Hayo Zookeepers,

Pack your bags and get ready to embark on an unforgettable journey along the coastal islands. Introducing the Planet Zoo: Oceania Pack which will be sailing its way to you on 19 September alongside Free Update 1.15. 



Abundant in rich fauna and flora, you'll discover some iconic species in various locations on the Oceanian continent. 

Through the lush forests of New Zealand you may encounter the curious Kiwi, or set sail further along the islands to meet with the energetic Tasmanian Devil. Keep rowing along the South Coast of Australia to discover a Little Penguin colony huddled together, or if you'd prefer, take a hike to Rottnest Island to discover the lovable Quokka giving you their best smile. Oh, Look up there! It's the striking Spectacled Flying Fox, spreading its wings in its Walkthrough Exhibit! 



Alongside these stunning animals, you'll also be getting over 200 scenery pieces inspired by the rich traditions of Polynesia. Decorate your Zoos with intricately carved Tiki Statues, straw huts and colourful Flower Leis, in celebration of the captivating culture of the region. You can even admire the diversity of the islands with the addition of impressive glow-in-the-dark faux lava, along with distinctive foliage that inhabit the islands, such as the beautiful Nīkau Palm and the radiant Silver Fern, emblematic of New Zealand.

It's time to also welcome back Emma Goodwin, Bernie's daughter in another Planet Zoo Career Scenario! This time you'll be supporting Emma as she works on a very special project in the Oceanic region, focusing on conservation. Of course, you'll be helping her fix up the place, add some infrastructure and making sure plant diversity is on point! Can't forget about the animals too, you'll take part in establishing a breeding program to make sure all the wonderful species that are unique to the region are around for generations to come. Can you help Emma make the project a success? We can't wait to see how you tackle this one!

Keep an eye on our social channels as we help Emma and her dad kick-start this special project early! 👀



That's not all though, we've also got some extra additions that are coming your way in Free Update 1.15.

Viewing Domes

Give your Zoo visitors a whole new viewing experience with Viewing Domes. Guests will be able to enter these Viewing Domes in the habitat via an underground network without any need for a path or tunnel, so they can enjoy an extra closeup view of your wonderful animals through the safety of the glass. To activate this feature, just place a Viewing Dome entrance on the habitat barrier and then place your Viewing Dome anywhere inside the habitat. They will automatically be connected to your dome gate and you can even place multiple domes in one habitat. Why not place them underwater to create an even more breathtaking view? Just make sure you add water to your terrain after you place the dome in the desired location.  You can find your dome entrance in the barriers menu and the glass viewing dome in your guest facilities and habitats tab. We're excited to see all the creative ways you utilise this new feature for your Zoos! 



As always, we've added some quality of life updates in the game for you to enjoy.

We've now added the brachiation behaviour for the Bornean Orangutan. They will be able to brachiate using the 1m, 2m, 4m, and 6m Climbable Logs, so you'll be seeing them swinging around in your Zoos in ways you've not seen before!

There are also new colour morphs for the King Penguin from the Aquatic Pack, which are Melanistic, Leucistic, Brown, and Xanthic!  We've also added a new Temperate Oceania biome for you to enjoy in all modes. 

Free Update 1.15 will also come with various fixes alongside all of this content, which will be included in the Update Notes upon release on 19 September.

Also some more exciting news - We are officially on TikTok! We'll be posting exclusive content over on our Planet Zoo official TikTok channel in the lead up to the launch of the Oceania Pack and update 1.15, so make sure to follow us over there so you don't miss out on all the fun! 

The Planet Zoo: Oceania Pack will be available for purchase for £7.99 ($9.99, 9.99€) on Steam from 19 September. If you want to be notified when the game is available, then head on over to Steam and wishlist it now! Please remember that you'll only be able to enjoy the Planet Zoo: Oceania Pack if you already own the base game of Planet Zoo.

Follow along on our social media channels in the run-up to the Pack launch to join Bernie and Emma to scout out the islands before they start their big conservation project, you may spot some animal reveals along the way 👀. You can find us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and now on TikTok! If you missed our ✨special livestream✨ yesterday you can also check it out here.

We hope you are as excited as we are for this announcement, and we look forward to seeing how you get involved with the Goodwin Family's special project! Tell us what you're more excited for below ⬇️

Hayo Zookeepers,

Update 1.14.1 is available now for you all to enjoy! Simply update your game to play. For full patch notes, see below:

Planet Zoo - 1.14.1 Update Notes
This update contains bug fixes

New Content - Free Update 1.14.0 - These great features were not captured in our last set of patch notes, here's some more info on them now!

