia'' is identified as ''R. muensteri'' (a species of ''Rhamphorhynchus''). It also messes up with its classification and [[EvolutionaryLevels evolutionary paths]] (the proto-mammal ''Dimetrodon'' being a reptile and evolving into dinosaurs, mosasaurs evolving from crocodiles, pterosaurs being dinosaurs and evolving into birds, etc.), and they also make use of fictional creatures. And then there's the usual anatomical inaccuracies (theropods with pronated hands, ''Smilodon'' has a much longer tail than in real life, ''Stegosaurus'''s tail is droopy, ''Alligator'' has [[SomewhereAHerpetologistIsCrying interlocking teeth instead of an overbite]], etc.) At least the cave bear is portrayed as a herbivore, ''Velociraptor'' is feathered (albeit with just a crest and a thin coat), and ''Brachiosaurus'' has its nostrils on the snout.

* ''VideoGame/JurassicParkOperationGenesis'': Actually invoked as a ''game mechanic''. If you stick dinosaurs from [[AnachronismStew different time periods]] and/or [[MisplacedWildlife different locales]] in the same enclosure, then some of the more nerdy visitors will notice and subsequently their enjoyment of the exhibit will go down. Other inaccuracies from the films (featherless therapods, oversized ''Velociraptors'', poison-spitting ''Dilophosaurus'') carry over as well, and are not commented upon.
* {{Averted|Trope}} in ''Jetpack Brontosaurus''. As the game acknowledges, the title character is an Apatosaurus. Brontosaurus is just his ''name''. It also takes pains to use the Order name Pterosaurs in the introduction, some of which ''were'' contemporary with the Apatosaurus, rather than a specific genus that might not have been. All other weirdness can be written off to it taking place in a surreal dream world. Then again, it's made by the same people as ''Raptor Safari'', below, which similarly delights in being much, much more scientifically accurate than such a blatantly ridiculous game needs to be.
* The "naked Velociraptors" subtrope is happily {{averted|Trope}} in [=FlashBang's=] ''[[http://www.vimeo.com/618534 Off-Road Velociraptor Safari]]'', of all places. Bonus points for the PerpetualMolt effects.
* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'':
** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'' Dinosaur Land is inhabited by Yoshis (who are variously referred to as dinosaurs and dragons, depending who you talk to). So within the whole Mario canon, we have dinosaurs who live among humans, fly or spit fire, swallow other creatures amphibian-style and turn them into eggs, which they then use as missile weapons! And later on they got a limited form of speech. Dinosaur Land also has Reznors, which are chibi ''Triceratops'' that breath fire. Rex isn't based on a ''UsefulNotes/TyrannosaurusRex'' like the name would suggest, but rather a purple [[DinosaursAreDragons Celtic dragon]]; and it ''doesn't'' breath fire.
** In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey'', one of the many forms Mario can assume throughout the game is a ''Tyrannosaurus rex''... a scaly ''Tyrannosaurus rex''. As stated on the main page, ''T. rex'' was either at least partially feathered or had smooth skin. The usual handwave of "it's a cartoon, it doesn't need to be realistic" doesn't apply here, given the ''T. rex'''s realistic design. Plus there's the usual shrink-wrapping, pronated hands, and smoothed-over skull.
* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'':
** In the Barrens and Durotar, there are the most stereotypical predatory dinosaurs in the world, though given slight makeovers. Raptors (the dinos, not the bird) are even the racial mount of trolls. To be fair, if there are [[FantasyKitchenSink dragons, yetis, green-skinned shamanistic weird people, and giant blue satyrs with tentacles growing out of their faces]], there may as well be dinosaurs.
** Un'Goro Crater is a zone devoted to a mashing-together of various popular dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals. Their versions of pterosaurs, raptors, stegosaurs, dimetrodons, and T-Rex-like creatures all hang out within a few city blocks of each other. Along with gorillas. It, along with Sholazar Basin, is really an homage to ''Series/LandOfTheLost1974'' (all that's missing are the Sleestaks), and probably any other movie/show that has a hidden valley of dinosaurs. [[spoiler:With a dash of Creator/{{Nintendo}} thrown in.]]
