Planet Zoo

Frontier milked the hell out of this game with overpriced DLC (a habit they've continued since in their other games). It's a zoo builder game where a stupidly large proportion of the animals are locked behind further paywalls: 80 included in base game + updates 132 in paid DLC 62% of the game's animals are locked behind paid DLC. To me that's a disproportionate amount. It makes obtaining the complete game cost way more than it'll ever be worth (even in sales). This lack of reasonable pricing, disproportionate amount of DLC and lack of bug fixes for long standing issues show exactly where Frontier's focus lies.

Yes, I'd recommend, but it may not be the game you're expecting. I say that because I'm a long time fan of building games/ (25 yrs on RCT at this point.) Planet Zoo is awesome and the customization and design is literallly endless. It even has an endless mode to juild build cool stuff without the stress of animal//guest welfare and no finances. As awesome as that is though, I cannot stress this enough. If you haven't played this game before, do NOT skip the tutorials. This game goes real real deep into the care of your animals and guests as well as financial management. It really is overwhelming. but the tutorials are pretty good at getting you to focus on a few smaller things so the menus make more sense. I'm having a blast and I do recommend, but it is not necessarily a game you can just sit down and play off the bat.... or you could, but I'd assum,e you'll get very overwhelmed and quit pretty fast.

it is fun because theres so many animals to learn about and you can use creativity. and in the zoopedia it has the info about the animal so you can read that.

picked up base game + most of the DLC on sale for a good price and its just heaps of fun. love the customization options for the park, and level of detail put into animal care and park welfare. wish there were more monkeys :( great workshop and premade options for buildings and decorations, can be a little tricky in figuring out what is needed and where for power and water filtering, and the pathing system leaves a lot to be desired. i believe these are things Frontier has further developed in Planet Coaster 2 and Jurassic World Evolution, and while i'm not particularly itching for a Planet Zoo 2 just yet, it gives me hope!

i mean, i love this game. its relaxing and fun and a while it feels nothing like the original zoo tycoon games it scratches the same itch. but unfortunately, i just cant support the way they release dlcs; they are far too many in quantity and are severely overpriced for what you get in them. in general i hate when games introduce excessive paid dlcs, but i hate even more when they add little of substance to the game- which is, unfortunately, the case with planet zoo. there are definitely a few packs that add a significant (although still not, in my opinion, worthwhile) amount of new content, but the vast majority of them end up feeling like the same animals and mechanics as before but with a new skin. tldr: the base game is fun and i would recommend the game if it werent for the fact that the dlcs are small, overpriced, and a blatant money grab on the behalf of a company that doesnt need it

I am really unhappy with this game. First of, the building mechanics are so bad. Construction, modifying and building in this game are really not the best. I also faced an issue where zoo keepers just don`t feed the animals, tho I watched tutorials on how to make sure they can do it. As well as I got a bug, where they finally feed them, but the animals are still unsatisfied with food. It s just everything makes this game for me not enjoyable. If I rate it out of 10, maybe it ll get 4-5. But I`ll not waste my time for it.

I absolutely love this game. There is so much to do and soso many animals to pick from. Even without DLC this game is EXTREMELY fun and the animals are created with such care, displaying real behaviors, beautiful textures, and very realistic movements. I 100% recommend this game for anyone who loves animals or just sandbox tycoon type games.

amazing game with so many options and customisation. can spend hours creating and building up the best zoo

My go-to zoo game. I can get fixated on this game for days on end because of the amount of customization offered. Highly detailed building game with a good management system holding it up. I've been playing this since day one and have yet to experience having every single habitat because of the amount of customization. Some people may look at this as a negative, but it provides endless replayability in my eyes. Even if you do end up getting bored of the choice of animals, there are plentiful mods available off-site that are very easy to install and maintain. The only negatives I can say about this is sometimes the building can become a little too detailed and the controls can be frustrating if you're not used to them. However, I believe this provides a good learning experience and encourages flexability and creativity to find what does and doesn't work. Again, because of how detailed the building can be, this game can run VERY heavy and can become bogged down once you reach a sizable park. Overall, one of my top games that I will always come back to. The care and dedication that the development team put into the animal's animations echo the experience I had growing up playing the Zoo Tycoon franchise, and I'm very happy that Blue Fang was part of bringing that experience back to life.

Love the game. Hate Frontier. I'm pissed about Planet Coaster 2, exposing who this studio is. They've embraced garbage practices, following the industry, in creating unfinished games lacking in content just to try and sell it to us later. They sell a full price game for "sheep" to be beta testers of their trash, and intentionally withhold basic content with the sole purpose of DLC. And now they are dismantling the steam workshop access that made their games king to begin with. Just like Cities Skylines II - ask them how that's going. Eff right off. Did you catch that Frontier? Eff off. I hope you follow in the greedy footsteps of Ubisoft going down in flames so that a passionate, gamer-first studio can rise from your ashes.

