How to Play the Dinosaur Game: Jump, Duck and Run
In the dinosaur game your dino runs on its own and you only do two things: jump (tap the screen or press Space or ↑) and duck (swipe down or press ↓). Jump over everything on the ground, duck under anything flying at head height, and keep going as the game speeds up. Your score grows with every metre you run, and the run ends when you bump into something.
The goal: run as far as you can
The dinosaur game is an endless runner. There are no levels and no finish line: the shore keeps coming, and the only question is how far you get. In GameLake's version, Dino Run, a cute coral dino runs along a lakeshore past reeds, rocks, logs and dragonflies. It's inspired by the famous offline dinosaur game that appears in web browsers when the internet goes down, and it plays the same way, so everything here works there too.
Your score is the distance you've run in metres, plus 10 points for every berry you pick up along the way. Your best score on each level is saved on your device.
The controls
| To… | On a phone or tablet | On a keyboard |
|---|---|---|
| Start running | Tap the shore | Space |
| Jump | Tap | Space, ↑ or W |
| Jump higher | Keep your finger down | Hold Space |
| Duck | Swipe down, or hold the ↓ button | Hold ↓ or S |
| Drop fast from a jump | Swipe down in the air | ↓ in the air |
| Pause | The pause button | P or Esc |
That's all there is: no running left or right, no attacks. The whole game is about timing those two moves.
Jumping: tap for short hops, hold for big ones
A quick tap makes a short hop: the dino stays in the air a little over half a second and rises to about one and a half times its own height. That's enough for reeds, rocks and short logs.
Hold the jump (keep your finger on the screen, or hold Space) and the dino keeps rising for a moment longer: a held jump goes about one and a half times as high and stays up about a third longer. You need it for long logs and, later in a run, for two obstacles close together that one jump has to clear.
Timing matters more than height. Jump too early and you come down on the obstacle; a quick jump still works right up until you reach it. If you press jump just before landing from a previous jump, the dino jumps again as soon as its feet touch the ground.
Ducking: only for dragonflies at head height
After the first stretch of shore, dragonflies start to zip in, a little faster than the ground moves. They fly at three heights, and each one needs something different:
Ducking in the air is useful too: it makes the dino drop fast, so if you jumped too early you can get back down in time for the next obstacle.
Everything on the shore, and what to do
| Obstacle | What it looks like | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Reeds | 1 to 3 cattails with brown heads | Tap to jump |
| Rock | A small or big grey stone | Tap to jump |
| Log | A long fallen log, sometimes with a mushroom | Hold for long ones |
| Two in a row | A small rock right behind something else | One held jump clears both |
| Low dragonfly | Flying just above the ground | Jump |
| Head-height dragonfly | Level with the dino's head | Duck |
| High dragonfly | Far above the dino | Nothing: run under it |
| Berries | Blue or pink bunches, some floating high | Run or jump into them: 10 points each |
Speed, night, and does it ever end?
The run speeds up the whole time until it reaches its top speed, about a minute and a half in on Medium. Faster means less time to react, but also longer jumps, so the timing changes as you go.
Every 700 metres dusk falls and the shore turns to night for a while, with stars, the moon and darker colours; then the sun comes back. Nothing else changes at night, but it's a classic moment to lose concentration.
And no, the game never ends on its own: the course goes on forever. A run only ends when you bump into something (on Easy you have three hearts, so it takes three bumps).
Modes, Teach me and the Classic look
- Easy starts slower, gives you 3 hearts and keeps dragonflies away for longer. Good for kids and first runs.
- Medium and Hard end the run on the first bump; Hard is faster from the start, with more dragonflies and tighter gaps.
- The Daily is the same course for every player that day, so you can compare distances with friends.
- Race puts you on the same course as another player at the same time. Their ghost dino runs beside you, and whoever gets furthest wins.
- Teach me has Hop the frog mark the next obstacle and call "jump" or "duck" at the right moment, with the reason. Coached runs don't count for your best score.
- Classic look switches to grey pixels on white, like the offline browser game, with the colours flipping at night.
Ready to beat your best? Read our dinosaur game tips for a high score, or just play Dino Run now.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play the dinosaur game?
Tap the screen or press Space to jump, and swipe down or press ↓ to duck. Jump over everything on the ground, duck under dragonflies at head height, and run as far as you can.
How do you jump higher in the dinosaur game?
Hold the jump instead of tapping it: keep your finger on the screen or hold Space. A held jump goes about one and a half times as high and stays in the air longer.
Does the dinosaur game ever end?
No. It's an endless runner: the course never runs out. It speeds up to a top speed and the run ends when you bump into something.
How do you duck on a phone?
Swipe down on the game, or press and hold the round ↓ button in the bottom corner. Let go to stand up again.
Can I play the dinosaur game without the internet going down?
Yes. Dino Run plays the same way in any browser, on phone or computer, whenever you like. It's free and needs no download or account.