Planet Zoo 2 is out, with aquariums, aviaries and wildlife reserves for the first time. * Post author:Hugo Ledger * Post published: October 16, 2026 * Post category:Consoles / News / PC * Post comments:0 Comments * Reading time:3 mins read Frontier Developments released Planet Zoo 2 on October 13, 2026, and the job is the 2019 one: build a habitat, stock it with animals, keep the budget upright. It's out on PC through Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. The Standard Edition costs $49.99 and the Deluxe Edition $64.99, which adds six animal species and some exclusive signs, per the Steam page. Planet Zoo 2 has more than 130 species, and for the first time some of them swim or fly. That means aquariums and aviaries, built with the piece-by-piece tools from the first game. Frontier's launch announcement calls the animals "the most true-to-life representation of animals in the series to date," and points to fur, feathers and scales. What wildlife reserves add outside the zoo walls. The bigger change to the management loop sits outside the zoo. Wildlife reserves are conservation sites around the world where you raise animals and then release them into an ecosystem you restore. Each reserve is a project with its own map, and you run them alongside your zoos. Career, Franchise and Sandbox modes return. Franchise is the online mode, where you trade animals with other players and work toward community goals. A new Planet Hub, which is one screen for your whole network of zoos and reserves, ties them together. There is also a first-person camera, so you can walk through your own zoo or through other players' builds from the Frontier Workshop. Discover more Preorder Games Try New Games The first Planet Zoo came out on PC in November 2019 and sold more than a million copies in about six months. It reached PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S as a Console Edition in March 2024. The sequel skips that wait and lands on all three on the same day, which by Frontier's own record counts as brisk. A Mixed score and a patch already out. Steam user reviews stood at Mixed on October 16, with 67% positive out of 3,012. Frontier has already posted Update 1.0.4. Its notes list several crash fixes and a fix for animals escaping their habitats by mistake. FSR and DLSS settings now work, and keybindings no longer reset when you open the Hub or animal trading. The notes do not say whether these are the complaints behind the score, so I won't either. If you still play the first game, you don't need to switch today. Wait for another patch and a steadier review score, then pick it up through Frontier's Planet Zoo 2 site or your platform's store.

Planet Zoo 2 gets update shortly after release with several bug fixes, more on the way. Frontier Developments has said that it wants to focus on a few key issues for future updates, like a variety of strange animal behaviors. Shortly following the release of Planet Zoo 2, developer Frontier Developments has released a new update for the zoo-keeping management sim. The studio has also confirmed that it is working on future updates that will focus on a few core areas that the studio has noted will continue to receive ongoing improvements. The issues listed by the team largely come down to the "complex nature of Planet Zoo 2's simulation," says the studio. These specific areas include animals jumping, climbing, and pouncing, animals not aligning with their enrichments correctly, animals erroneously escaping from habitats during certain behaviors, and animals being boxed more frequently than usual even when migrating in wild areas. Along with this, the team has said that it is still going through the feedback it has gotten from players about the core creative toolset offered by Planet Zoo 2. The team will also keep an eye on any fixes that might be required for the Franchise mode. As for what this update brings to the table, Planet Zoo 2 players can expect better performance across game modes like Franchise. FSR and DLSS have been fixed as well, along with an issue that caused the in-game audio to get distorted when the player cycled through heatmap tabs. For a full list of changes, check out the patch notes below. Planet Zoo 2 Update 1.0.4 patch notes: Key Changes * Various performance and stability improvements * Resolved several factors affecting Franchise Mode stability * Provided greater access to initial animal trading volumes in Franchise Mode * FSR and DLSS should now function correctly when selected in the Graphics menu * Resolved audio distortion when cycling though heatmap tabs * Fixed an issue where custom keybindings were being reset when opening the Hub, Animal Trading, or Animal Storage * Fixed several crashes * Updated the editable area of several sandbox maps * Improvements to several areas, including: * Animals erroneously escaping from habitats * Animal navigation, including a reduction in the frequency animals are automatically boxed * Animal animations, including climbing behaviour * Animal enrichment interactions * Animal breeding frequency and success rate * Shoal welfare requirements * Animal temperature calculations and notifications Stability & Performance * Various performance and stability improvements * Fixed several crashes: * When moving scenery out of a scenery group that would cause the old scenery group to be deleted * When entering and exiting the hub quickly * When attempting to multiselect multiple blueprints at the same time * Several improvements to the undo/redo function including fixing an occasional hardlock caused by selecting undo while using terrain sculpting tools * Resolved occasional inability to place objects after pressing the TAB key on a keyboard * Resolved an issue where later save slots would have the same medal total as save slot 1, prematurely unlocking career levels in that slot * Fixed an issue where scenario data was not being cleared when entering and exiting a different hub * Resolved boxed animals appearing in the opening cinematic of the Great Rift Valley Reserve scenario * Fixed an issue where the next scenario would not always unlock if the player saved and quit before completing it * Resolved audio cutting off unexpectedly during Great Rift Valley scenario * Fixed a localisation issue where the New England scenario incorrectly asked the player to place a souvenir shop instead of a gift shop * Resolved inability to list juvenile Shoals for trading in Franchise mode * Fixed issue with the Community Challenge panel not displaying all information * Fixed an issue where release groups would not display the correct CC reward value for