The DLC policy is disgusting. I bought the game on release and stopped playing after a while because of annoying bugs (pathfinding of staff, finnicky and buggy path building). I wanted to wait a bit until the bugs were fixed. Every time I tried the game since there were a ton of new DLCs for € 10 each. I've already bought about half of the DLCs in sales (I wish I had not), but to complete the collection it would cost well over € 100 again. But, the worst thing is, the annoying bugs are still unfixed and the base game did not improve even a tiny bit since launch. Bugs are still present and the game is just no fun for me. It's a pitty because the animals look really nice. I feel bad for supporting this milking of customers initally. I am going to never buy a Frontier game ever again (unless they stop with this disgusting DLCs policy and begin to release full games again) TLDR; Do not buy the game! It's a trap!

I'm just shy of 100 hours on this game, and I have a million great things to say, all of the great things others are saying are true. So I am going to say my one negative thing, which could be taken as a positive: The player has far too much control. I want the option to be able to hand over control for certain things, not have to worry so much about smaller things, and let keepers and zoo vets handle more. It's a great game, I spent a lot of money on it (lol), but man, sometimes I just wanna build.

I came here hoping to relive the fun and freedom (and simplicity, honestly) of the older Zoo tycoon series, only to be disappointed by overly involved terrain tools, limited play-style possibilities, and overly cheesy animations. Really wishing zoo tycoon 2 would still function on newer systems, so I wouldn't have wasted money (even if it was on sale) on a game I can't enjoy.

Planet Zoo is such a fun and relaxing game. The animals look super realistic and it’s so cool watching them interact and live in the habitats you build. I’ve had a great time creating my own zoo and seeing it grow over time. There’s a lot to do, but it never feels stressful, just really satisfying. If you’re into animals, building, or just want a chill game to get creative with, this one’s a winner.

Crazy annoying building mechanism they wanted to give you so much freedom that it become counter productive. What make me ragequit is the Path building. It's not fun.

I regret spending 45 bucks on this game. I saw one of my favorite YouTubers, let's game it out, play this game and I thought to myself: "wow, that looks really fun" and then I bought the game and I didn't realize that he was spending multiple hours on end to make it fun

(5 out of 5 Overly Enriched Warthogs) I downloaded *Planet Zoo* thinking, “Ah yes, a peaceful animal management sim where I can build some paths and maybe name a giraffe Steve.” Fast forward 72 hours, I’ve constructed a Himalayan flamingo biodome, declared myself Supreme Ruler of Enrichment Items, and accidentally triggered an antelope uprising by putting the wrong type of grass in their habitat. Let’s get one thing straight: this game is not just about putting animals in boxes. No, *Planet Zoo* demands your soul, your sanity, and at least three YouTube tutorials about temperature regulation for meerkats. You think you’re here to build a zoo? No. You’re here to micromanage the entire ecosystem of the known universe while an ostrich named Debra kicks your fence down for the seventh time. Every animal has needs. Emotional, physical, spiritual. You don’t just throw down a few trees and call it a day—no, they want *specific trees*. Native trees. Trees from that one tiny region in Tanzania during a very specific humidity level. Miss the mark by 0.2 degrees Celsius and your bonobo will enter an existential crisis. The guests are worse. I built a world-class elephant sanctuary with educational boards, a multi-million-dollar viewing platform, and a food court shaped like a peanut—and some guy named “Ethan H.” leaves a 1-star review because “not enough benches.” BENCHES, ETHAN? THERE ARE ELEPHANTS DOING BALLET. Also, the staff. God bless them. You hire one mechanic, and somehow he’s assigned to maintain the entire western hemisphere of the zoo. Meanwhile, your vet is sprinting across the map in a full panic because you built a tropical exhibit next to your snow leopard enclosure and now all the lemurs are sad and frozen. And let’s not forget the animal breeding. You start with a few pangolins, blink, and suddenly you’ve got 47 inbreeding notifications and a conservationist from Belgium sending you angry emails. I tried to stop them. I built a wall. The pangolins *climbed it*. In conclusion, *Planet Zoo* is not a game. It’s a lifestyle. A spiritual journey. A fever dream of dung beetle exhibits and \$14 bottles of soda. It’s the only place where I can build a Komodo dragon enclosure that doubles as a haunted sushi restaurant and still be judged for my path layout. **Would I recommend it? Absolutely. Should you play it responsibly? No. Embrace the chaos. Would I die for my albino peafowl named Cinnamon? Yesterday.** **11/10, would bankrupt myself to add more donation bins.**

