The best dinosaur-themed Monopoly editions ever

It’s no secret that the Monopoly board game is a classic. What may be less well-known, however, is that there are many different editions of the game available – each with its own theme. And as you’d expect, we’ve not been left out – there are plenty of dinosaur editions of the game to get stuck in to.

If you’re a fan of dinosaurs (or even if you’re not), a dinosaur-themed Monopoly game can be great fun. There are several different dinosaur editions of the classic game, along with a couple of Monopoly Junior editions, each with their own unique twist.

In this article, we’ll look take a closer look at all of these dinosaur-themed Monopoly editions to have ever been released, giving a round-up of our favorites and which are worth checking out for your next game night.

How many different versions of Monopoly are there been?

According to Board Game Geek, there are 258 Monopoly editions and 36 Monopoly Junior editions – the simplified version of the classic game for kids – bringing the total to almost 300 different editions having been released so far, with new ones bound to follow.

If you can name it, there’s likely a Monopoly edition for it. From TV shows like 90s sitcom “Friends”, to movie franchises like “Star Wars”, and now, even video game franchises like “Fornite” have their own Monopoly editions nowadays.

Looking specifically at dinosaurs – which after all, is the main topic of this article – there are 6 different editions that make up our round-up of the best dinosaur Monopoly sets. This number increases to 7 if you include a Natural History Museum limited edition.

What was the first dinosaur Monopoly edition and when did it come out?

The first dinosaur Monopoly game released was Dino-opoly, published by Sky Production Company in 2004. This game is essentially classic Monoploy, with players buying dinosaurs instead of properties, and using bones and museums in place of buildings.

The first dinosaur edition from Hasbro, was Monopoly Jr. Dig’n dinos released in 2001. However, if we’re talking about their first dinosaur-themed version of the classic game, that would be Monopoly: Dinosaur Edition, which was first released back in 2010.

Best Dinosaur-themed Monopoly Editions

Without further ado, here is our round-up of the best Dinosaur-themed Monopoly Editions ever released.

This list includes both Monopoly classic and junior versions of the game, and features all of the Dinosaur versions of the game – at least that we were aware of – that have been released to date.

1. Monopoly: Jurassic Park Edition

Released by Hasbro in 2021, Monopoly: Jurassic Park edition is the latest in a long line of dinosaur-themed Monopoly sets. Based on the original 1993 Jurassic Park movie, this game brings a couple of all-new gameplay elements to the classic Monopoly formula – something that’s pretty refreshing, given that most of the versions are little more than reskins of the classic game.

The best of these new gameplay elements is the rampaging T-Rex token – which is moved each turn, along with player tokens, with the amber die – one of two dice included in the set – being used specifically for this purpose. If the T-Rex passes your or lands on the same part of the board as your token, you’ll need to forfeit $50 to the bank, but if the T-Rex lands on a property you own and it isn’t protected by a fence, it’s damaged and won’t collect any rent until it’s repaired. We’re big fans of this addition, as it really adds a new and unique dimension to the classic game.

Another new gameplay feature of this edition is the electronic gate – based on the iconic game from the Jurassic Park franchise. The gate is places near the GO space, and each time a player passes, they need to activate it by pressing a button. If the movies theme music is heard, players collect $200 as normal, but if a dinosaur roar is heard instead, then they play gets only $100 for passing GO.

Other features of this themed set are the six player tokens, each a different character from the original film – including Dr. Alan Grant, Dr. Ellie Sattler, Dr. Ian Malcom, John Hammond, Lex Murphy, and Tim Murphy. Along with the tokens, the game also features a fully reskinned game board, with a T-Rex at the center, and uses what are called Impact Tremor and Cold Storage cards, in place of the regular Chance and Community Chest cards.

Overall, this set does a great job, with new gameplay elements and great theming, it’s a must-have edition for collectors and dinosaur fans who hold regular game nights. Hands-down, this is the best dinosaur-themed Monopoly edition released to date.

2. Dino-opoly

The next dinosaur board game on our list is Dino-opoly – the original dinosaur-themed Monopoly game, released back in 2004 by Late for the Sky Production Company. This game is essentially the classic Monopoly game with a few unique dinosaurs twists and additions – and definitely one of the better options for Monopoly purists, who are looking for editions which stay true to the Monopoly formula.

Properties have been replaced with dinosaurs, including some of the less common ones – such as Seismosaurus, Edmontonia, and Coelophysis – which gives this game plenty of educational value for older kids and adults alike. Train stations have also been replaced by the eras in which dinosaurs lived, these being the Mesozoic, Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous. Other changes to the board include “Jail”, which becomes “Nearly Extinct”, “Just Visiting” become “Just Evolving”, and “Go” is renamed “Dig” – although players still get $200 each time they pass it.

Chance and Community Chest cards are replaced with “Explore” and “Discover” cards, with all of these being either dinosaur or palaeontology themed. There are a couple of additional cards unique to the game, examples include “Meatloaf Tonight?” which lets you move anotother player token to meat-eating dinosaurs that you own, collecting rent, “You’re fossilized” which forces a player to miss a turn, and a number of other quiz cards which come with their own advantages, fees, or rewards.

Despite coming out nearly two decades ago, this game is still in print and can be bought new on Amazon and other major retailers. It’s a pretty nice take on Monopoly, and it’s clear Hasbro took much of their inspiration from this game, working many of it’s features into their 2010 Monopoly: Dinosaurs Edition.

