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A Zoo Sim That Finally Lets Animals Fly and Swim

A Zoo Sim That Finally Lets Animals Fly and Swim

The original Planet Zoo built its reputation on letting players obsess over every detail of a land-based wildlife park, but it always had an obvious gap: no fully aquatic or flying species to build around. Planet Zoo 2, from Frontier Developments, closes that gap directly, expanding the simulation into entirely new habitat types the original game never supported.

Fully aquatic species as a genuine first for the series

For the first time in the franchise, Planet Zoo 2 introduces fully aquatic animals — think Blacktip Reef Sharks, Hawksbill Turtles, and colourful shoals of fish — living in custom-built freshwater or saltwater aquariums. That's a meaningfully different simulation challenge than land habitats, since aquatic enclosures bring their own water chemistry, filtration, and species compatibility considerations into the zoo-management layer.

Flying birds with genuine aerial freedom

Alongside aquatic life, the game introduces fully flying bird species — including the Toco Toucan and the Secretarybird — housed in customisable aviaries built from barriers, support poles, and dynamic mesh coverings. Rather than simply perching in place, these birds are built to glide and move freely within their enclosures, adding a vertical dimension to habitat design that land-bound mammals never required.

Conservation mechanics that extend beyond the zoo gates

Rather than confining the simulation to a single enclosed park, Planet Zoo 2 introduces global conservation projects through the in-game Fauna and Ecosystems Network (FEN) — meeting specific requirements lets players release animals into fully customisable, expansive Wildlife Reserves that function as living ecosystems beyond the zoo itself.

Franchise mode for genuine multiplayer trading

Beyond solo zoo-building, Franchise mode lets players build a connected global network of zoos and Wildlife Reserves, trading animals with other players — a genuinely social layer that extends the game beyond the single-player sandbox experience the original Planet Zoo was primarily known for.

Both blueprint and piece-by-piece construction tools

For building out habitats and scenery, the game offers both ready-to-place blueprints for quick, efficient construction and the franchise's signature piece-by-piece construction tools for players wanting granular creative control — covering both the player who wants to get building quickly and the player who wants to obsess over every architectural detail.

Nine scenery themes spanning real-world architectural styles

The Deluxe Edition specifically includes four brand-new scenery themes covering iconic architecture from around the world, alongside five returning themes from the original Planet Zoo — giving builders a substantially expanded visual palette to draw from compared to the base game alone.

A Deluxe Upgrade Pack with genuine additional content

Beyond the core game, the Deluxe Edition adds six additional animal species from across the globe, plus a set of exclusive animal signs for park decoration — tangible extra content rather than a purely cosmetic upgrade tier.

At a glance

Who it suits

Planet Zoo 2 suits simulation and management game fans who enjoyed the original Planet Zoo and want genuinely new habitat types — aquatic and aerial — rather than more of the same land-based mechanics. Anyone new to the franchise who isn't sure about the Deluxe Edition's extra animals and scenery should consider starting with the Standard Edition instead, since the core gameplay experience is identical and the Deluxe content can often be added later via separate DLC. Shop Planet Zoo 2 Deluxe Edition on Gamivo — **

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