BUT I RECOMMEND THIS GAME...CONDITIONALLY! I really LOVE sandbox zoo games, and I grew up playing Zoo Tycoon 2. That being said, I have a few points of (hopefully constructive) criticism that I think would benefit the players experience; - Needs more marine/aquatic animals and some that are fully marine - Less DLC's; the world is currently in a global recession - Needs more birds and aviary options. there's tonnes of endangered macaws, or parrots in general that would be a wonderful addition to the game. - Why do egg-laying animals not lay eggs? I understand that the devs say it's because they need to be incubated and there's required technology to make it work as realistically as possible....but oh my days it's just so tragic that we don't get the satisfaction of e.g. seeing a crocodile build a nest and eventually nurture eggs. Takes the game from a solid 9/10 to a 4/10 no cap. - Why are there so few food stall options? Hello??

I have spent way too much money on this game and if I'm honest, regret absolutely none of it. Best purchases of my life. The building features on this game are unmatched and sometimes I play just to build rather than add any animals to my zoo 10/10 would recommend.

Honestly, i'm going to add a negative review despite the hours played, mostly with the idea that PZ2 probably is in the making (suggestions for issues to fix). I have three major issues with the game. 1. Performance: it's not normal to have maybe six habitats and than already suffer from insufferable lag and crashes and i don't think i have a low end computer. This game is just incredibly poorly unoptimized. 2. Pathing system and building system: I just think overall it's a very unintuitive system and it is too much of a high learning curve for me, i think you can work with it eventually but it takes more time than the time i would actually spend on playing the game. And it's overall just not intuitive. 3. UI and micromanagement. Being bombarded with a million notifications about stuff you don't care about or not knowing what needs to be fixed is kind of an issue NGL, this is like a common modern disease for the majority of games today. It isn't unique to PZ. It is kind of stereotypical to see these issues in basically every single game today. But if these issues are so well known than why does nobody fix these issues. I don't get that. Also please add aviaries and aquariums to PZ2. And update the base game animal models also over time because it's lazy not to do that.

Its a shitty broken game. I tried it once 2019 when i bought it, didnt work then and doesnt work now (6 years later)

I've only played for around 8 hours so far, but I would recommend this game for anyone who is either really into animals or city building type games. If you're playing on a laptop, please make sure you have a secondary mouse you can plug and play with. I tried and struggled my way though about half the tutorial without using my bluetooth mouse (because I wasn't aware I'd need it) and it was so difficult to get through at first. Also, if you're someone that's used to tutorials spelling every single thing out for you, don't expect that with this game. It covers quiet a bit initially, but its still requires a bit of trial and error to make it through to the gameplay. It's still fun and a good way to spend large chunks of time and you don't need all the DLC upfront to have a good time.

Don't delete the save files for each individual zoo in the franchise. it deletes the whole zoo. I did not know this. The game is so cool. The building mechanics allow you to build everything and anything you imagine. I'm recreating the pyramids of Giza. I do wish there were more types of exhibit animals like a fish pond or aviary.

best game for animal lovers. the path system is a bit buggy but other than that its good 5/5 stars

Great building features, although hard to grasp at the start. I don't own any dlc, except I can still enjoy the game. To be fair the game itself is 50.

I love love love this game! I especially enjoy chilling on sandbox and getting to do basically whatever I want

Beautifully detailed and endlessly creative. Perfect for animal lovers and builders. Relaxing, Beautiful, Stunning Visuals.

This game totally sucked me in. I got it thinking, “Oh cool, I’ll build a cute zoo and vibe with the animals.” Next thing I know, it’s 2 am and I’m googling what pets go well together in google. Planet Zoo is genuinely one of the best management/building games I’ve played. The animals are ridiculously detailed—like, they have personalities and little quirks, and it makes your zoo feel alive. I’ve caught myself just sitting there watching the elephants play in the water. No shame. The building system is super powerful. It’s not easy at first (honestly, it humbled me), but once you figure it out, you can make some insane stuff. Total creative freedom. Want to build a fully themed rainforest sanctuary with custom signs and ambient sounds? Go for it. Want to just plop down pre-built stuff and focus on running the zoo? That works too. What I didn’t expect was how much thought goes into caring for the animals. You have to learn what each species needs to be happy—terrain, space, food, social groups, enrichment, all of it. It’s detailed, but in a fun, addicting way. Also, there’s conservation goals and education stuff woven in, which I actually really liked. Makes it feel meaningful, not just like a zoo tycoon game from 2004. Is it perfect? Not quite. The interface can feel a little overwhelming at first, and building with 1,000 pieces can get a little fiddly. But the game keeps getting updated, and the community is awesome if you ever need help or inspiration. If you’re into animals, building sims, or just want to create your dream zoo (and stress about habitat temperatures), this game is 100% worth it. Highly recommend.

planet zoo is a great game and its perfect for when your just looking for a chill day without getting stressed out for no reason like we all do when play cod and fn, but besides all that its a good game i just wish there was more animals for free and not dlc.

it is very relaxing, but also intertaning and it can test yourt brain if you are not so smart.

