Dino D-Day
Dino D-Day is a multiplayer first-person shooter set in a pulpy alternate take on World War II, where the Axis has dinosaurs in the trenches alongside soldiers. You can fight for either side, switching between human classes and prehistoric muscle while completing objectives across several classic FPS modes.
 | Publisher: Digital Ranch Playerbase: Low Type: FPS Release Date: April 8, 2011 Pros: +Wild concept that lets you gun down dinosaurs or play as one. +Plenty of classes across humans and dinosaurs. +Multiple modes and objectives keep matches varied. Cons: -Visuals show their age. -Balance can feel uneven across weapons and matchups. -No dedicated single-player campaign. |
Dino D-Day Overview
Dino D-Day is an FPS developed by 800 North and published by Digital Ranch. Its hook is simple and memorable: a WWII shooter where the Axis fields resurrected dinosaurs as living weapons. Matches place you on either the Allied side, leaning on coordination and defensive play, or the Axis side, which can feel more aggressive and opportunistic thanks to the added chaos dinosaurs bring to a fight.
Instead of limiting players to standard infantry roles, the game mixes human loadouts with dinosaur classes. On the human side you pick from 8+ classes built around different jobs and gear, while the prehistoric roster offers 6+ dinosaur options with distinct movement and attack styles. The result is a battlefield where you might be trading rifle fire one moment and then scrambling to deal with a fast, close-range threat the next.
Gunplay follows familiar Source Engine FPS sensibilities, with straightforward controls and recognizable weapon types. Success comes from learning when to hold angles and use explosives, and when to reposition quickly because a dinosaur class can punish players who stay too static. Across modes, objectives push teams to do more than just chase kills, which helps the premise land as more than a novelty.
Dino D-Day Key Features:
- Dinosaurs on the front lines – take them down with firearms and explosives, or queue up as one of the prehistoric classes to cause panic up close.
- Wide selection of weapons – rifles, grenades, and other staples offer different answers depending on the threat and the map flow.
- Human and dinosaur classes – play one of 8+ human roles or choose from 6+ dinosaur types, each bringing unique strengths and limitations.
- Familiar FPS handling – movement and aiming feel approachable for genre veterans, with a learning curve focused more on matchups and positioning than on complex inputs.
- Several modes and objectives – beyond basic firefights, modes like Team Deathmatch and King of the Hill give teams reasons to coordinate and contest space.
Dino D-Day Screenshots
Dino D-Day Featured Video
Dino D-Day Review
Dino D-Day is the kind of shooter that earns attention immediately, not because it is trying to be a realistic WWII simulation, but because it fully commits to a ridiculous alternate-history premise. That commitment is also its greatest strength, matches are often memorable simply because of the situations the class mix creates. When it works, it feels like a classic objective FPS with an extra layer of threat assessment, you are not only tracking sightlines and choke points, you are also accounting for fast melee predators that can turn a calm push into a rout.
Moment-to-moment gameplay
At its core, the human gunplay is approachable and familiar, with a focus on standard FPS fundamentals like aim, cover usage, and grenade timing. The dinosaur side shifts the pacing, forcing close-range engagements, flanks, and sudden pressure. This contrast is what gives Dino D-Day its identity, firefights are not purely about who clicks heads first, but also about who adapts when the battlefield suddenly becomes a hunting ground.
Classes and matchups
Having 8+ human classes and 6+ dinosaur classes gives matches variety, but it also introduces uneven matchups. Some weapons and class interactions can feel stronger than others, and newer players may interpret that as randomness. With experience, you learn what tools actually counter what, but the balance is not always tight enough to prevent occasional lopsided rounds, especially when teams are not coordinated.
Modes and objectives
The game benefits from offering multiple game modes, since objectives help keep players moving and give structure to the chaos. Modes like King of the Hill and escort-style objectives encourage teams to play around key locations instead of scattering across the map. This is where the Allies versus Axis “feel” becomes most apparent, coordinated pushes and defensive setups matter more on some objectives, while aggressive plays and disruption can swing others.
Presentation and longevity
Visually, Dino D-Day clearly reflects its era, the graphics are functional but dated, and the overall presentation is more “indie Source mod energy” than modern FPS polish. The bigger issue for many players is content consumption and population, with a low playerbase, the quality of your experience can depend heavily on when you play and whether you can find a steady group. There is also no solo campaign, so if you prefer a narrative-driven WWII adventure, this is not designed for that.
Who it is for
Dino D-Day is best suited to players who enjoy objective-based multiplayer shooters and do not mind rough edges in exchange for a genuinely different match dynamic. If you want a serious competitive experience, the balance and population may frustrate you. If you want a distinctive FPS oddity that can produce great stories in short sessions, it is easier to appreciate.
Dino D-Day Links
Dino D-Day Official Site
Dino D-Day Steam Page
Dino D-Day Facebook Page
Dino D-Day Wikia
Dino D-Day Subreddit
Dino D-Day System Requirements
Minimum Requirements (Windows):
Operating System: Windows XP
CPU: 3.0 GHz P4, Dual Core 2.0 or AMD64X2
RAM: 2 GB RAM
Video Card: Video card must be 128 MB or more and with support for Pixel Shader 2.0b (ATI Radeon X800 / NVIDIA GeForce 7600 / Intel HD Graphics 2000).
Hard Disk Space: 5 GB available space
Recommended Requirements (Windows):
Operating System: Windows XP/Vista/7
CPU: 3.0 GHz P4, Dual Core 2.0 (or higher) or AMD64X2 (or higher)
RAM: 2 GB RAM
Video Card: Video card must be 128 MB or more and with support for Pixel Shader 2.0b (ATI Radeon X800 or higher / NVIDIA GeForce 7600 or higher / Intel HD Graphics 2000 or higher).
Hard Disk Space: 5 GB available space
Dino D-Day Music & Soundtrack
Dino D-Day’s audio work is built to support hectic multiplayer matches, with effects that clearly communicate gunfire, explosions, and the heavier presence of dinosaur movement. The overall mix prioritizes gameplay readability over cinematic flair, which fits the game’s objective-focused structure.
While it is not the sort of soundtrack players typically seek out on its own, the sound design does a good job of selling the core joke, that you are in a WWII firefight where something enormous and prehistoric might be closing distance. For a competitive match, those cues matter, and they often end up being more important than the music itself.
Dino D-Day Additional Information
Developer(s): 800 North
Publisher(s): Digital Ranch
Game Engine: Valve’s Software Source Engine
Release Date: April 8, 2011
Development History / Background:
Dino D-Day is a FPS MMO that blends WWII shooting with dinosaur classes, developed by 800 North and published by Digital Ranch. Built using Valve’s Software Source Engine, it launched on Steam in April 2011. Post-launch support included a sizeable content update in April 2016, which introduced additional maps and made adjustments aimed at improving weapon balance.