All Planet Zoo 2 News & Updates So Far
Planet Zoo 2 is officially coming, and I couldn’t be more excited. The announcement exceeded my expectations, especially with all the new features! We’re getting aquariums AND birds?!
There’s a lot to cover, so I’ve put together everything we know so far in this post. I’ll keep it updated with the latest news and developments as they are released.
If you want more updates, you can follow me on social media. I share the latest news there too!
Once Planet Zoo 2 is out, I’ll redo my colourmorph series and include a full list of every colour variation for each animal as I did with the first game!
Planet Zoo 2 is set to release 13 October 2026.
First Trailer
Gameplay Trailer
The Animals of Planet Zoo 2
Right now, around 41 animals have been confirmed for Planet Zoo 2, including 5 deluxe animals. The first Planet Zoo launched with 73 species, including both habitat and exhibit animals, so we’ll see more announced before release.
Here are the animals confirmed so far:
Land Animals
- Sumatran tiger
- African savanna elephant
- Plains zebra
- Western chimpanzee
- Blue wildebeest
- Masai giraffe
- Saltwater crocodile
- Eurasian beaver
- Red deer
- Lion*
- Golden lion tamarin (deluxe edition)
- Common hippopotamus
- African penguin
- European bison
- Goodfellows tree-kangaroo
- Red panda
- Eurasian brown bear
*The lion was originally listed as “African Lion” but was quickly changed to just “Lion”.
Aquatic Animals
- Hawksbill sea turtle
- Penant coralfish
- Ocean sunfish
- Yellow tang
- Blue tang
- Spotted eagle ray
- Pacific sardine
- Blacktipped reef shark
- Blackspotted puffer
- Humphead wrasse
- Golden trevally
- Brown trout
- Blue and gold fusilier (deluxe edition)
- Hammerhead shark (deluxe edition)
- Longfin batfish (deluxe edition)
Birds
- Toco toucan
- Secretarybird
- White-tailed sea eagles
- Great hornbill
- Golden eagle (deluxe edition)
Exhibit Animals
- Golden poison frog
- Danube crested newt
- European peacock (butterfly)
- Axolotl (deluxe edition)
Improved Animal Behaviours
Planet Zoo 2 is set to bring even more realistic animal behaviour, with animals now interacting with their habitats in new ways, like feeding on plants (and hopefully grass!).
They will also interact more with their environment, scratching and rubbing on plants, rocks, and trees.
From this photo, it also looks like parents and their young will have more natural interactions.
There are also tiger cubs playing together, showing off the improved interactions between baby animals.
In the trailer and promo photos, you can see a chimp swinging along a beam and even napping up in a branch, which wasn’t possible in Planet Zoo. Animals will also be able to jump from one beam to another if the beams are close enough and the jump is physically possible.
We can also see herding behaviour in the wildlife reserves shown in the trailers. Frontier has also revealed that herds will be of different sizes and animals may branch off.
Another improvement from Planet Zoo, is that animals will show when they’re unhappy through their sounds, mood and behaviour. For example, they might seem tired or less active when their habitat doesn’t fit their needs. It will also affect their vocalisations.
Frontier has also stated that in Planet Zoo 2, cohabitation plays a larger role in managing your zoo, though they haven’t shared many details yet. From the trailer, we can already spot a few habitats where different animals live together, so there’s a chance this might play a bigger role in an animals happiness.
There’s also a big leap in the graphics in Planet Zoo 2, and it’s not just the animals that has an upgrade, look at that lighting!
Update (22/06/2026): Animals will trot, not just walk and run. They will also move sideways around objects in their habitat.
Breeding
In the latest feature focus Frontier confirmed that animals will breed seasonally and will have visible pregnant bellies!
We also see a saltwater crocodile on top of a possible nest, which means there’s a possibilty that animals will lay eggs in Planet Zoo 2!
Realistic Environments
Planet Zoo 2 will introduce changing seasons, a variety of weather conditions, and longer in-game years, making your zoo feel even more realistic compared to the original Planet Zoo.
The trailer highlights several new habitats, like one that lets guests walk above a zebra enclosure. It looks like building these kinds of pathways might be simpler in Planet Zoo 2.
The way water responds to animal movement in the trailer is also a noticeable improvement over Planet Zoo. At the end of the trailer, you can see how the water ripples as the baby elephant moves.
We’re finally getting birds, and they’ll be able to perch on branches and react to their surroundings. Just like the butterfly and bat houses in Planet Zoo, guests will be able to walk through the aviaries to see the birds up close.
To build aviaries, players will place poles, and a net will be automatically generated.
Aquariums
One of the things I’m obviously most excited about – aquariums! We will be able to design both freshwater and saltwater exhibits. This will include managing filtration systems and making sure keepers have easy access to care for aquatic animals.
Guests will also be able to get better views of these animals with aquarium tunnels.
While larger aquatic animals will be treated as individuals, smaller fish will be treated as shoals.
