Frontier Developments released Planet Zoo on 5 November 2019 with 73 animals in the base game, well past the 50 originally promised. Four modes ship together: Career, Franchise, Challenge and Sandbox, with Franchise running on Conservation Credits earned by releasing well bred animals back to the wild. Career runs 12 scenarios, opening at Goodwin House and closing at the Bernie Goodwin Memorial Zoo in Upper Bay, New York.
These tips go beyond the basics. They're the strategies experienced players use to play more efficiently, the hidden mechanics most people miss, and the optimizations that compound over a full playthrough. If you're just starting, check our beginner's guide first.
Essential Tips
1. Research enrichment tiers before you buy expensive animals
Research enrichment tiers before you buy expensive animals. A species sitting in a habitat with tier one enrichment will never reach acceptable welfare, and welfare drives everything from breeding to Conservation Credits.
2. Draw keeper work zones tightly around two or three neighbouring habitats
Draw keeper work zones tightly around two or three neighbouring habitats. A keeper assigned across the whole zoo spends most of the day walking rather than feeding.
3. Donation bins placed at habitat viewing areas earn more than most shops of the same footprint, because educated guests donate more
Donation bins placed at habitat viewing areas earn more than most shops of the same footprint, because educated guests donate more. Pair every viewing platform with a bin and an education board.
4. Check the barrier a species can defeat before you build
Check the barrier a species can defeat before you build. Climbing, jumping, digging and strength are tested separately, and an escaped animal is almost always a barrier chosen without reading those numbers.
5. One way glass keeps nervous species calm while guests still see them
One way glass keeps nervous species calm while guests still see them. It costs more than plain glass and it is the difference between a shy animal hiding all day and being visible.
6. Release adults, not juveniles or elderly animals, and check their star rating first
Release adults, not juveniles or elderly animals, and check their star rating first. The higher the rating, the more Conservation Credits the release returns in Franchise mode.
7. Keep a Quarantine facility from the start
Keep a Quarantine facility from the start. Disease spreading through a breeding group destroys weeks of genetics work and quarantine is far cheaper than the vet bills that follow.
8. Power and water are physical networks in Planet Zoo
Power and water are physical networks in Planet Zoo. Place a generator and pump within reach of new construction before building, because retrofitting infrastructure through finished paths is tedious.
9. Breed for genetics rather than headcount
Breed for genetics rather than headcount. Size, longevity, fertility and immunity all carry into the offspring, and a pair of strong parents produces animals worth far more on the Animal Market.
10. The Australia Pack, released 25 August 2020 with Update 1
The Australia Pack, released 25 August 2020 with Update 1.3, added the Koala, Red Kangaroo, Dingo, Southern Cassowary and Eastern Blue-Tongued Lizard, plus the Tanami Roadside Zoo challenge. Check which pack an animal belongs to before planning a themed area around it.
Advanced Strategies
Build Optimization
The difference between an average build and an optimized one is massive. See our builds guide for full breakdowns.
For Africa (A-Tier):
- Focus on Welfare from nutrition, social and suitability combinations for maximum output.
- Core gear: Zookeeper
- Stat priority: Offensive stats first
For Asia (A-Tier):
- Versatile approach that handles any situation.
- Core gear: Veterinarian
- Stat priority: Balanced stats
Mechanic Interactions
Understanding how Planet Zoo's systems interact is where the real optimization lives. Our combat guide covers this in detail.
Welfare from nutrition, social and suitability + Conservation Credits from releasing animals: Each animal scores welfare from access to food and water, social health covering group size and sex balance, and habitat suitability covering terrain types, temperature, plant cover and enrichment. Combined with Conservation Credits from releasing animals, releasing an animal to the wild converts it into conservation credits, the currency franchise mode is built on.
Research at the Research Centre + Barriers and terrain shaping: Vets research animal species and mechanics research facilities and habitat items, both from a powered Research Centre with access to the relevant habitat. When paired with Barriers and terrain shaping, a habitat needs an unbroken barrier the occupant cannot climb, jump, dig under or smash, and each species tests differently.
