Finally building my own aquarium in "Planet Zoo 2"
13/10/2026
Translation: machine translated
In "Planet Zoo 2", the focus is not just on a successful zoo, but also on releasing animals back into the wild. Additionally, I can now design my own aquarium.
I roam the nature reserve I set up in my off-road vehicle. With a heavy heart, I release a few giraffes here that deserve more than just an enclosure at the zoo. A souvenir photo is, of course, a must. And perhaps a quick detour to the splashing hippos before I head back to the zoo.
The possibilities are as diverse as the animal species
In «Planet Zoo 2», I have three ways to dive into the animal world right from the start. I can either get started in Career Mode, begin my own zoo in Franchise Mode, or let my creativity run wild in Sandbox Mode. There, I have unlimited funds at my disposal.
If you are a beginner, or (like me) haven't played an economic simulation in a long time, I recommend spending some time in Career Mode. Here, I learn through various missions what I need to consider when running a successful zoo, how I can later release animals into the wild, and what pitfalls lurk in everyday zoo life. The developers package the tutorials into a small story where I work as a species conservation coordinator. I can also create my own avatar for this.
Right off the bat: I don't think the Career Mode is perfect. The game is extremely extensive, and the tutorials leave many questions unanswered. The mode only touches on the topics very briefly. Nevertheless, I know far more afterward than before and have an idea of what I need to look out for.
My first Naya babies in Franchise Mode
«Planet Zoo 2» is supposed to offer me over 100 animal species. If I start my own zoo in Franchise Mode, I have limited access to the large selection at first. That is a good thing, to get a feel for how I need to set up the enclosures. So, I browse the animal trading list and click on the info for individual animals. There, I can see which enclosures I need to build for them, what other needs they have, and which animal species get along in a shared enclosure.
For my first own zoo in the Asian region, I get two cozy Bactrian camels. They cope with wind and weather, don't need much water, and are content as a pair. I click the purchase button, and the animals are delivered to the trading building I built earlier. From there, my zookeepers transport the new arrivals to the enclosure I selected.
Then I take a closer look at their needs table. Animals quickly become dissatisfied if they don't have toys and food. I can see all of this clearly in the info tabs: unmet needs light up in red.
From Career Mode, I also know that I need to set up electricity, water filters, and a few other buildings for my staff. After that, my finances only stretch to two snack machines instead of proper food stalls. That's why I place donation boxes in the best spots around the camel enclosure – they fill my wallet up quite well again.
But now for the visual upgrade of the enclosure: I already have a respectable selection of plants and rocks in the catalog. What should I buy that fits? Japanese cherry blossoms seem wrong to me somehow, even if they are really chic. Maples and ash trees too. But after a bit of searching, I find date palms. Those are chic. Then a few cool rocks to imitate the desert landscape, and I'm done.
For all the trees, bushes, and smaller plants, I can choose from three sizes each. That makes designing the environment much more versatile. However, I wonder if it matters what I plant in there for the camel? If I paint too little sand or rock on the ground, the animals are not happy at all. Apart from the ground texture, however, it doesn't seem to have any effects. Nevertheless, I can conveniently sort the decoration catalog by continent and type of plant.
Once I have set up the enclosure nicely, I really enjoy following one of the camels with the camera. The graphics are extremely well done. The sparkle in the animal's eyes and the fluffy fur make you want to reach out and pet it.
In the meantime, I have a few thousand dollars more in my account and am working on food stalls and my next enclosure. With the camels, I only had females to choose from. With the Nayas, I can get males and females. This creates the perfect foundation for offspring to be possible in my zoo. That even happens quite quickly: after just a few hours, the first Naya babies are taking their first, still somewhat hesitant steps across the meadow.
Daily business: Satisfying guests, researching, and advertising
«Planet Zoo 2» does not reinvent the wheel. And so I quickly find myself back in the daily grind: entertaining guests, keeping the park clean, and making sure my employees are doing the job I hired them for. Sometimes I see a whole lot of disgusting trash – and no zookeeper far and wide to clear it away.
My favorite activity is clearly making the zoo look beautiful. The building function is versatile but not always easy. I often have weird corners on the footpaths or almost despair when creating a train track for visitor transport to the other end of the zoo. With a bit of practice, however, I get through it quite well and can then focus on my visitors again.
Mostly I watch what the guests are doing and wishing for so that visitor numbers increase. The most difficult thing is to increase their level of education. It is at zero percent for everyone at the beginning. To convey the necessary knowledge to people, I not only have to set up information boards and loudspeakers everywhere but also conduct research.
Research also brings other advantages: My veterinarians in the research lab work based on what I choose from an overview. If they research diseases, I get pharmaceuticals; if they research ways to entertain the animals in the enclosure, I get new toys for the respective animal species. This all runs at the push of a button and then in the background.
To get more guests into the zoo, I start a marketing campaign with one of the cute Nayas. I can also do this easily in the management tab at the push of a button. The guests seem enthusiastic and give positive feedback.