completion * Fixed several terrestrial animals being removed when exporting a career or franchise zoo as a sandbox map * Improvements to several areas, including: * Animals erroneously escaping from habitats * Animal navigation, including a reduction in the frequency animals are automatically boxed * Animal animations, including climbing behaviour * Animal enrichment interactions * Animal breeding frequency and success rate * Shoal welfare requirements * Animal temperature calculations and notifications * Various updates and improvements to the Zoopedia * Updates to animal cohabitation lists * Fixed an issue where some animals did not show injuries after fights or predation * Fixed an issue where some feeder enrichments would not show food for specific species * Resolved Shoals teleporting after they die * Fixed wrong location being shown when entering a nest camera mode * Fixed an issue where juvenile birds in Wildlife Reserves could remain stuck in their nest if their group migrated while they were maturing * Added social group welfare information to shoal info panels * Fixed an issue where guests would use exhibit view points that are not on the path Park Management * Reduced the interest rates on low level loans * Guests will no longer float when sitting on specific seating * Resolved audio distortion when cycling though heatmap tabs * Fixed inconsistencies between park reputation and animal welfare * Fixed inconsistencies in average donation after the season ticks over * Fixed inability to pause time while in the Cinematic Route Editor camera mode * Keyframe timelines will no longer appear when using the "Hide UI" option in the Cinematic Route Editor camera mode * Improved player experience when navigating the Research menus * Fixed an issue where some guest and staff facilities were not being highlighted in the appropriate heatmaps Park Construction * Reduced the default angle snap increment to 1 degree rather than 15 degrees * Fixed an issue where placing down a habitat barrier after ysing the nature brush stops mouse and keyboard hotkeys from working until a different interface is opened * Various improvements and fixes to habitat blueprints * Updated the editable area of one of the Grassland sculpted sandbox maps to allow the deletion of the car park * Updated the editable area of one of the Temperate sculpted sandbox maps to allow deletion of the village * Updated the editable area of one of the Tropical sculpted sandbox maps to allow placement further along the beach and the deletion of some buildings * Updated the editable area of the China sculpted sandbox maps to give access to the whole plateau * Resolved object scale tool not functioning correctly with mouse input * Fixed Flexicolour not functioning for the Planet Wood Roof set * The Demolish Brush will remember its set height after closing and reopening the tool * Added a button to switch to removing the waterlogged and snow terrain * Fixed a number of issues with how invisible paths and path extras as being hidden * Fixed an issue where blueprints containing locked enrichment items were appearing before the player completed the appropriate research * Updated Small Steam Train pattern and flexicolour menu * Fixed "Snap to Adjacent Heights" barrier not functioning correctly Wildlife Reserves * Resolved zoo specific blueprints incorrectly appearing in the object browser while in Wildlife Reserves * Fixed an issue where animals would sometimes teleport in Wildlife Reserves * Resolved inability to view creator profiles through the object browser in Career Mode * Resolved chosen thumbnail screenshot not loading when uploading a blueprint to the workshop Avatar Editor * Added avatar costumes for completing the career * Fixed an issue where custom keybindings were being reset when opening the Hub, Animal Trading, or Animal Storage * Added customisable keybinding for Scale option under "Object Placement Controls" * Fixed inability to favourite Animal Market listings on Gamepad * Added ability to delete all items in a single multiselected group with a single key Localisation * Various Localisation fixes * Various fixes to the first person camera mode * Fixed Autosaves displaying incorrect icons and names Platform Specific * PC * "Ultra" graphics preset now sets Foliage Detail to Very High * FSR and DLSS should now function correctly when selected in the Graphics menu * PS5 * Fixed player info not appearing in the Franchise Animal Trading menu on PS5 * PS5 & XBS * Audio during career cinematics now pauses correctly when entering console OS menu Follow Gamingbolt:

"Welcome to the Channel Islands": Acclaimed zookeeping game to feature new 'Jersey-inspired' map. Ever dreamt of managing Jersey Zoo? Well, now's your chance. The world's most popular zookeeping simulation game series has announced that its latest release will feature an all-new Channel Islands map for its players to enjoy. Visuals for the new Jersey-inspired map were released for the first time yesterday as part of a trailer for Planet Zoo 2, which is due to launch on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series SIX on October 13. Its predecessor, Planet Zoo, was released on Windows on 5 November 2019 and sold over a million copies by May 2020. The game, which was widely praised for its attention-to-detail and emphasis on wildlife conservation, won the "Best Simulation Game" at Gamescom 2019. Video game publisher Frontier Developments are now upping the ante for Planet Zoo 2, with users able to build and manage both commercial zoos and wildlife reserves. Its new Channel Islands map has already led to widespread excitement online. "I'm a massive fan of Gerald Durrell," Reddit user 'AffableAndy' told the Bailiwick Express, "so I can't wait to use it!" He added: "A Zoo in My Luggage was my favourite book growing up, so my first building project will probably be looking for older maps of the Jersey zoo and trying to build a slightly more modern take on it. "I'm hoping there are some Durrell related easter eggs on the map." A spokesperson for Frontier Games confirmed that the Channel Islands map is "closely inspired by elements of Jersey and Guernsey". He added: "The location and landscape itself is actually even more closely based on Herm. "A member of the team is actually from the area and contributed his expertise to ensuring that we replicated the region in a considered way, taking into account the incredible landscape. "We can't wait to see how our players creatively use this location as they build breathtaking zoos, aquariums and aviaries, before releasing their animals into our stunning Wildlife Reserves!".