# Planet Zoo 2: what players say > Frontier’s zoo sequel adds flying birds and aquariums, and its most helpful launch-day reviews split almost evenly between delight at the new tools and frustration with bugs. Developer: Frontier Developments. Publisher: Frontier Developments. Released 13 October. 72% of 605 player reviews recommend it (as of 13 October). ## In short Fans of the first game who mostly build find it a big step up, with flying birds, aquariums, Wildlife Reserves and far easier paths and terrain tools. The players who advise waiting cite bugs that break habitats and lose progress, a Franchise mode that struggled on launch day and an animal roster with gaps. For now, Career mode is the steadiest way in. ## What players say Players praise the birds, aquariums, building tools and animals. Bugs, a struggling Franchise mode and gaps in the roster lead the complaints. We read these reviews in full on 14 October. - 80 most helpful reviews: 38 positive, 3 mixed, 39 negative. - 40 latest reviews: 22 positive, 2 mixed, 16 negative. - **Most fans of the first game call it an upgrade.** Players with hundreds of hours in Planet Zoo praise the easier paths, the foliage and terrain brushes, livelier animals and many small fixes to building and management. - **Birds and aquariums are the highlight.** Fully flying birds, aquariums and the new Wildlife Reserves win the most praise, and several call it the best-looking zoo game they have played. - **Bugs drive the negative reviews.** Players report animals boxed and unboxed in a loop, keepers and guests stuck on paths, aquariums that won’t fill and crashes that lose progress. Many who hit them ask others to wait for patches and say they’ll change their review once fixed. - **Franchise mode struggled on launch day.** Players met connection failures and a crowded animal market, and find progress slow because many animals unlock only through Career mode or a higher zoo rating. - **The roster leaves gaps.** Players miss staples from the first game such as the cheetah, the kangaroo and the sea lion, and find the Americas and Australia thinly covered. Many expect paid packs to fill them. - **Menus and maps divide returning players.** Several find the new interface slower, with a pop-up for every shop price and full-screen trading and research screens. Some notice maps that reuse the same scenery across continents. - **It asks a lot of the graphics card.** Many run it smoothly on high settings, while others see 30 to 45 frames per second on top cards, flickering detail and blur when zoomed out. A few found it looked flat until they fixed the resolution it chose on first launch. ## Questions ### Is Planet Zoo 2 worth it? Most players say yes. As of 13 October, 72% of 605 reviews recommend it. Fans of the first game who mainly build enjoy it most, while many who hit launch bugs suggest waiting for patches. ### Is Planet Zoo 2 better than Planet Zoo? Most fans of the first game call it an upgrade for building, animals and visuals. Others miss animals and menus they knew, and a few see it as the first game with new features added. ### Does Planet Zoo 2 have flying birds and aquariums? Yes. Frontier added fully flying birds and fully aquatic species for the first time, along with Wildlife Reserves where you release animals into the wild. ### How many animals are in Planet Zoo 2? Frontier lists over 130 species at launch. Players miss several from the first game, such as the cheetah and the kangaroo. ### Is Planet Zoo 2 buggy? At launch many players met bugs, including animals boxed in a loop, staff stuck on paths, aquariums that wouldn’t fill and crashes. Others played for hours without trouble. ### Does Planet Zoo 2 use Denuvo? Yes. The store page lists Denuvo Anti-tamper. ### What PC do you need for Planet Zoo 2? The minimum is a Core i7-8700K or Ryzen 5 3600, 16 GB of RAM and a GeForce RTX 2060, Radeon RX 5600 XT or Arc A750. Frontier recommends a Core i7-10700K or Ryzen 7 5800X with a GeForce RTX 3070, Radeon RX 6700 XT or Arc A770, on Windows 11. It needs 40 GB on an SSD. ### When did Planet Zoo 2 come out, and how much is it? 13 October 2026, on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, at $49.99. ## Sources 134. Steam: Planet Zoo 2, store page and user reviews: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3219030/ 135. Frontier Developments on Steam: Planet Zoo 2 is out now, 13 October: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/3219030/view/1846018067944123 136. Frontier Developments on Steam: managing a zoo, and pre-orders on PC, PS5 and Xbox, 23 September: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/3219030/view/1844751498218882 Page: https://creativecult.digital/games/planet-zoo-2