
The player can also use radar and a dinosaur call to aid in the capture of animals. The choice of weapons is limited with only a pistol, a shotgun, a sniper rifle, and a crossbow. A total of 15 dinosaurs are available, each species has varying levels of sight, smell, and hearing that alerts them to the presence of the hunter. Included in the game is a survival mode, whose main purpose is to improve the aim of the player as multiple waves of dinosaurs approach, while hunt mode allows the player to select specific dinosaurs to hunt.

Carnivorous dinosaurs such as Allosaurus and Velociraptor immediately go on the offensive after spotting the player but can be easily subdued, the Tyrannosaurus rex on the other hand requires a direct shot to the eye area before it can be killed. Players start out hunting herbivorous dinosaurs, which flee upon spotting the player. Whilst these animals can be killed (with the exception of the Brachiosaurus), they do not award the player any points for doing so. The game includes a mixed roster of dinosaurs and other additional creatures used to populate the maps. The player is allowed to choose from a variety of locations to hunt in, multiple dinosaurs, and a varied array of weapons to hunt with time of day can be changed and a number of accessories can be taken to aid the player in the hunt.

Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter is an updated port of the first Carnivores (1998), and follows a similar format set by the first three entries in the Carnivores series.