** Animal and vegetable fossils are a subset of the Archaeology skill, and include a rare pet and mount that are both magically reanimated fossilized raptors, implying that Azeroth's raptors have been around for a very long time. (Probably long enough to evolve off their feathers, pick up the carnotaur-esque horns, and gain the sentience the game keeps pointing out.) There's even a nod to feathery raptors with the Feathered Raptor Arm item, though it's promptly {{lampshade|Hanging}}d in the item's own description as just-as-likely belonging to one of Azeroth's hojillion other magical abominations. Also mentioned are the possibility of still-living giant trilobites, and while the entry on the nautilus shell ''says'' all the shelled squids in the world are extinct, [[spoiler:there's two very large examples hanging out in Vashj'ir.]]
** There's the Pandaren Isle of Giants, in which all sorts of monstrously large dinosaur-esque creatures are put in groups wandering about on the island. The island itself is a blatant ShoutOut to the ''Franchise/JurassicPark'' movies, and there is even a campsite outright named so.
* At one point during the director's commentary for ''VideoGame/TheDeadlyTowerOfMonsters,'' said director says he got complaints about the inaccuracies of a meat-eating sauropod, which he refers to a s a stegosaurus. And then there were the fire-breathing pterodactyls.
* ''VideoGame/GuildWars'' has dinosaurs on the Tarnished Coast in ''Eye of the North''. The Tyrannus and Raptors are relatively accurate, the Ceratodon somewhat less so (it's an armored ceratopsian with one horn on its forehead and two more on its shoulders). Hard to tell what the Ferothrax and Angorodon are supposed to be, though...
* One of the recurring enemies in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' is a red T-Rexaur (''Tyrannosaurus rex''). Odds are that many first-time players got offed by one during their first hour of playing by accidentally wandering into the forest area in the Balamb Garden training center.
** On the other hand, all monsters in the game are actually from the moon, so a red dinosaur is really the least its problems.
* The far past of ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' features an ongoing war between mammals and dinosaurs, the latter being led by the Reptites. The dinosaurs and Reptites eventually became extinct during the ice age caused by [[spoiler:the fall of Lavos to Earth.]]
* Played with in ''VideoGame/FossilFighters'', a {{mon}}s game which has you digging up fossils and reanimating the dinosaurs within. The "vivosaurs" are explicitly different from dinosaurs and have different traits and names than real dinosaurs do (it's explained that's a process of the revivification device) but there is a section that lets you see what creatures they were based upon. There's even a smilodon, properly called a smilodon by the game.
* Mostly averted with ''VideoGame/{{Paraworld}}'', which has a few minor issues that are mostly explained away with RuleOfCool or lampshaded by the protagonists (All dinosaurs living at the same time, ice age mammals being counted as dinosaurs, and extremely oversized Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus [Although even then, they are referred to as Tyrannosaur Titan and Triceratops Titan and more realistically sized versions can be seen roaming the maps; the third Titan is a Seismosaur that is only about half again as big as a real one]).
* ''VideoGame/DinoRun'', considering the premise of the game, for starters, involves the "instantaneous extinction" trope. And the raptors supposedly find shelter and escape said apocalypse and go on to live for an indefinite amount of time.
* In ''VideoGame/StarFoxAdventures'', there's an item called a Dinosaur Horn. It's associated exclusively with the Snowhorn, a tribe of ''wooly mammoths''.
* Worlds of ''VideoGame/{{Ultima}}'' game ''[[VideoGame/WorldsOfUltimaTheSavageEmpire Savage Empire]]'' [[AllThereInTheManual points out in the manual]] that humans and dinosaurs lived millions of years apart... While you encounter both in the game. There are also human tribes from different parts of the world from different times. A major element of the plot is to find out why and how these were all brought together into [[LostWorld one valley]].
* The ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' character Alex is a predatory dinosaur living alongside humans in the 20th Century. However, he was genetically engineered from fossils by scientists, partially averting this trope as Alex is more Genetic Abomination than Dinosaur.
* The ''VideoGame/DinoCrisis'' series likes to play ArtisticLicenseBiology with the dinosaurs it features.
* Justified in ''VideoGame/LiveALive''. Pogo's chapter, set in prehistory, has a Tyrannosaurus Rex as its final boss. This is the ''only'' dinosaur in the entire chapter, and it is worshipped as a god by the Kuu tribe, who offer it human sacrifices. [[spoiler:It's also the current manifestation of the Lord of Dark, Odio, so it might not be a real dinosaur anyway.]]
* This is played straight with the mammoths of ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'', though it is largely for the RuleOfCool. Averted by the Sabre Cats, which are surprisingly accurate to sabertooth cats in the genus ''Smilodon''.