• NEW - New Colourmorphs and Colour Variations for the Bactrian Camel
  • Piebald
  • Leucistic
  • Brown colour morph

• NEW - Widget speed controller
  
  • Added an advanced widget speed multiplier control. Which can affect the rate of your movement and rotation widgets for precision or speed

Planet Zoo - 1.14.1 Update Notes
General Bug Fixes and Adjustments

• Animals
  • Adjusted the Black Rhinoceros' head position
  • Adjusted the Black Rhinoceros walking animations
  • Fixed a bug where the incorrect icons for quarantined animals were being displayed
  • Fixed Planco and scientific names being inverted on the TV screen display for the Common Wombat
  • Melon Feeder will now appear under Food Enrichments in the Somali Wild Ass' Zoopedia page
  • Fixed a bug where Timber Wolves could walk through barriers
  • Added Sand Cat tag to all the smaller climbing frames
  • Adjusted the animation of the Sand Cat adults and juvenile entering the burrow
  • Adjusted the animation of the Fennec Fox juvenile exiting the burrow
  • Adjusted the animation of the Sand Cat adults while drinking from a lake
  • Adjusted Dromedary Camel idle animation
  • Fixed a bug that prevented the Somali Wild Ass from using the Water Jet Rock
  • Added audio to Dama Gazelle while using Scarecrow Feeder enrichment
  • Fixed a bug where the Black Rhinoceros Female was getting stuck on the spot
• Habitats
  • Fixed a bug that caused animals to be marked as escaped while they are inside a habitat.
• Scenery
  • Fixed a bug where scenery items looked low quality close to the camera
• Stability
  • Fixed various crashes improving game stability

Hayo Zookeepers!

It's time to break out the sun cream, put on your sunglasses, find a shady spot, and drink plenty of water, because the Planet Zoo: Arid Animal pack is out now! There's plenty of time to grab it on Steam while free Update 1.14 downloads.



It's time to welcome 8 new animal friends to your zoos that are all especially adapted to life in harsh arid climates: the hardy Dromedary Camel, the elegant Addax and Dama Gazelle, the prickly African Crested Porcupine, the shy and elusive Sand Cat, the sturdy Black Rhino, and the striped Somali Wild Ass. Rounding out the cast is the pack's Exhibit animal: the sleek and rattling Desert Horned Viper.

The Arid Animal Pack is a celebration of the fauna living in the arid lands, with 8 impressive animals that all have ways to overcome the hardships of the heat.



Alongside these new creatures you'll be able to put your zoo management skills to the test in a new Career Scenario set in the Middle East. Socialite turned conservationist Tiffany Summers is trying to build a new zoo, but she needs your help making sure things run as smoothly as possible. Let's make sure the zoo is ready for the big party to celebrate its opening! Expect several animals from the Arid Animal Pack to show up in this new narrative scenario, so this is the perfect way to learn how to best take care of these wonderful creatures.



Free Update 1.14 brings several new and exciting features to Planet Zoo, including Staff Flexicolour options for your zoo staff! With this new feature you'll be able to customise the colours of your staff's uniforms, so they'll always look their very best. You can create custom colour schemes for your favourite members of staff through their individual info panel, or select different colourways for each staff type through the Staff Overview screen. The choice is yours!

Also coming in the free update are new spitting behaviours for your Bactrian Camels, Llamas, and the new Dromedary Camel introduced in this pack! Guests might be in for a surprise if they get too close to the animals' habitats, but luckily it won't have a negative impact on your guests' happiness.

Last, but certainly not least, we want to highlight both of our new camera modes, the Scenic Mode and the Cinematic Route Editor. Both these features will let you create amazing looking vista shots and cinematic videos of your Zoos! The Scenic Mode lets you record footage from one vantage point and allows you to further customise this with pre-defined camera behaviours such as spin, ellipse, zoom, spiral in and spiral out. The Cinematic Route Editor is a more intricate tool that will allow you to create animated routes of your zoos by giving you the opportunity to manually add key frames to areas of your choice. These key frames can all be connected or cut separately, still moving through a sequence to create a unique and defined path for the camera to transition through. Each key frame you add can also be individually customised and there are also route settings available, so definitely give it a go and play around with it! We're looking forward to seeing how you use this new tool, Zookeepers!

Read more about Free Update 1.14 here.

