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Planet Zoo 2 releases on October 13, 2026, at 3 p.m. BST (14:00 UTC). Frontier Developments’ sequel expands the management-simulation formula beyond traditional zoo enclosures: you build and run zoos, then undertake conservation projects in large, customizable Wildlife Reserves. It is launching on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
What Planet Zoo 2 is about
Planet Zoo 2 combines detailed zoo management with expansive wildlife preserves. In campaign missions, you move between projects that can involve improving an existing zoo, caring for animals in exhibits and meeting requirements to release them into reserves. Sandbox mode lets you start with a blank slate instead of following the campaign’s objectives.
Frontier describes the reserves as “fully customisable, expansive Wildlife Reserves across the globe in living ecosystems created by you.” That is publisher wording about the game’s fictional systems, not evidence of real-world conservation outcomes.
Release date, launch time and platforms
- Release date: October 13, 2026
- Launch time announced by Frontier: 3 p.m. BST, which is 14:00 UTC
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S
- Developer and publisher: Frontier Developments
The stated time is a global launch reference; your local release time can differ depending on your time zone and storefront.
#1 Best Overall
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What is new in Planet Zoo 2?
Flying birds and fully aquatic species
Birds and marine life are the sequel’s headline additions. Frontier says the game includes more than 130 animals, including flying birds and fully aquatic species for the first time in the series. The store description also highlights customizable freshwater and saltwater aquariums, giving players a new type of habitat to design and manage.
Wildlife Reserves beyond conventional enclosures
Instead of keeping every animal in a conventional exhibit, campaign projects can lead to broad reserves where animals occupy much larger spaces. During a hands-on session, Shacknews writer Lucas White described moving giraffes from captivity into a substantially larger reserve as a particularly satisfying moment. He also encountered shoebills, elephants, zebras and hippos while driving through a preserve to photograph animals.
Rank #2
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More precise habitat and visitor management
The management tools let you adjust foliage, flooring shape and material, visitor boundaries and barriers. Difficulty settings control how much guidance the interface provides, so players can choose a more assisted introduction or take on more of the planning themselves.
How the campaign plays
- Explore a preserve: One campaign task has you drive through a reserve and photograph wildlife.
- Improve an existing zoo: Another sequence asks you to alter paths and work on a prebuilt facility rather than beginning from nothing.
- Create or modify habitats: You can construct paths and barriers, place foliage and flooring, and shape animal spaces around your design.
- Manage animal transfers: Missions can include setting up an aardvark exhibit and rehoming giraffes, including transfers into reserve environments.
- Continue with your own rules: Sandbox mode removes campaign constraints and allows a custom zoo project from the start.
Hands-on strengths and limitations
Why the preserves stand out
White’s preview found the preserves impressive for their scale, detail and depiction of animals outside standard enclosures. The larger environments make animal transfers feel like a meaningful part of the management loop rather than a simple exhibit upgrade.
Rank #3
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Precision placement can be frustrating
The same preview found it difficult to draw neat path or flooring edges close to barriers, using both a mouse and a controller. The imprecision did not trigger an in-game penalty, but players who enjoy perfectly aligned layouts may need patience when working around tight boundaries. This is one writer’s hands-on impression, not a platform-wide performance test or review consensus.
Standard and Deluxe editions
The Steam listing identifies a Standard Edition and a Deluxe Edition. The Deluxe upgrade adds six animal species and exclusive animal signs. Storefront prices and regional availability can change, so check your platform’s current listing before buying.
Rank #4
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| Edition | Confirmed content | What is not established here |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | Base game | Regional price and any platform-specific differences |
| Deluxe upgrade | Six additional animal species and exclusive animal signs | Regional price and cross-platform feature parity |
The available information does not establish technical-performance differences between PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions.
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Animal count and aquarium scope
Frontier’s launch announcement states that Planet Zoo 2 has “over 130 awesome animals,” with flying birds and fully aquatic species included. That is a publisher figure for the game’s roster. The official description’s freshwater and saltwater aquarium features indicate that aquatic habitats are designed as customizable management spaces, not merely decorative tanks.
Best Value
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- Powerful Pass-Through Charging: Supports up to 85W pass-through charging so you can power up your laptop while you use the hub. Note: Pass-through charging requires a charger (not included). Note: To achieve full power for iPad, we recommend using a 45W wall charger.
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- HD Display: Connect to the HDMI port to stream or mirror content to an external monitor in resolutions of up to 4K@30Hz. Note: The USB-C ports do not support video output.
- What You Get: Anker 332 USB-C Hub (5-in-1), welcome guide, our worry-free 18-month warranty, and friendly customer service.
Who should play it?
- Choose it if you want: a detailed management simulator combining traditional zoos, aquariums and large wildlife reserves.
- Choose campaign mode if you want: guided objectives such as photography, habitat construction and animal rehoming.
- Choose sandbox mode if you want: to plan a zoo from scratch without campaign requirements.
- Expect a learning curve if you want: highly precise paths, flooring and barrier layouts; the hands-on preview found those details fiddly.
Bottom line
Planet Zoo 2 broadens the series from managing enclosed zoo exhibits to managing a connected set of zoos and expansive wildlife reserves. Its October 13 launch brings more than 130 animals, with flying birds and fully aquatic species as the most visible additions. The concept is especially appealing if you want conservation-themed objectives and large, naturalistic spaces, while the detailed construction tools may demand patience when you are aligning paths and flooring near barriers.
Quick Recap
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