Turok knows a thing or two about rebirth. The original character debuted in a 1950s comic book but came to wider attention after Valiant Comics revived him as Turok: Dinosaur Hunter in the early ’90s. It was this comic that became the basis for the game series that began on the N64, which was arguably the most influential console-based shooter of the time after GoldenEye. Following 17 years of dormancy after the mixed reception of its 2008 self-titled reboot (while it wasn’t actually a commercial flop, a sequel was nonetheless canned), Saber Interactive has stepped up to the plate to make the cycle begin anew with Turok: Origins.
I was admittedly skeptical when it was first announced at last year’s Game Awards, as it seemed to be a third-person co-op shooter. The good news from my first hands-on at Gamescom 2025 is that the game can be played in both first- and third-person, and while this preview session was about getting a feel for the co-op PvE gameplay for up to three players, members of Saber Interactive’s Madrid-based team assured us that it will also be possible to play the game solo without AI allies, so as to stay true to the original single-player experience of the series.
But most importantly, Turok: Origins gets back to the fundamental core of what you want from a Turok game: killing dinosaurs with big guns.
There are, of course, some twists to that formula. As the subtitle suggests, this is a revival that goes back in the timeline, to well before the original game. Turok isn’t the name of a character but rather a tribe of hunters, while still very much taking its inspiration from tribes indigenous to North America. As you would expect from a team-based game, you have a choice of different classes to play as, each inspired by different spirit animals–Raven, Cougar, and Bison–which dictate the loadout and abilities you have, though you’re free to change classes before each mission starts.
The dinos are actually referred to as Xenia, a hostile reptilian force that’s predominantly made up of familiar four-legged lizards, though this also gives license to introduce some more humanoid enemies, as well as what could be best described as a troll with scales. But wisely, the first mission in this demo gave me what I wanted from the outset, which was to drop us into a prehistoric-looking jungle while being jumped by waves of raptors. They were a blast to dispatch, whether I was playing with a first- or third-person perspective, which is something that you can seamlessly switch between. The third-person option also lets you toggle which shoulder the camera is behind.
The reason behind the controls feeling so good may be down to the developer confirming that the pipelines for first-person and third-person are actually separate, so they do feel distinct. You can also see some differences such as how, when hitting crouch while sprinting, you’ll perform a slide in first-person but roll forward when in third-person. Melee is also an option, and even when playing in first-person, the camera will always pull back to third-person. I can see how this is more ideal for performing a variety of brutal cinematic finishers; when you’ve weakened a dino to the point they’re glowing yellow, your prompt to move in as your hunter rips them apart from their long jaw.
As cool as some of these execution animations were, I couldn’t do them as often as I wanted, mostly because another teammate was still raining ammo on them and finished them off before I could press the prompt in time. In a subsequent mission inside an ancient temple, the team was able to split up to tackle threats coming from different directions, which gave me more opportunity to dispatch Xenia as I saw fit. At the same time, I was also trying out each of the available, first with the automatic-toting Cougar, and then the tankier Bison and their close-range shotgun.
Each class also has three unique cooldown-based abilities as well as an ultimate, typical of modern class-based shooters. After a couple of missions, I found my groove with Raven’s long range bow, and I was pulling off many satisfying headshots. One downside, though, was if I didn’t kill them instantly, then I’d be too far away to run in for the killing blow. Despite this, it was with this Raven class that I used their abilities with the most confidence, including one where they charged up a sort of rallying cry that instantly killed weak enemies, summoned a swarm of glowing wasps to attack a nearby target, or created a temporary barrier against projectiles.
I nonetheless did return to Cougar for the demo’s final encounter, an arena boss fight against a huge Triceratops that almost had a whiff of Monster Hunter about it. With my medium-ranged auto-plasma shots, it was a good way of landing hits from a distance while being able to dodge when it charged at me with its horns. The Cougar’s ultimate is also especially useful by temporarily granting you a very powerful bow that you can let loose an infinite supply of arrows.
There was quite a lot to take in, as the developer ushered us through a varied and curated experience within 30 minutes. To ensure a tight pace, the dev made everyone gather in a glowing blue circle when it was time to advance to the next part of a mission–which also meant some optional paths were deliberately walled off for the demo. Even in this more linear structure, however, I still had the opportunity to use my grapple to swing up over certain walls or jump up to higher ground to take down out-of-reach enemies. That kind of platforming traversal is another hallmark from the original Turok games that carries over here.
While I would still prefer to be able to get the chance to experience Turok: Origins in a single-player scenario, this first hands-on has nonetheless put aside any initial doubts I might have had. In Saber Interactive Spain’s hands, a franchise many had assumed would remain a fossil looks like it’s getting a revival that could actually stick around this time.
Turok: Origins is coming soon to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
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