** Cave bears in Skyrim are just a tougher version of normal bears, found in regions rich in caves (actual cave bears hibernated in caves, but lived the rest of the year in the forest and were not tied to a cave in particular). Both look identical, though interestingly, they have neither the straight cranium of brown bears nor the very domed cranium of cave bears, but something in between. "Snow bears" also look the same (so not like polar bears either), but are even tougher, with white pelts instead of brown and live in snowed-in areas.
* PlayedForLaughs in ''VideoGame/ZooTycoon 2'', in which ''Stokesosaurus'' wears glasses when painting. Not that the game didn't have plenty other examples, however (the likely herbivorous oviraptorosaur ''Protarchaeopteryx'' was portrayed as a generic carnivorous coelurosaur, to name one of the better examples).
* Happily averted (anatomically at least) in the Japanese Xbox game ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vcl5NvqkJJ4 Dinosaur Hunting]]'', which even includes feathered maniraptorans and a ''T. rex'' with a feather crest. Unfortunately the theropods still have pronated hands, a lot of the quadrupedal dinosaurs have padded feet, ''Dilophosaurus'' has a frill[[note]]Albeit a feathery one, which is more plausible.[[/note]] and spits venom, the plesiosaurs have flexible necks and can haul themselves onto land, ''Pelecanimimus'' has an oversized head and raptor-like feet, ''Ankylosaurus'' and ''Gastonia'' can roll up into balls, and some of the animals are enlarged for dramatic effect (not counting the albinos and mutants). There's also an AccidentallyCorrectWriting example with ''Spinosaurus'', which has proportionally short hind legs.

* ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterGenerations'': With the reveal of one of the Maccao and Great Maccao species, the game manages to play with this trope. In prior games, all of the Theropod Bird Wyverns were simply super-powered raptors, similar to the ''Jurassic Park'' raptors in appearance. With the introduction of the Maccao and Great Maccao, the aversion happens. While still absolutely ''massive'' compared to real-life raptors, they're sporting a notable bright green feathered coat (except on their face/neck, lower arms/legs, underbelly and tail). The only inaccuracy is that their hands still are paw-like (as with the raptors in ''Jurassic Park''), while real raptors weren't even able to twist their hands like that.

* ''Jurassic Marsh'' in ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies2ItsAboutTime'' is a huge offender on this. The dinosaurs shown are ''Velociraptor'' (no feathers, much bigger than a zombie), ''Tyrannosaurus'' (has arms too big, [[AllAnimalsAreDogs acts like a dog]]), ''Stegosaurus'' (has six spikes on its tail, isn't meant to exist in the same time period as ''Tyrannosaurus'' or ''Velociraptor''), ''Ankylosaurus'' (has spiky armor and a tail club shaped like a spiked ball), and ''Pteranodon'' (ToothyBird, [[KidnappingBirdOfPrey carrying zombies off with its feet]]).

* ''VideoGame/ARKSurvivalEvolved'' relinquishes a lot of accuracy in favor of RuleOfCool. The developers HandWave this as all the animals in-game being variants of the real life ones ([[VoodooShark which only brings up its own set of problems though]]). Examples include:
** The giant millipede ''Arthropleura'' is shown as a ferocious carnivore with acidic blood that it can spit like a ''Jurassic Park Dilophosaurus'', despite the fact that it probably ate plant matter, with no evidence of the acidic blood (or being able to spit).
** The ''Compsognathus'', ''Oviraptor'', and ''Gallimimus'' have only some feathers on their head or neck, while ''Utahraptor'' has more on its arms and tail; all four of them are featherless otherwise. The ''Troodon'' has a [[VideoGame/JurassicParkTheGame venomous bite]].
** The ''Dilophosaurus'' is a carbon-copy of ''Jurassic Park's''. Interestingly enough, the ''Titanoboa'' also has a venomous bite and frills, despite being a ''constrictor snake''.
** The ''Pteranodon'' have teeth, no fur, and a bat-like wing structure, and are capable of carrying a fully-grown human. Also, both sexes are depicted [[AnimalGenderBender looking exactly the same]], when the females are smaller and lack the large crest[[note]]The latter can be justified by the fact that all other animals in the game have identical sexes with the exception of the antlerless ''Megaloceros'' does.[[/note]].
** The ''Procoptodon'' move by hopping like modern-day kangaroos and are capable of jumping backwards. Plus, the males also have pouches.
