Planet Zoo 2 beginner guide: modes, aquariums, reserves, tips

This Planet Zoo 2 beginner guide covers the choices that matter in your first hours: which mode to start in, how accreditation unlocks animals, how to keep aquariums and drinking water clean, how to set up staff work zones and how Wildlife Reserves differ from zoos. Everything below is based on Frontier Developments' own player guides and Steam announcements, so it reflects how the game is meant to be played rather than guesswork.

Frontier's own getting-started video for new Zookeepers. Video: Planet Zoo 2.

What Planet Zoo 2 is and what you need

Planet Zoo 2 is a zoo construction and management simulation developed and published by Frontier Developments, the sequel to 2019's Planet Zoo. It launched on October 13, 2026 on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, and the Steam page lists it at $49.99. New this time are fully aquatic and fully flying species, plus Wildlife Reserves where you release animals back into customisable living ecosystems. Four new scenery themes join five returning ones from the original game.

On PC the Steam page lists minimum specs of an Intel i7-8700K or AMD Ryzen 5 3600, 16 GB of RAM, an RTX 2060 or RX 5600 XT with 6 GB of VRAM, DirectX 12 and 40 GB of storage, with an SSD recommended. The recommended tier asks for Windows 11, an i7-10700K or Ryzen 7 5800X, an RTX 3070 or RX 6700 XT and an SSD. Frontier also notes that Microsoft has ended support for Windows 10, so ongoing compatibility there cannot be guaranteed. Metacritic shows 84 for the PC version, according to Steam.

Pick the right mode

There are three ways to play, and Frontier is clear about who each is for.

If you have never played a Planet game, start in Career. It introduces the systems in order and is the quickest way to unlock higher accreditation tiers. When you first launch the game you are asked to choose between New to Planet Zoo, Returning Planet Zoo Player and Planet Zoo Expert; the first two switch on the Essentials filter by default.

Turn on Essentials and fix your camera

• Use the Essentials filter. It is a browser option that shows only the items needed to run a functioning zoo. It applies to Facilities and Habitats and lists the functional blueprints of the staff and animal-care buildings plus the items for habitats and your Zoo Rating. Press the Essentials button to toggle it.
• Enable edge scrolling. It is off by default. On PC go to Settings > Keyboard and Mouse and select Edge Scrolling, where you can also change its speed. On console it is under Settings > Camera Behaviour.
• Try Advanced path mode. It adds Length Snap, Working Height, Height Snap, Pointed Corners, cutting through an existing path and T-junction joining, plus a Corner Radius Editor and Edit Widgets.

Accreditation: how you unlock more animals

Your Accreditation Tier unlocks more animals in Trading, improves your marketing and raises your animal storage capacity. How you earn it differs by mode. In Career you gain tiers by earning medals from scenario zoos and Wildlife Reserves. In Franchise and Sandbox you raise it through a high Zoo Reputation in zoos and a high Biodiversity Rating in reserves. In Sandbox you can also set the options so that every animal is unlocked from the start.

1. Run on clean powerFrontier's tip is to increase Sustainability by powering the zoo only with solar and placing plenty of recycling bins.
2. Release juveniles into reservesYou do not need to wait for adults; young animals exist in the wild too, and releasing them boosts the reserve's Biodiversity score.
3. Buy species to releaseAnimals bought in the Trading Centre for Conservation Credits can be released, a fast way to add species diversity.
4. Raise Guest ExperienceDecorate well, offer plenty of food and drink, and keep a good range of animals in view, including exhibit, avian and aquatic species.
5. Raise Guest EducationPlace an Education Board for each topic on every animal in the zoo and keep researching to unlock new topics.

Keep Zoo Reputation healthy

Zoo Reputation measures how well the zoo performs, and the higher it is the more guests visit. It is built from four ratings, which you can review under Management > Overview: Animal Husbandry, Sustainability, Guest Education and Guest Experience. Frontier's advice is simple: find the lowest of the four, fix it, check back and repeat. The graphs in Management > Overview > Graph show trends over time.

• Animal Husbandry is driven by the average welfare of all animals and by how many are in the Thriving state. Sort the Animals screen by lowest welfare and fix those animals first, and complete research to learn Thriving requirements.
• Sustainability rises with the number of sustainable power sources and recycling bins, so swap standard generators for wind turbines or solar panels when you can afford it.
• Guest Education rewards the quality and diversity of education, including covering the topics relevant to the animals you keep.
• Guest Experience reflects how well guests' needs are met and how appealing the zoo looks.

The Management tab also has Finances, Animals, Guests, Staff, Facilities and Education reports, and a Heatmaps toggle on the HUD shows animal welfare, habitats, buildings, utilities, education coverage, guest needs and staff happiness. When something looks wrong, a heatmap is usually the fastest diagnosis.

Pin animal needs before you build

Building a habitat takes time, so check what the animals want first. Select the habitat, open the Animals tab in the Info Panel and choose Pin Species. Pick the species you want, select + Add to Selection and then Confirm Selection, and the game shows the animals' combined requirements. You can then build to those numbers instead of guessing, and the Zoopedia lists each species' preferred ranges for temperature, salinity and more.

Build aquariums that stay clean

Aquariums are a new habitat type, alongside aviaries, and they house the fully aquatic species. Frontier's build steps are short.