Guest education and donation bins scaling: Education boards, speakers and Zoopedia entries raise guest education, and educated guests donate more at bins. A donation bin beside a well presented viewing area out earns most food and drink shops in the same footprint.
Equipment Efficiency
| Equipment | Best Use Case | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Zookeeper | Every habitat, with roughly one keeper covering two or three nearby enclosures | Feeds animals, cleans habitats and handles enrichment items. |
| Veterinarian | Disease management and unlocking higher enrichment tiers through research | Treats sick animals, handles contraception and runs species research from the Research Centre. |
| Mechanic | Power and water infrastructure, plus facility research at the Research Centre | Repairs generators, water pumps and rides, and researches facility improvements. |
| Caretaker | Guest areas, particularly around entrances and food courts | Empties bins, cleans paths and restocks vending machines. |
| Security Guard | Large zoos with high guest counts and habitats holding dangerous species | Deters vandals and responds to escaped animals. |
Location Efficiency
Goodwin House (Career scenario 1, tutorial): The opening Career scenario, Stately Home Schooling, built around the Goodwin family estate. It teaches habitat construction, staff hiring and guest paths one objective at a time.
Panda Park (Career scenario 3, tutorial): The third tutorial scenario, Bear Essentials, centred on giant pandas. Pandas are demanding on habitat and breeding, which makes them a pointed lesson in welfare before the campaign opens up.
Maple Leaf Wildlife Park (Career scenario 4): The Eye of the Taiga scenario in Canada, bordering Candy Lake. Cold climate species and taiga terrain replace the temperate defaults of the tutorials.
Great Caldera Safari Park (Career scenario 5): The Go to Crater Lengths scenario, an African safari park built in and around a crater. Terrain constraints force layouts that do not work anywhere else in the campaign.
Bernie Goodwin Memorial Zoo (Career scenario 12, finale): The Last Leg, the twelfth and final Career scenario, set in Upper Bay of New York. It expects competence in every system the previous eleven taught and closes the Goodwin family story.
Mistakes Even Veterans Make
- Buying rare animals before researching the enrichment tiers their welfare depends on.
- Building a barrier without checking whether the species can climb, dig or smash through that specific type.
- Assigning every keeper to the whole zoo instead of tight work zones, so nothing gets fed on time.
- Releasing juveniles or elderly animals to the wild and wondering why the Conservation Credit return is so low.
- Skipping donation bins and education boards, then running at a loss while blaming ticket prices.
Pro Quick Tips
- Research enrichment tiers before you buy expensive animals. A species sitting in a habitat with tier one enrichment will never reach acceptable welfare, and welfare drives everything from breeding to Conservation Credits.
- Draw keeper work zones tightly around two or three neighbouring habitats. A keeper assigned across the whole zoo spends most of the day walking rather than feeding.
- Donation bins placed at habitat viewing areas earn more than most shops of the same footprint, because educated guests donate more. Pair every viewing platform with a bin and an education board.
- Start with Asia, switch to Africa when ready
- Invest in Zookeeper above everything else
- Clear areas in order: Goodwin House → Panda Park → Maple Leaf Wildlife Park → Great Caldera Safari Park → Bernie Goodwin Memorial Zoo. See our maps guide
- Welfare from nutrition, social and suitability + Conservation Credits from releasing animals together are stronger than either alone
More Planet Zoo Guides
- Planet Zoo Planet Zoo Overview
- Planet Zoo Best Builds
- Planet Zoo Tier List
- Planet Zoo Walkthrough
- Planet Zoo Beginner's Guide
- Planet Zoo Weapons Guide
- Planet Zoo Combat Guide
- Planet Zoo Boss Guide
- Planet Zoo Maps & Locations
- Planet Zoo Crafting Guide
- Planet Zoo Classes & Characters
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