When I click on individual guests and read their thoughts, I have to chuckle. Some complain that there are no lactose-free drinks available at the milkshake stand and that there is nothing gluten-free to be found anywhere. I am affected by both problems myself and feel that very much. How could I have overlooked that? I therefore set up a restaurant and offer gluten-free lasagna. I would have liked to offer an alternative at the milkshake stand, but I don't have that option. So a second drink shop with fresh lemonade has to be built immediately.
Otherwise, I find the guests very accurate, if a bit lazy: they don't walk anywhere where there is little to see and are quickly tired because I forgot to place benches.
Of vivariums and your own aquarium design
Because the guests enjoy my animals but are still quickly bored, my greatest motivation is to continuously expand the park.
The regular enclosures are no problem from the start, even if they are a bit elaborate to design. If I want it completely undemanding, I set up a vivarium. I can put various frogs or snakes in there. But that's it for the effort. At least this way I lure the guests to the other side of the grounds, where I have set up a restaurant. It's much too quiet there without visitors, and the building quickly falls into the red.
Brand new in «Planet Zoo 2», I can also design my own aquariums in addition to pre-made ones. This works with similar tools as with the enclosure: I set up aquarium glass as a frame, insert an entrance gate for the staff, and then the aquarium is already filled with water. Afterward, I make the floor a bit deeper, then I have more space to decorate everything. Here, too, I have a lot of plants, corals, and rocks at my disposal.
In the water enclosure, water pumps play an important role. Depending on the animal species, I have to switch the aquarium to fresh or salt water. Unfortunately, the game does not intuitively show how that works and that I need a water pump for it. Otherwise, the whole thing is set up quite simply, and I can let off steam with the decoration.
I have the most joy when I put a few fish and even a shark into my first own aquarium. The fish have quite funny faces; I find the shark particularly elegant next to them.
A particularly cute detail is the animation when zooming out of the aquarium: then I hear splashing water, and my screen briefly looks as if I had taken it on a dive. Completely full of water droplets. If I am on a dive in the water, I also only hear the zoo music muffled. That makes the feeling even a bit more real.
The zoo is not the end: Releasing animals into the wild
Once the money is flowing, I quickly have no more financial problems. The animals are also satisfied. I have to keep an eye on the guests and my workforce from time to time, but even there, the challenges remain within a manageable range.
That is probably why the developers have thought of another step that steers the game in an exciting direction: rewilding. The goal is to breed endangered and rare animal species in the zoo and later put them into the appropriate nature reserve.
To achieve all this, I have to work from several sides. Of course, I first need suitable nature reserves for those animals that I want to breed and later release.
I unlock nature reserves via so-called conservation points. I get these, among other things, by selling animals, completing conservation projects, and releasing animals into a nature reserve.
With my existing points, I buy my first nature reserve in Tanzania. There, I can release zebras and brindled gnus, among others. And I currently have quite a few of those. If the reputation of my zoo increases, I can unlock rarer animals and the corresponding nature reserves.
To actually release animals, I have to focus on two things. On the one hand, I put together conservation groups. For the brindled gnus, I can either put four females together or create a mixed group with males. On the other hand, the nature reserve must meet certain conditions. For example, it needs several viewing platforms, a garage for the off-road vehicle, and various camera traps.
This all sounds quite complicated, but «Planet Zoo 2» describes very well with to-do lists what I need and how to move forward. The game also ticks off completed points immediately. In the nature reserve, I also have unlimited funds at my disposal. So I can design the environment to my heart's content.
Once the animals are out in nature, I really enjoy visiting them with the off-road vehicle and photographing them. The detailed graphics make the whole thing a beautiful safari experience.
«Planet Zoo 2» is available from October 13th for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S and was provided to me for testing purposes by Frontier.
In a nutshell
Reintroduction makes 'Planet Zoo 2' a highlight
"Planet Zoo 2" doesn't completely reinvent the wheel of business simulations, but it turns the right screws. While the daily zoo routine of building, researching, and entertaining guests remains as charming as ever, the custom-built aquariums and, above all, the new rewilding feature bring a breath of fresh air to the game. It feels good not just to sell tickets, but to end up driving through your own nature reserve in a 4x4 and watching your bred protégés in the wild. Graphically, the game is a feast for the eyes – the close-ups of the animals make me truly happy and make me quickly forget the minor quirks in path construction or the tutorial. And once I've dived into my own aquarium, I almost overlook the fact that my zookeepers haven't cleared away the trash again. You shouldn't expect a complex and challenging business simulation here. However, I can absolutely recommend "Planet Zoo 2" to fans of building games and animal lovers.
Pro
- beautiful graphics, detailed animal models and great sound effects
- meaningful reintroduction system for long-term motivation
- new aquarium editor: finally create your own underwater worlds
- Creative freedom: great selection of decor, plants, and building options
- Humor and attention to detail
Contra
- Tutorial leaves questions unanswered
- Fiddling while building
- financial self-runners: when the business is running well, the economic challenge diminishes
Header image: Michelle Brändle
Ever since I learned how to hold a pen, I've been doodling away in bright colours. Thanks to my iPad, digital art has also become part of my life. That's why I love testing tablets – from the graphic design range to the regular kind. When I feel the urge to express my creativity without lugging lots of equipment, I go for the latest smartphones and start snapping away.
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