1. Draw the barrierSelect the Habitat Barrier tool, choose Aquarium, then use the Line or Curve tool to draw the Aquarium Barrier.
2. Add the staff gatePlace an Aquarium Staff Gate and the space fills with water automatically. Water is Freshwater by default.
3. Set salinityConnect the tank to a Filtration System, which sets the salinity to Freshwater, Brackish or Saltwater.
4. Fill the needsAdd feeders, nests and enrichment from the Aquarium tab, then decorate with aquatic foliage, scenery and terrain tools.
5. Send in a keeperStaff dive in through the gate in diving suits, so raise the gate off the ground if needed and keep keepers assigned to clean the tank.

Maintenance is where beginners slip. Aquarium Barriers lose condition over time and start to crack, and Mechanics must service them; if condition gets too low, leaks appear. Guests flee near leaks, and an Inspector who spots one ends the inspection and issues a fine. Water cleanliness drops whenever the filtration rate from the connected network is lower than the aquarium's demand, which grows with water volume and animal count. To edit a tank you must first empty it: use the Drain Water button beneath the Info Panel, after boxing up the animals. Temperature is set in the Environment tab if the tank is powered at the gate, and a big gap between the set temperature and the weather raises running costs.

Build a filtration network for drinking water too

Filtration is not only for aquariums. Terrestrial animals need drinking water, and a body of water only counts as drinking water if it is Freshwater and connected to a Water Pump. Frontier's tips:

• Put a pump in range. Place a Water Pump within the radius of any natural body of water in a habitat. Bigger bodies need more pumps and filters.
• Separate salinities. The network sets salinity for everything connected, and some aquatic species get sick and die in the wrong salinity, so build separate networks for each salinity you need.
• Keep filters reachable. Water Filters lose condition and need Mechanics, so connect them to a path.
• Mind the power. Facilities need nearby power. Eco-friendly power has better range, no running costs and helps Sustainability, but costs more up front.

Use staff work zones

If staff run back and forth across the zoo while some animals go unattended, create Work Zones. A Work Zone is a collection of Facilities that you assign staff to, so they stay local instead of chasing the next available task. Create one under Management > Staff > Work Zones, then assign staff there or from the Employment tab of a staff member's Info Panel. Place the keeper hut as close to the habitats as you can, and add a Staff Room to each zone so workers stay rested.

Wildlife Reserves in a nutshell

Reserves are large natural spaces where you release groups of animals once conditions are right. Each has a Biodiversity Rating made of an Ecosystem Rating and a Research Rating. To raise the first, paint an Ecosystem with the Ecosystem Brush, meet its area, terrain and nature requirements so it becomes Established, remove Environmental Pollution and Invasive Flora with the Demolish Brush, and add suitable species. An Established Ecosystem can become Flourishing once releases fill all its required Ecosystem Roles. To raise the Research Rating, build Observation Platforms, Camera Traps and Acoustic Monitors in networks, keeping platform coverage from overlapping. The Nature Brush covers large areas quickly.

Patches and what to expect next

Frontier publishes an Under Investigation article on Steam and its site, last updated November 4, which lists fixes in testing. It names a next planned update for the week of November 9, with fixes for several crashes, a campaign-storage hardlock, sold animals reappearing in storage, staff getting stuck holding boxed animals, guest appeal balance between food and drink shops and restaurants, and Sand Tiger Sharks getting stuck. It also lists removing accreditation requirements for the Deluxe Edition species Golden Eagle, Golden Lion Tamarin, Great Hammerhead Shark, Axolotl and Blue and Gold Fusilier. Under investigation for later are automated exhibit population management, greater control of seasons in Sandbox, seasonal staff clothing and extra Sandbox maps, starting with North American Grasslands and European Grasslands. These are plans, not promises, and Frontier says it is not a full list.

The most recent patch, update 1.0.9 on November 5, was an immediate fix for a crash tied to the Loony Bloons shop and counter and Souvenir shops. Frontier says affected saves are intact and zoos that crashed on load should open again. If you enjoy management sims, our Probably Stolen roadmap news covers another fast-moving shopkeeper sim. More guides will land on the Planet Zoo 2 hub and in our guides section.

FAQ

Which mode should I start with in Planet Zoo 2?

Career. Frontier recommends it for newcomers because its scenarios teach the tools for running zoos and Wildlife Reserves, and it unlocks accreditation tiers through medals.

How do I unlock more animals?

Raise your Accreditation Tier. In Career that means earning medals; in Franchise and Sandbox it means a high Zoo Reputation and a high Biodiversity Rating in reserves. In Sandbox you can also unlock all animals in the settings.

Why are my aquarium animals getting sick?

Check salinity, temperature, water cleanliness and barrier condition. The tank must be on a filtration network whose rate exceeds its demand, set to the right salinity, and its barriers need Mechanics to service them.

How do I stop staff walking across the whole zoo?

Create Work Zones under Management > Staff > Work Zones and assign staff to them, placing keeper huts and staff rooms inside each zone.

Is Planet Zoo 2 on console?

Yes. It launched on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S as well as PC, according to Wikipedia, and Frontier lists console control settings in its guides.

Jules Rivera Souls specialist

Has finished every FromSoftware game at level 1. Writes the boss guides and checks them on every patch.