Frontier has paid close attention to small details, like making sure fish stay at the same depth in the water as they do in real life. For example, bottom dwellers will stay near the floor of the aquarium.
As with habitats, we will need to keep in mind which species are compatible and make sure to avoid putting predators and prey together.
Frontier’s statement on adding cetaceans to the game:
Whilst we know dolphins, whales and porpoises are popular species in the natural world, it is important to us that all animals represented in Planet Zoo 2 have environments that best reflect their requirements. We’re mindful that there is a lot of ongoing research on conservation for cetaceans and how re-wilding programmes for species within this group are handled by modern aquariums. As with a number of other species, we’re keeping a close eye on how the conservation community’s work evolves in this area.
Education
Educating zoo guests is also getting an upgrade, with players being able to create immersive spaces that help visitors learn about and connect with animals.
I’m really curious to see how this will work and what it means by “immersive spaces”. One of the pre-order bonuses is an interactive tiger wall, similar to the ones in Planet Zoo, but it looks like guests will be able take photos with their heads in the cutouts.
Themes
Planet Zoo 2 is bringing back five familiar themes from the original game, along with four new ones. This includes the return of the Planet theme, as well as north, south, east, and west themes.
Game Modes
Planet Zoo 2 will include the same three game modes as the first game: career, sandbox, and franchise.
Franchise will look a little different in Planet Zoo 2 with the introduction of wildlife reserves.
Wildlife Reserves
This is one of the most exciting updates! You’ll not only manage zoos but also see your conservation efforts in action with new wildlife reserves.
Now, instead of releasing animals and never seeing them again, it sounds like you will be able to monitor them after their release and watch as you rewild a network of reserves.
Releasing animals also looks a bit more involved than in Planet Zoo. You’ll need to finish conservation projects and meet certain requirements before you can add animals to your reserves.
You’ll get to design these reserves yourself, and they’ll also be hubs for research instead of just using a research building in your zoo. I love how all your zoos and wildlife reserves will be connected and work together, in what Planet Zoo 2 is calling FEN (Fauna and Ecosystems Network).
However, not all animals will be able to be released into wildlife reserves.
Educating our players on the natural world is an important part of the potential role that Planet Zoo 2 can play in global animal conservation and awareness. Something we’re very aware of is how we represent the incredible species that make up Planet Zoo 2, and this means that only species with an appropriate Wildlife Reserve can be released into these spaces. We consider each Wildlife Reserve carefully, identifying landscapes where we can include a mix of our animal roster to make these spaces feel as alive as our animals do. We’re looking at how we can continue to explore the wider, wild world with Wildlife Reserves, and how our species list grows with them.
Update (22/06/2026): Animals will be able to have babies in wildlife reserves as long as they are happy. Just like in Planet Zoo, where you got conservation credits for releasing animals, wildlife reserves are where you will earn your conservation credits.
You’ll still earn conservation credits for releasing animals, but researching animals in your wildlife reserves will also give you more conservation credits and unlock new education opportunities for your zoo. The research you conduct at your zoo will help you better understand how to care for your reserves.
Staff Management
Planet Zoo 2 promises more “meaningful management”, letting players build dedicated facilities and work areas.
I’m hoping we will be able to create better timetables for our staff, including feeding times, and improve how we manage staff schedules at the vendors.
Update (22/06/2026): Frontier have said there won’t be drastic changes to how management was done in Planet Zoo.
Building and Creating Zoos
I’ve never been the best at building and would sometimes find creating habitats a bit daunting. So I was glad to hear that the tools will be easier for players like me to use, while still giving creative builders the freedom to make amazing habitats.
For example, there will be a nature brush that quickly adds foliage to your habitat, as well as new terrain tools. These brushes include different grass types, and grass will grow.
The gameplay trailer also shows how we’ll be able to resize scenery, including trees, giving you even more flexibility when creating your habitats.
We’ll have more freedom to design different buildings, like open plan restaurants and more detailed staff areas.
Zoo guests can now see what happens behind the scenes, such as watching zookeepers prepare food. This should mean we no longer need to hide staff buildings from visitors.
Update (22/06/2026): There will be a huge selection of blueprints to help you build your zoo, and the workshop will be directly in the game itself. They also confirmed that guests will like the staff buildings, and they will not need to be hidden. We will also be able to design these experiences.
Planet Zoo 2 UI
The UI has also been upgraded, with a new sleek green design. There are many similarities to Planet Zoo, including the information and tabs we’re used to.
Some of the notable differences include:
- Not only is there an aquarium tab in the bottom menu, but there’s also one for exhibits. This might mean we will get more ways to customise exhibits, just like we can with habitats.
- A new staff management tab has been added at the bottom, which also hints that we’re getting more tools to manage workers.
- Players will be able to specifically request habitat cleaning.
Planet Zoo 2 News & Updates
I’ll keep the post updated with all the latest Planet Zoo 2 news and updates leading up to the release!
What are you most excited about?
