First-person shooter games from the 1990s have a distinct look and feel. They’re primarily characterized by fast-paced, hip-firing combat within semi-explorable corridors. Classics in the genre, such as Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Quake all helped develop and solidify what would come to be known as ‘boomer shooters.’

In 1997, fans of the genre were delighted to play Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, the first installment of a brand-new franchise. At least, the franchise was new to the video game industry. In fact, the character Turok originates from a 1950s comic book series of the same name. Shortly after its release, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter cemented itself into the annals of 1990s boomer shooters due to its (at the time) advanced graphics, level design, and variety of well-executed game mechanics. More than 25+ years later, fans of the classic experience and newcomers alike can now play a remastered version on PS5 and Xbox Series X.

A next-gen console update to a previous remaster

A third shot at glory

More seasoned fans of the Turok franchise might recognize that this is not the first time the 1997 classic, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, has been remastered or rereleased. Runnin’-n-gunnin’ down dinosaurs, it turns out, is a cultural force not to be forgotten about. Like a phoenix risen from the ashes, the original Turok: Dinosaur Hunter game has now been remastered twice--once in 2015 for the PS4, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Switch era of consoles, and once again in 2025 for the PS5 and Xbox Series X era of consoles.

The 2015 remaster and the 2025 remaster differ pretty drastically. In short, the 2015 remaster focused more on making the classic game playable for modern systems with updated resolutions, new lighting, and customizable keybinds. In contrast, the 2025 remaster focuses more on adding new features and improving the game’s quality of life.

Nightdive Studios strikes again

But why would a classic game need multiple remasters and releases? Well, because Nightdive Studios, the development team behind both of them, is committed to providing video game players access to quality experiences of software and games lost to time. They specialize in purchasing the rights to forgotten, abandonware games, remastering them in their own custom KEX game engine, and selling them as re-released digital products faithful to the original.

While this 2025 update brings the PS5 and Xbox Series X into the fold, it doesn’t leave any of the older generations or PC players behind. By ensuring this update applies to every remastered copy across all platforms, Nightdive Studios proves once again that they have their customer’s best interest in mind.

What changes were made to the gameplay?

What exactly is a remaster? Is it just updated visuals and SFX? Or does the updated product need new content to be considered a remaster? Well, according to Nightdive Studios, either one can be true. The 2015 remaster was mainly a platform port with a couple of visual and SFX upgrades. However, this 2025 remaster goes above and beyond that, adding in new content from beta versions of the original Turok: Dinosaur Hunter (1997).

While a smooth and well-balanced experience is always desirable, the real attention-grabbing part of this remaster is its incorporation of brand new gameplay. Balance patches are nice--but let’s be real, nothing beats fresh content.

A full list of changes can be found on Nightdive Studios next-gen update blog post,

Restored content from unreleased beta

• Brachiosaurus in the Treetops level restored
• High Priest’s blue magic homing missile restored
• Purlins leap smash melee attack restored
• Gallery cheat codes restored
• Additional scripting features added for PC modders

Despite fresh content garnering headlines, Nightdive Studios didn’t just stop there and port it to the latest-gen consoles. It also made sure to clean up many gameplay-specific bugs. Combat is the star of the show in Turok, so ensuring players enjoy the game’s balance as was intended by its original developers is justice for both parties.

Tweaked AI and combat balance

• Bosses have a modifier for the damage they receive based on the game’s difficulty setting
• The Particle Accelerator/Shockwave can freeze dead enemies, beetles, robots, and turrets
• The Humvee can now be knifed again, allowing glitchless knife-only playthroughs
• Fixed Longhunter and Campaigner’s boss fight AI
• Dead enemies hit by the Tek Bow and Shotgun’s explosive shells now have physics
• Fixed enemy explosions doing only ¼ damage to players

Are there quality of life improvements?

With such great gameplay balancing and content additions already added to this new remaster, Nightdive Studios went above and beyond making sure the experience is as smooth as possible. Transitioning a game made originally for the Nintendo 64 over to new generations on a proprietary game engine is no small feat. Along the way, some issues with the original code and some with the 2015 remaster found themselves in Nightdive Studio’s patching crosshairs.

Ironed-out wrinkles

• Enemies load in with a root animation instead of stuttering in place
• Z-axis fixes for water depth, moving platforms, and crawl toggling
• Enemies that used to spawn in incorrect locations now spawn properly
• Falling rocks are hidden until they are activated
• Exact positioning is honored when using Spirit World Portals

In an effort to glue all these changes together, Nightdive Studios made sure to improve the game’s user experience as much as possible. They even took some beloved elements like ammo swapping from Turok 2, a game they also remastered, and added it in for the sake of a smooth, fun experience.

HUD, UI, and Menu improvements

• Bind multiple weapons to the same button to cycle between them
• Swap ammo types for the Tek Bow and Shotgun at will
• Added support for custom binding the new Change Ammo Type and Walk Toggle features
• Improved font and animation textures
• Improved gamepad functionality and vibration support

A time-honored franchise

A wellspring of dinosaur inspiration

Turok has always stood out for its chaotic energy. Dinosaurs are not entirely uncommon in the video game industry, but centering them as the main enemies demonstrates Turok’s full commitment to its themes. It is unabashedly a game where players shoot dinosaurs with sci-fi weapons wielded by a Native American comic book hero. It’s a triumph of injecting raw fun into games. It should be no surprise that it’s been remastered twice, and the franchise carries on.

Where does the franchise go from here?

With Turok: Dinosaur Hunter freshly polished for current-gen consoles, the question looms: what’s next for the franchise? Well, at the 2024 Game Awards, the franchise’s 6th mainline installment, Turok: Origins, was officially announced. From its released trailer and social media postings, Turok: Origins will continue the sci-fi dinosaur hunting from before but with some of its own flourishes. Namely, the game will be a 3rd-person shooter with co-op elements and RPG-progression mechanics. Fans of the franchise are living well right now with Nightdive Studio’s 2025 remaster of the original game and Turok: Origins on the horizon!