Planet Zoo 2 Launches Today — Aquariums, Flying Aviaries, and a Global Conservation Network Arrive

Seven Years Later, the Zoo Gets a Real Sequel

Planet Zoo was already the benchmark for zoo management games when it launched in 2019. Seven years later, Frontier Developments releases Planet Zoo 2 today — and it does not just add more animals. The sequel addresses the structural limitations that longtime players have been requesting since day one.

What Is Actually New

The biggest addition is fully aquatic species. In the original game, aquatic animals were constrained to semi-aquatic enclosures. Planet Zoo 2 introduces proper aquariums: filtration systems, colourful shoals of fish, Blacktip Reef Sharks, and Hawksbill Turtles in purpose-built underwater habitats. This is not cosmetic — aquarium management introduces new care mechanics that operate differently from land enclosures.

Birds have also been completely overhauled. In Planet Zoo, birds were essentially ornamental. In the sequel, they fly freely inside fully customisable aviaries built from adjustable barriers, support poles, and dynamic mesh covers. The mesh system lets you shape enclosures around terrain in ways the original’s rigid fencing never allowed.

The deeper structural change is the Wildlife Reserve and Planet Hub system. Animals in your zoo can now be sent out to Wildlife Reserves, which function as off-site conservation areas. Multiple zoos and reserves connect through the Planet Hub into a shared conservation network — meaning your management decisions ripple beyond your park’s fences. It turns a single-zoo tycoon game into something closer to an ecosystem management sim.

Building Gets Smarter

On the construction side, path tools and terrain brushes have been expanded. Nature brushes can be customised and saved, addressing one of the persistent friction points in the original game’s terraforming workflow. Scenery scales more precisely, and the system for laying paths near complex terrain has been reworked.

The Deluxe Edition bundles the base game with a Deluxe Upgrade Pack adding six additional animal species at launch.

Platforms and Availability

Planet Zoo 2 launches today, October 13, on Steam, the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S — a significant expansion from the original, which was PC-exclusive at launch. No full reviews have published yet, but hands-on previews describe the animal behaviour systems as meaningfully more realistic than the original. With over a decade of post-launch DLC behind Planet Zoo, the sequel starts from a higher base than most zoo sims ever reach.