3. Monopoly: Dinosaurs Edition

The first edition of this Monopoly theme was first released back in 2010, although the current version remains essentially unchanged from the original, with the most notable difference being the player tokens. In the original, these are 6 dinosaur fossil pieces – while in the latest version, these have been replaced by pewter dinosaur figures, including T-Rex, Triceratops, and Pterodactly.

This game plays exactly the same as classic Monopoly, with the dinosaur changes being mostly aesthetic. Properties have been replaced with different dinosaurs, train stations with different eras, houses and hotels replaced with tents and jeeps, and chance and community chest cards replaced with “laboratory” and “dig site” cards.

One issue we found were, especially if playing a pretty lengthy game, is that there aren’t always enough tent and jeep pieces, with these having a tendency to run out before the game is finished – which can be somewhat of an anti-climax. Besides this minor issue, the game is great, and is one that will no doubt be a hit with any dinosaur fans.

There’s also one other version of this game – a Natural History Museum exclusive, released in 2017 that can only be purchased through the Museums online store or physical gift shop. The game remains mostly unchanged, although the game board is illustrated differently, and much of the proceeds go towards helping the museum maintain it’s impressive dinosaur exhibits – which is a good enough reason to pick this one up instead in our opinion.

4. Monopoly: Jurassic World Edition

Jurassic World Monopoly was released in 2015, coinciding alongside the release of the first Jurassic World movie. The rules of this version are essential the same as the classic game, with players working their way around the board collecting dinosaurs and attractions for their own park.

The game includes six exclusive game tokens, being Jurassic Park’s iconic gates, a DNA sequence, a helicopter, a bust of John Hammond, a park tour vehicle, and a T-Rex skull.

Other features of this edition are the game board, which is nicely themed with a graphic of the Raptor Squad – Blue, Delta, Echo, and Charlie – Jurassic World themed money, creation lab and Jurassic World game cards, and our personal favorite, two amber dice complete with mosquitos.

Perhaps the biggest let down of this Monopoly edition are the houses and hotels, which while being referred to as “paddocks” and “fences” in the instructions, are really just the same pieces as those you get in the classic version of the game.

5. Monopoly Junior: Dinosaur Edition

Monopoly Junior, a cut-back version of the classic game, has been around since the early 90s – with the very first Monopoly Junior set being released in 1990. It’s a simplified, cut-back version of the game, perfect for playing with kids who aren’t quite ready for the original game. Monopoly Junior: Dinosaur Edition is just one version of the game, with there being everything from Unicorns, Pepper Pig, and Super Mario versions of the game, to name just a few.

Players pick from one of four cartoon-style dinosaurs pieces – Pterodactyl, Stegosaurus, T-Rex, or Triceratops. Instead of hanging onto deed cards to keep track of who owns what, like in the classic game, the name of the game here is to befriend dinosaurs on the board, using one of the 12 matching friend signs each of the player tokens come with.

The game also features single denomination “leafy greens” – making the money system nice and simple – and comes with a big chunky die, that has numbers on it instead of the more traditional dots. Just like the classic game, you play until the money – in this case, leafy greens – run out. It’s a super simple version of Monopoly that is easy, quick to play, and intended for those aged 5+ years.

One of the best things about this edition is it’s educational value – with the game board featuring 12 different dinosaurs, each with their name spelt out phonetically, helping kids to properly pronounce the names of many of the most popular dinosaurs. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said of the game cards though.

If you’re a parent looking to introduce their kids to regular family game nights and your kids happen to be mad about dinosaurs, the Monopoly Junior: Dinosaur Edition is definitely well worth a look.

6. Monopoly Jr. Dig’n dinos

Released all the way back in 2001, Monopoly Jr. Dig’n dinos was the first dinosaur edition released by Hasbro, beating out the later Monopoly: Dinosaurs Edition – the first dinosaur-theme of the classic game from the company – by nearly a decade.

The game comes with 4 mutli-colored paleontologist tokens – which makes it a little different from many of the other Monopoly sets on this list, which tend to use dinosaur-themed player tokens. Like all editions of Monopoly Junior, these are each accompanied by 12 plastic fossil tokens – 48 in total – which are used in place of property deed cards.

In addition to the player and friendship tokens, the game also includes a rectangular game board beautifully decorated with dinosaur illustrations, 48 plastic fossils, 16 dino “bio” cards, a die, Monopoly money, and a set of instructions.

The money in this game is regular Monopoly money, in several denominations – unlike the later Monopoly Junior: Dinosaur Edition, which uses single denomination “leafy greens” – making it somewhat more educational, given that that are some basic mathematics required to play.

Final thoughts

Well there you have it – our round-up of the best Dinosaur Monopoly editions released to date.

There are no shortage of Monopoly editions, with nearly 300 having been released to date. Essentially, if you can think of it, there’s probably a Monopoly edition for it. These editions have something for everyone, with there being versions from all sorts of popular franchises, from TV shows and movies, to video games, comic books, and everything else in between.

When it comes to dinosaur Monopoly editions, hands-down the best is 2021’s Jurassic Park Edition. This version – unlike most of the others that made it to our list – doesn’t just reskin the game, it actually builds on the classic Monopoly formula with new and interesting gameplay elements that really add something to it.

For Monopoly purists, looking for more of a classic Monopoly experience with a dinosaur twists, the best editions to check out would be Monopoly: Dinosaurs Edition or Dino-opoly. Each of these games stay pretty faithful to the gameplay of the classic game – far more so than the Jurassic Park/World editions – making either of these your best option.

We hope you found this article helpful, and that maybe you’ll pick up one of these sets to enjoy at your next game night. Happy playing!