** The trope often overlaps with RuleOfFun as well. For example, players can use the aforementioned ''Pteranodons'' as flying war mounts to snatch enemies and drop them from a good height. Some of the more bizarre examples include ''Pachyrhinosaurus'' being able to release pacifying chemicals, allowing riders to move about safely in predator-infested territory, or the aforementioned ''Arthropleura's'' acidic blood damaging attackers and their armour, as well as act as artillery units.
** [[ShownTheirWork The game can also avert this on occasion]]. For example, ''Liopleurodon'' is 25 feet long instead of 25 ''meters'' like in most depictions, or the [[RaptorAttack Raptors]] being man-sized ''Utahraptors'' for once, not dog-sized ''Velociraptors'' as always. It also seems they respond to popular demand for more accurate animals as the ''Megalosaurus'' is feathered and, with the exception of the ''Dimorphodon'' (the second pterosaur revealed after ''Pteranodon'') who for some reason has feathers, all other pterosaurs are furry and have the correct wing structure.
** Zig-zagged with ''Spinosaurus''. On one hand, it is portrayed with short hindlegs and a semi-aquatic lifestyle reflecting modern studies, plus its nostrils are positioned correctly (located near the eyes instead of at the tip of its snout). On the other, it is portrayed as a quadruped with its (four-fingered) hands facing the wrong way.
* ''VideoGame/{{Saurian}}'' deliberately attempts to avert this, with extensive research, input by numerous paleontologists, and an actual dinosaur on their production team for reference (an emu) to make certain their recreation of the Hell Creek Formation during the Latest Cretaceous is as accurate as possible, containing only species that were for certain present in that region during that time. This hasn't stopped the devs from adding [[RuleOfCool speculative (though not necessarily inaccurate) traits]] to their dinosaurs, like the ''Anzu'' being given the ability to mimic calls.

* ''Birthdays the Beginning'' often features taxa [[InformedSpecies not resembling their real-life counterparts]], mostly due to re-using of models (''Megatherium'' looking more like a bear with a raccoon's tail, ''Andrewsarchus'' and ''Hyaena'' are both a PaletteSwap of the game's wolf, ''Velociraptor'' is missing its killing claws due being a re-hashed model of ''Eoraptor'', etc.). The most egregious examples are two generic frogs being labeled as a ''Pliosaurus'' and a ''Tarbosaurus'', while a ''Pteranodon''/''Geosternbergia'' is identified as ''R. muensteri'' (a species of ''Rhamphorhynchus''). It also messes up with its classification and [[EvolutionaryLevels evolutionary paths]] (the proto-mammal ''Dimetrodon'' being a reptile and evolving into dinosaurs, mosasaurs evolving from crocodiles, pterosaurs being dinosaurs and evolving into birds, etc.), and they also make use of fictional creatures. And then there's the usual anatomical inaccuracies (theropods with pronated hands, ''Smilodon'' has a much longer tail than in real life, ''Stegosaurus'''s tail is droopy, ''Alligator'' has [[SomewhereAHerpetologistIsCrying interlocking teeth instead of an overbite]], etc.) At least the cave bear is portrayed as a herbivore, ''Velociraptor'' is feathered (albeit with just a crest and a thin coat), and ''Brachiosaurus'' has its nostrils on the snout.
* The 2017 Time Travelling Toaster Event in ''VideoGame/TheSimpsonsTappedOut'' features a very sparsely-feathered raptor (from the episode "Days of Future Future"), a baby ''T. rex'' that looks like a SuperDeformed version of an adult, ''Dilophosaurus'' with ''Jurassic Park''-styled neck frills, and a bat-winged ''Pteranodon'' that perches bipedally in its [[AllFlyersAreBirds bird-like nest]]. Not to mention [[TheSmartGuy Lisa]] of all people mistakes ''Brachiosaurus'' for ''Brontosaurus'' and ''Pteranodon'' for a dinosaur, but she does receive points for breaking the myth that ''T. rex'''s vision is based on movement. The 2018 Moe's Ark Event features the "Flying Brachiosaurus", which looks nothing like a ''Brachiosaurus'' and more like WesternAnimation/GertieTheDinosaur.

* In the Google Chrome ''VideoGame/DinosaurGame'', the two obstacles are cacti and some unspecified species of pterosaur. Cacti didn't evolve until around 30 million years after the dinosaurs went extinct. ''T. rex'' and some pterosaur species did live at the same time, though.
* ''[[VideoGame/IceAge Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs]]'': The Dilophosaurus appears with a frill and the ability to spit venom, just as it did in ''Film/JurassicPark''.