Planet Zoo

Planet Zoo is a building simulation from Frontier Developments in which you develop a zoo from the ground up. You design enclosures, care for animals and balance conservation, visitor satisfaction and finances.

Animal species have different needs, so an attractive park alone is not enough: housing, staff and supplies must work just as well.

Planet Zoo was released for PC on Nov 5, 2019. The Console Edition followed on Mar 26, 2024 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

The console version took over many free improvements from the PC version and received a redesigned controller interface.

Planet Zoo is natively available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. On consoles, the building tools are adapted for controller use; alternatively, mouse and keyboard are supported.

No standalone version of the original Planet Zoo was released for PS4, Xbox One or Nintendo Switch.

You plan paths, enclosures, visitor attractions and work areas and decide how your zoo expands. Animals need suitable habitats, while guests expect reachable attractions and services.

Ongoing costs for staff, research and infrastructure also help determine whether a zoo works in the long run.

Expansions bring additional animal species, building parts and, in some cases, new scenarios. The Arctic Pack, South America Pack and Conservation Pack each set different thematic focuses.

For the Console Edition, the PC expansions were gradually brought to consoles. Deluxe and Ultimate editions bundle additional content but are not new standalone games.

Steam lists at least an Intel Core i5-2500 or AMD FX-6350, 8 GB RAM and a GeForce GTX 770 with 2 GB or Radeon R9 270X with 2 GB. Recommended are a Core i7-4770K or Ryzen 5 1600, 16 GB RAM and a GTX 1070 with 8 GB or RX 580 with 8 GB.

Installation requires 16 GB of free storage.

The Zoopedia describes the needs of each animal species. Food, space, climate, retreat areas and social behavior affect how well your animals are doing.

Research and successful breeding help develop animal care further. Conservation is therefore part of the gameplay and not just decoration.

Terrain shapes, paths, boundaries, plants and building parts can be edited extensively. You can build large animal enclosures or design every detail of an enclosure yourself.

In Sandbox, creative freedom takes center stage, while the other modes factor in economic goals and other restrictions.

Career mode leads through pre-built zoos with goals and tasks. Franchise links several of your own parks, Challenge mode focuses on independent management, and Sandbox focuses on free building.

Three difficulty levels change the challenge. Settings can also be adjusted during an ongoing game.

Planet Zoo is a single-player game. On PC, creations can be shared via the Steam Workshop, and on console via the Frontier Workshop.

PS5 and Xbox Series players can use designs from the other console platform. The animal trade in Franchise mode remains limited to your own console platform.

The console version adapts the interface and building tools to controller input. A complexity meter helps you keep an eye on the size and technical load of your zoo.

The Frontier Workshop lets you share building plans between PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S too.

Planet Zoo offers German on-screen text and, on PlayStation 5, German voice audio. The controls of the Console Edition were reworked for gamepads; on PC, keyboard and mouse are the focus.