Game: Planet Zoo 2
Genre: Simulation, Strategy
System: Steam (Windows)
Developer | Publisher: Frontier Developments
Controller Support: Compatible
Price: US $49.99 | UK £39.99 | EU € 49,99
Release Date: October 13th 2026
A review code was provided; many thanks to Press Engine.
What Is the Planet Zoo Franchise?
The first Planet Zoo game was released in 2019 and was developed by Frontier Developments, the same company responsible for Planet Coaster, another title that shares many similarities with Planet Zoo. The goal is simple: give players a chance to build a zoo, care for its animals and keep its visitors happy.
To build a zoo, you will need to start with the paving and a few core buildings that will make it possible to have a fully functional zoo, like the staff room, the animal trading center and the quarantine. Then, you build the habitats for your animals and adapt your space to meet their needs.
This is where it gets interesting: Planet Zoo has lots of options for your animals. Each species has a minimum exhibit area, needs access to not only water and food but also enrichment, correct terrain—dirt, tall and short grass, sand—and vegetation. You can also buy a terrarium for smaller species and adjust its temperature and humidity.
One of the best things about Planet Zoo is how detailed and intricate the mechanics are while still being intuitive. Every animal has its own detailed encyclopedia entry, with a general description and tips on how to properly create an ideal environment, as well as species that can share an exhibit. Planet Zoo 2 brings us this familiar experience, but with major improvements in several areas.
An Improved Version
Planet Zoo 2 is everything the first title wanted to be: a wide variety of animals, better building mechanics and new modes. It has improved paving, introduced fully aquatic animals and birds, created nature brushes to quickly paint vast areas with vegetation, improved the graphics, and added wildlife reserves.
The most important upgrades were the paving mechanics, which were simply horrible in the first game. It is even hard to describe how they originally worked, because they simply didn’t work—it was a nightmare to lay your paths and fit the buildings in it. But Planet Zoo 2 gives the system a major overhaul.
Now you can easily build paths in your zoo, and buildings will automatically fit wherever you like. There are also lots of options for creating curved or straight paths, changing building materials and railings, and even using a polygon tool to draw the shape you want. Definitely something that should have come with the first title, but it is never too late.
Another thing that is a huge step for the franchise is the addition of aquarium and aviary habitats. The first title did feel a little bit lacking in this aspect, as there were limited animal species options, especially at the beginning of career mode. Now there are so many more options to explore, and you don’t feel stuck with the same species for every zoo, and sandbox mode feels more complete.
The wildlife reserves were also a great and surprising addition to the game. They make the gameplay loop a lot more fitting, while you breed species in the zoos and release them in the wild. It is nice to restore biomes, remove invasive species, and introduce animals that will balance the local ecosystem. Now you can fully engage in efforts to preserve nature.
Bugs and Problems
It is important to note that Planet Zoo 2 was released with several bugs that genuinely bothered the community. A few players were greatly dissatisfied with the problems they encountered. While this was a huge problem in the first few weeks, the developers are making an effort to fix everything and make the game more enjoyable.
Right now, the game is fully playable with just minor inconveniences. A few of the bugs that I encountered could be relatively easy to fix, such as a filter point that could not be deleted or reaching a certain visitor-satisfaction level. The game crashed a few times, and it is not fully optimized, making my computer hum loudly on several occasions. But overall, it is a lot better than the first few weeks.
Conclusion
Planet Zoo 2 is a better version of the first game. The team managed to upgrade the gameplay to a whole new level and made the players’ lives much easier. It’s finally a much more enjoyable and easygoing experience with several new options and possibilities. The bugs are still a minor annoyance, but by now they can mostly be ignored.
I feel that this was the experience I was expecting when I played the first game. When I started playing, I could barely remember why I didn’t enjoy the first one. But comparing both games, it becomes quite clear what an advancement Planet Zoo 2 has brought to the franchise. Now I can finally rest assured that this title is the ultimate zoo simulator.
Final Verdict: I Like it a Lot.
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