You can also enjoy these stunning new animals and unleash your building creativity with NVIDIA's GeForceNOW service, which gives you instant access to GeForce PC performance on nearly any PC, Mac, SHIELD TV, Android, iOS device or Chromebook without any downloads! Enjoy the Planet Zoo: Arid Animal Pack as well as Update 1.14, no matter what device you're on!

Check out the full Update Notes below for all you need to know about various bug fixes, improvements, and changes in Update 1.14! Don't forget to also join us for a launch livestream later today, on Twitch or YouTube, at 17:00 BST.

Now let's take a look at the Update Notes:

Planet Zoo - 1.14.0 Update Notes

This update contains bug fixes, updates and some new content.

New Content - Planet Zoo: Arid Animal Pack

• NEW - Animals
  • New animals in the Planet Zoo: Arid Animal Pack:
    • Dromedary Camel
    • Addax
    • Dama Gazelle
    • African Crested Porcupine
    • Sand Cat
    • Black Rhinoceros
    • Somali Wild Ass
    • Desert Horned Viper
• NEW - Career Scenario 
  
  • Tiffany's paradise park is a new, up and coming, tourist destination; proudly showcasing Saudi Arabia’s beauty and wildlife through the use of modern education, retail and dining.... That is, if you and Tiffany are up to the challenge!
• NEW - Scenery Pieces
  • Arid Animal Sign Addax
  • Arid Animal Sign Crested Porcupine
  • Arid Animal Sign Black Rhinoceros
  • Arid Animal Sign Dromedary Camel
  • Arid Animal Sign Dama Gazelle 01
  • Arid Animal Sign Dama Gazelle 02
  • Arid Animal Sign Sand Cat
  • Arid Animal Sign Somali Wild Ass
  • Reward Statue Dromedary Camel Stone
  • Reward Statue Dromedary Camel Bronze
  • Reward Statue Dromedary Camel Silver
  • Reward Statue Dromedary Camel Gold

• NEW - Avatar Costume 
  
  • Dromedary Camel Hat and Avatar costume

New Content - Free Update 1.14.0

• NEW - Staff Flexi colour
  • Staff members' uniform colours can now be customised on an individual or staff type level
  • Select a staff member to apply flexicolour to all four channels of their uniform to make them stand out from their peers
  • Go to the new Zoo → Staff → Staff Uniforms tab in the zoo management UI to set and change uniform colours for an entire staff type
• NEW - New animal behaviour: Spitting at guests 
  • All camelids, that is, Bactrian Camels, Llamas, and Dromedary Camels, now have a chance to perform a spitting interaction with guests
  • If guests are visible and near to the animal, the interaction becomes available. Keep barriers high or block the view to keep your guests safe
  • Guests will not be harmed by this interaction but will leave the habitat to look at something more friendly
• NEW - Scenic Camera Mode 
  • A new camera mode is available from the camera modes widget in the bottom right of the HUD
  • Place the camera location anywhere in the world by clicking. Vertical position can be adjusted holding the standard vertical height key (Default: Shift)
  • Camera behaviour can be adjusted from the selection panel in the bottom right while in Scenic Camera Mode: select between spin, ellipsis, spiral in, spiral out, and adjust speed to get the perfect view
• NEW - Cinematic Route Editor 
  • Create detailed videos with the Cinematic Route Editor, available in the camera modes widget in the bottom right of the HUD
  • Routes are calculated along keyframes, which are positions you set for your camera to create a route using as many or few as you like
  • Any keyframe can be individually moved and customised with different settings such as
    • Using the camera target instead of the camera to calculate the route, which create wide curves around the view
    • Jumping to the next keyframe, which creates cinematic cuts between parts of a route
    • Editing the speed of the route on the segments around individual keyframes
  • Routes are saved for each zoo, meaning they can be shared and viewed with your builds on the steam workshop when uploading a zoo
• NEW - Foliage
  • Nitraria Retusa Bush Dry 01
  • Nitraria Retusa Bush Dry 02
  • Nitraria Retusa Bush Dry 03
  • Nitraria Retusa Bush 04
  • Nitraria Retusa Bush 05
  • Nitraria Retusa Bush 06
  • Creosote Bush Dry 01
  • Creosote Bush Dry 02
  • Creosote Bush Dry 03
  • Creosote Bush 04
  • Creosote Bush 05
  • Creosote Bush 06
• NEW - Music Tracks
  • Listen to the soothing sounds of the sands around your zoo with 4 new music tracks accessible through the in game speakers:
    
