Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is based on the animated movie of the same name. The story follows Sid getting kidnapped by dinosaurs and his friends needing to save him. During the course of the game, the player takes control over six characters - most of them varying regarding gameplay.
The gameplay is mostly spent in a 3rd person platformer where the player controls their character while jumping over gaps, avoiding enemies, and collecting items. Depending on the character, the player has different attacks at their disposal. There are also numerous levels with different mini-games, such as a classic 2D platforming section, a side-scrolling shooter, balancing on a snowball, or dogfights while riding a pterodactyl.