Frontier Developments, the creators behind Planet Coaster and Elite: Dangerous, have officially announced that Planet Zoo 2 is coming soon.
As an expansion and upgrade to the original Planet Zoo, the team has added numerous improvements to both gameplay and graphics. This starts with an almost complete overhaul of the native lighting system, thanks to the Cobra engine. Player zoos will now react to the sun and moon moving across the world, with shadows and lighting matching that motion. Even the trees and bushes react proportionally to the lighting.
Although the real focus of Planet Zoo 2 is, of course, the animals. Frontier has delivered on this front by creating entirely new animations, behaviours, and emotions, so much so that the animals can show you when they are thirsty, for example, just by watching their behaviour. All of this is complemented by much more fluid and detailed animations for animals like chimpanzees, who now climb and have fun on climbing frames that the player builds, which the chimps automatically adjust to.
The main cause of excitement for Planet Zoo 2 is potentially the brand-new addition of aquatic life and aviaries. Aquatic life is the more expansive of the two, with both freshwater and saltwater habitats housing larger fish like sea turtles and sunfish, and many fish often form groups called shoals. Be careful, though, as players will now have to take water filtration and cleaning into consideration via diving zookeepers.
Aviaries are the second major addition to Planet Zoo 2, each of which is, of course, fully customizable. Even down to the nets that cover the enclosures, players can customize how much slack they have, where the support poles are located and which birds live there. Speaking of birds, they have the power to fly anywhere in the enclosure and also perch anywhere in the enclosure, from random tree branches to specified player-built perch points.
Now, with all the animals in the game, there is a need for an expansive zoo to keep them in; that’s where the revamped build system comes into play. Building is the main pull for some in the Planet series of games, but it may not be enjoyable for others. Frontier has solved that problem for both types.
For those who love building, you will be glad to know that every building is now customizable, from the colour of the walls to which door you like the most, even letting you choose how the building is constructed. And for those who aren’t the biggest fans of micromanaging every aspect of the zoo, you will love hearing about the new blueprint system. Now, any player can share their creations on the Frontier Workshop for others to enjoy, download, and place, which eliminates the need to spend time creating such structures themselves.
Following the Planet tradition, players can also play in multiple different ways. Sandbox is the way to go for anyone who just wants to build the Zoo of their dreams. Franchise Mode expands on what can be done in the game, allowing players to establish a Global Wildlife Network and trade animals between each other in order to build credentials as an expert park builder. And lastly, Career Mode, the mainstay of the Planet games, where you globetrot around the planet to support and help many Zoos.
As one last treat, the people at Frontier Developments have also included the brand-new wildlife reserves. Located around the world in different biomes, players can simply let their animals roam free in their natural habitat, while also, of course, getting some customization in along the way.
Planet Zoo 2 is releasing on October 13th, 2026 and will be available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Make sure to go check out the Planet Zoo website if you want to know more about the new entry into the Planet series.