I love this game, it's one of my all time favorites. I would recommend it to people who really love building intricate buildings and habitats.

This is a beautiful game! It is a great combination of zoo management and creativity!

I love being able to design cute enclosures for all my favourite animals but it is difficult to build (especially climbing frames). I would definitly recommend going through the tutorials but I do wish they covered more building help.

entertaining game but makes me want to play the classic zoo tycoon

This game is definetely growing on me after playing it for a while. Pretty difficult at first but u get the hang of it.

one of the best games ever ! love the gameplay, the graphics, mechanichs and pretty much everything else. Even the free game with no dlc is amazing! keep up the quality :D

Learning Curve for all of it can be a lot. It's not a just pick it up and go kinda game. That said - it is a great sim of running a zoo and you have so much creativity available. Lots of fun to be had!

This game brings out your true creativity. I really enjoy playing this game

Planet Zoo is exactly what I've been looking for as an person that grew up playing Zoo Tycoon (1 and 2) religiously. It has itched every craving I have had to get back into the virtual world of creating and managing a zoo. The graphics are INCREDIBLE. Could not recommend this game more, especially when it is on sale.

Nice big zoo game amazing quality and realism.

absolutely love this game, amazing for messing around aswell as creating a serious zoo, little sad all the cool things are dlcs and if u want a very inclusive zoo you do need to spend extra money, but overasll, recomended

I grew up with Zoo Tycoon and at first was a bit taken aback by how much there is in Planet Zoo, but I quickly learnt to absolutely LOVE it and have to admit it is even more addicting than the old games. Sometimes I just watch my animals roam about their habitats. It can get stressful, if your zoo gets really big, but it's still fun all around.

Great management game, more depth than I thought initially, a lot of things to take care of. Offers a lot of freedom for creativity, although path making really sucks. I recommend buying some DLCs, base game is neat but content quickly comes short. I'd love some fish aquariums and aviaries/more birds in the future. Not enough birds in my opinion, and my childhood zoo memories are made of birds of prey showing off. Got me hooked instantly, no regrets

It is bussin, I love it, but the animal packs are expensive. I recommend this game to people who love animals and tycoons. Very realistic and I LOVE IT! (It's top 10 of the best games ever!)

the controls are very difficult. The tutorial isn't thorough or efficient.

im playing on my husbands account i love this game i grew up play zoo tycoon and this is everything i ever wished for

Amazing game, Good education on animals especially In real life.

This is my go-to chill-day game. I like making rides for the guests, seeing the animals and their many many needs, and free-building structures for guests and animals to interact with. This game is similar in feel to dino-centric JWe 1+2 (same devs) but with so much more modular control over all park content - except for breeding which is a nice conservationist challenge. Definitely at least worth considering, I am glad I did.

I haven't played this much, only..... what....wait... I've played it for 140 hours? seriously? Holy cow, this simulator sucks you in.... It's just sooo sooo good. The basic animals and scenery is enough to make an absolutely fantastic zoo. But the DLC is just... *chef's kiss*. To really unlock the amazingness of this game, you need to get a few DLC packs for your favourite continent / biome. The later packs are just wonderful in the animal animations. This is a 'SIM lite" experience, I'd say. Money and time really aren't issues here. You can just build the zoo of your dreams at your own pace. Almost every thing you could imagine is available, including the ability to ignore the pre-built stuff and create your own towns and villages from scratch. It takes a lot of time and experimentation to create a really good looking zoo. At first everything's on a flat grass plane with straight paths and 10m high glass fences... But soon you begin to realise there are better ways to lay things out, and by watching the SIMs walking around the park you get to know what people like, and slowly your park building gets better and better. Before long you've created a park that you just want to walk around in for hours. This really is the stuff of dreams. If there's one thing that's missing, it's the ability to just go into first person mode and walk around as yourself. You can 'look through the eyes' of some SIMs, but you can't just walk up to a balcony and watch the animals in first person. This is the one omission that has always boggled my mind. Creating 'interior' areas is also a little tricky. Again, a first person view would resolve this in no time, the floaty camera has problems with caves etc, but again, after a lot of trial and error, it all works out, and you can create lovely hills with dens in, or walk-paths through mountainsides overlooking enclosures. With the latest DLCs adding 6 to 8 animals, your limit really is only your imagination and how much you're willing to spend on DLC. Absolutely lovely 'game'... Brilliant for wasting hours *checks playtime*..I mean days of your life in :)

Its a fun creative way to show ypur imagenation and creat your very own wonder land