Planet Zoo 2 Guide: Hub for Animals, Modes, and Building Tips

Planet Zoo 2 is the sequel to Planet Zoo, a zoo simulation game developed and published by Frontier Developments, scheduled for release on October 13, 2026. Players build and manage zoos worldwide, looking after a roster of land, fully aquatic, and flying species each with their own needs and behaviors, and design custom freshwater and saltwater aquariums and customizable aviaries. Beyond the zoo, the game introduces large, editable Wildlife Reserves where players complete conservation projects and release species into living ecosystems of their own making.

The launch roster includes around 121 animal species spread across Terrestrial, Flying (aviary), Aquarium, and Exhibit habitats. The Deluxe Edition adds 6 extra species on top of the standard roster, and Frontier reveals additional species on a weekly cadence through the official Zoopedia. See the full launch animal list and what each Zoopedia entry contains in the Animals and Zoopedia guide.

Planet Zoo 2 ships with four habitat housing types: Terrestrial, Flying (aviary), Aquarium, and Exhibit. Every habitat is gated by the same five families of requirements — barrier grade and height, terrain, water depth or flyable area, temperature, and cleanliness and integrity — and the welfare check is driven by species-specific values in the Zoopedia. See the Habitats overview for the four families and the building tips, plus the dedicated Aquarium and Aviary guides for the new Planet Zoo 2 habitat types.

Five climate categories are confirmed at launch: Tropical, Temperate, Desert, Taiga, and Tundra. The 9 scenery themes span 5 returning Planet Zoo 1 themes and 4 brand-new Planet Zoo 2 sets. Building tools cover piece-by-piece placement, scaling, flexi-color, the pathing system, foliage and terrain brushes, the new Aquarium and aviary tools, and player-shared blueprints from the Frontier Workshop. See the Biomes and Maps guide, the Scenery Themes guide, the Building Tools guide, and the Frontier Workshop guide.

The three main modes are Career, Franchise, and Sandbox. Career mode is the structured, scenario-driven path through FEN (Fauna and Ecosystems Network) missions. Franchise mode is the async animal marketplace running cross-platform. Sandbox mode unlocks the full launch roster and the new build tools without management restrictions. The 39 achievements span Zoo Management, Habitat Building, Wildlife Reserves, Conservation, Career Scenarios, Animal Collection, and Research milestones. See the Game Modes guide, the Walkthrough for Career mode, and the Achievements guide.

Planet Zoo 2 has no real-time multiplayer, no co-op mode, and no shared-session play. The only player-to-player contact is async animal trading inside Franchise mode and cross-platform content sharing through the Frontier Workshop. Wildlife Reserves are large editable regions outside the player's zoo where the player rehabilitates the site and releases animals in species-appropriate groups to raise biodiversity and accreditation. See the Multiplayer and Co-Op guide, the Animal Trading guide, the Wildlife Reserves guide, and the Conservation guide.

The 5-star Zoo Reputation collapses the multi-category system from Planet Zoo 1 into one overall bar calculated from Animal Husbandry, Sustainability, Guest Education, and Guest Experience. Guest income flows from admission tickets, donations, souvenirs, and marketing-driven attendance. Education is delivered through educator staff, education speakers, education boards, webcams, guided tours, and donation bins. See the Guests guide, the Zoo Rating guide, and the Education guide.

The Planet Zoo 2 camera and build hotkeys carry over from Planet Zoo 1 with the new building suite layered on top. The full set is exposed in Options > Controls and through the F1 contextual help panel. See the Controls and Hotkeys guide for the camera keys, the numeric build bar shortcuts, and the placement keys for paths, barriers, foliage, terrain, and the aviary roof.