Planet Zoo 2 can feel like a lot when you first load in. There are dozens of menus, hundreds of building pieces and animals that complain about things you didn't know existed. The good thing is that you only need a handful of basics to get a zoo running. Everything else you can pick up as you go.
This guide covers what to learn first, in the order I'd learn it.
How the game works in one minute
Everything in your zoo is connected:
- Animals live in habitats (fenced areas you build). Each species wants its own mix of space, ground, plants, water and toys.
- Staff look after the animals and keep the zoo clean. They need buildings to work from and paths to walk on.
- Guests pay to come in, buy food and souvenirs, and donate if they enjoy what they see.
- That money pays for new animals, staff wages and building.
If any part of that chain breaks, for example no keeper to feed the animals or no shop for guests to spend money in, the rest starts to suffer too. Most "why is my zoo failing?" problems come down to one missing link.
Which mode should you start with?
There are three modes:
| Mode | What it's like | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Career | Story missions with clear goals | Learning the game step by step |
| Franchise | A real business with limited money; better animals unlock as your zoo improves | The full challenge once you know the basics |
| Sandbox | Unlimited money and every animal | Building freely and testing ideas |
If this is your first zoo game, play Career first. Each mission teaches you one thing at a time, so you're never overwhelmed. If you've played Planet Zoo 1, you can jump into Franchise. Sandbox is great when you just want to build, or when you want to test a design before spending real money on it in Franchise.
Not sure? This page compares the three modes in more detail.
Building your first habitat
Don't start with elephants or sharks. Pick something cheap and easy, like meerkats, warthogs or zebras. They breed quickly and forgive mistakes. Then:
- Look the animal up in the Zoopedia first. The Zoopedia is the in-game animal encyclopedia. Each animal's page tells you how much space it needs, how tall the fence has to be, what temperature it likes and what kind of ground it prefers. Checking it takes ten seconds and saves you rebuilding later.
- Draw the fence (barrier). It doesn't have to be perfect. Then select the habitat and use Pin species to check whether it's big enough before you start decorating.
- Add a habitat gate and a staff path. Animals are delivered through the gate, so if staff can't reach it, nothing arrives.
- Paint the ground and add plants. Each species wants a certain mix of grass, soil, sand and rock, and a certain amount of plant cover. Too much is just as bad as too little.
- Give them water, food and something to do. Ponds need a water pump to stay clean. Add the feeders and toys the animal asks for in its welfare panel.
- Quarantine new animals first. Send new arrivals to the quarantine building before they join the habitat. Skipping this is how one sick animal infects the whole group.
The welfare panel is your best friend. Click any animal and it lists everything that's good and everything that's missing. Whenever an animal is unhappy, check it first.
Staff buildings you need from day one
Your staff need somewhere to work:
- Keeper hut: keepers prepare food here. Put it close to your habitats.
- Staff room: where staff take breaks. Without one, they get tired and work slowly.
- Vet surgery and quarantine: for treating sick animals and checking new ones.
- Research centre: vets study animals and diseases here (more on that later).
- Trade centre: where animals arrive and leave.
Then hire one of each basic job: a keeper (feeds animals and cleans habitats), a caretaker (empties bins and sweeps paths), a mechanic (fixes broken things), a vendor (runs a shop) and a vet.
Finally, set up a work zone. A work zone simply tells staff which habitats and buildings they're responsible for. If you build something new and forget to add it to a zone, staff ignore it, and you get alerts like "Can't find keeper hut". Read the Staff guide when you're ready for more.
Money: where new players go wrong
Running out of money early is normal. The usual reasons:
- Paths cost money. Big empty plazas add up fast. Deleting a path gives you the money back.
- Hiring too many staff too soon. Wages are your biggest cost. If a vendor has no shop, let them go.
- No shops. Guests can only spend money if you give them somewhere to spend it. Put a food stall, a drink stall and a gift shop near the entrance.
- Tickets too cheap. Guests will literally think "tickets are underpriced". Raise the price a little at a time.
If you get really stuck, a small loan is fine. See Making Money.
Ten mistakes almost everyone makes
- Trees right next to the fence. Leopards, wolves and even antelope will use them to climb or jump out.
- Ponds without a pump. Dirty water makes animals sick within days.
- Too many plants. Hippos and rays want much less greenery than you'd think.
- No staff room, so tired staff stop keeping up.
- Skipping quarantine.
- Letting fast breeders breed forever. Meerkats, warthogs and beavers will overcrowd their habitat and start inbreeding.
- Forgetting to add new buildings to a work zone.
- No power. Shops, staff buildings and info screens need electricity from a generator or solar panels.
- No bins near benches and food stalls, so litter piles up.
- Ignoring research. Many of the best animal toys and requirements only show up after your vets research them.
What to learn next
Once you've got two or three happy habitats:
- Animal Welfare and Thriving: why 100% happy isn't the top of the scale.
- Accreditation: how Franchise mode unlocks better animals.
- Wildlife Reserves: where the animals you breed end up.
- How to Build a Habitat: fences, ground and stopping escapes.