Dinolords is basically Age of Empires with dinosaurs, and honestly what more could you want from an RTS than that?

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When we first saw Dinolords back in October last year, it was hard not to be seduced by the premise: as a medieval English lord, you must defend your lands from Viking invasion, and also there are tameable dinosaurs. Now there's a new trailer offering a much more substantial look at the prehistoric action, thanks to the Triple-I Initiative showcase, and from the moment an armoured T-Rex crashes through a castle wall, you know you're in for a good time.

A warlord leaping into the fray on a feathered raptor mount. Siege weapon-bearing stegosaurus marching into battle in wooden armour that makes them look like upturned viking longships. Pikemen struggling to subdue a wild ankylosaur and steal its eggs. Honestly, it's the stuff dreams are made of.

A T-Rex smashing through a castle wall and eating a soldier in Dinolords. — (Image credit: Northplay)

Outside of that irresistible gimmick, the core strategy has a pleasingly old school feel to it, evoking Age of Empires but with a chunky, modern look. Castle defences can be customised, and break satisfyingly into pieces when charged by an 8000kg reptile. And beyond building your settlements and commanding your troops, you can also participate in battles directly, dodging dinos, firing arrows, and swiping at vikings while chaos rages around you.

Though I'm not familiar with the past work of developer Northplay, it's being published by the new publishing arm of Ghost Ship Games, creators of Deep Rock Galactic. That's a promising sign—though it's just getting started as a publisher, I've already been very impressed by Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor, and its other Early Access release SpellRogue has been well received too. There seems to be a good eye for quality at work there.

But honestly, even if all we get out of Dinolords is that extremely good name and a bunch of gifs of different prehistoric animals trampling medieval knights, I'll be happy. It's set to launch in early access in 2025.

Formerly the editor of PC Gamer magazine (and the dearly departed GamesMaster), Robin combines years of experience in games journalism with a lifelong love of PC gaming. First hypnotised by the light of the monitor as he muddled through Simon the Sorcerer on his uncle’s machine, he’s been a devotee ever since, devouring any RPG or strategy game to stumble into his path. Now he's channelling that devotion into filling this lovely website with features, news, reviews, and all of his hottest takes.