    • Saharan Sands
    • Red Sea Hills
    • Tuwaiq Canyons
    • Al-Dahna Caravan

General Bug Fixes and Improvements

• Animals
  • Added Taiga Biome icon missing on the Polar Bear's TV screen display
  • Added Grassland Biome icon missing on Red River Hog's Education Board
  • Added Aquatic Biome icon missing on Asian Water Monitor's Education Board
  • Fixed Planco and scientific names being inverted on the TV screen display for the Red Deer, Striped Skunk, Egyptian Fruit Bat
  • Fixed incorrect Planco names on the Eurasian Lynx's Education Boards
  • Changed 'North America' to 'Central America' in Colombian White-Faced Capuchin Monkey's Zoopedia page
  • Added Central America tag to California Sea Lion's Zoopedia page
  • Fixed a bug preventing Dall Sheep from escaping while using a Goat Climbing Mountain too close to the habitat barrier
  • Fixed a bug preventing Japanese Macaque from using Hot Water taps in shallow water
  • Fixed a bug preventing Lar Gibbon from sliding for a moment after climbing off from Tangled Liana
  • Added a sound when any member of the Nine-Banded Armadillo family dies due to predation
  • Polished Cougar bite animation
  • Polished Juvenile West African Lion sleeping animation
  • Fixed both Chinese Pangolin male and female animations when using the Artificial Termite Mound
  • Fixed Lar Gibbon Conservation Status on Education Board to match the Conservation Status in Zoopedia
  • Chinese Pangolins and Fennec Foxes can now use the Small Burrow
• Game Modes
  • Balanced the animal market in Challenge Mode to take into account the amount of DLCs owned by players
  • Updated Desert South America Sculpted opening times to 05.00-23.00 and ticket prices set to 3.00 to match other maps in both Franchise and Challenge modes
• Guests
  
  • Fixed a bug where the guests were fleeing from non-escaped animals
• Scenario
  • Fixed a bug blocking players from completing Career Scenario 'The Ape-renticeship' due to Animal Market being empty
  • In 'Goodwin House' scenario, fixed a bug preventing the Hippopotamus from being stuck while swimming
  • Fixed a rare bug in 'Myers Castle' scenario preventing the 'Keep Crime rate Low' objective being completed due to the wrong inspector type being spawned
  • Fixed a rare bug in the Purmamarca Educational Reserve scenario preventing both the objectives 'Build an Animal trade centre' and 'Build a research centre' from being completed by players
• Habitats
  • Herb Scent Marker Enrichment is now accessible from multiple sides
• Scenery
  • Added flexicolour tag to several base game assets
• Facilities
  
  • Fixed Twilight Pack Blueprints being gated by non-Twilight mechanic research
  • Fixed a bug preventing players to place specific habitat blueprints due to a dynamic enrichment being placed too close
• Staff
  • Fixed a bug preventing Keepers from teleporting outside of the habitat
  • Fixed a bug where staff members end up stuck
• UI
  
  • Fixed a bug impacting font sizes in Japanese, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese
• Stability
  • Fixed a crash when players select a European Fallow Deer and click on the "Filter Habitat Items by Species" button in the Enrichment tab
  • Fixed a rare crash when players start editing climbable objects in a habitat
  • Fixed various save loading crashes

Hayo Zookeepers!

Things are heating up in Planet Zoo with the new Planet Zoo: Arid Animal Pack, coming to a Steam Store near you on 20 June alongside Free Update 1.14!


Under the harsh heat of the desert, life still arises and persists. Look out over the dunes and through the sands to discover some miraculous creatures who have adapted to the difficult conditions of these scorching lands. 

Be on the lookout for a Dromedary Camel wandering across the desert, while the elegant Addax and Dama Gazelle hunt for edible shrubs, grasses and leaves to snack on. Peer a little closer to the ground and you might catch a glimpse of the prickly African Crested Porcupine, or the shy and elusive Sand Cat. The Black Rhino can also be found munching on leafy plants, branches and fruit, while the well-adapted Somali Wild Ass rests in the shade to get some refuge from the scorching sun. Rounding out the cast is the sleek and impressive Desert Horned Viper, our Exhibit animal for this pack.

The Arid Animal Pack is a celebration of the fauna living in the arid lands, with 8 impressive animals that all have ways to overcome the hardships of the heat.


The story of socialite turned conservationist Tiffany Summers continues in a ✨brand new narrative scenario✨ included in the DLC. You'll be joining Tiffany in her next adventure: building a zoo in the Middle East and throwing a big party for when it officially opens, celebrating all the wonderful animals you've taken care of throughout her journey. You can expect several animals from the Arid Animal Pack to show up in this new narrative scenario.


The Planet Zoo: Arid Animal Pack will be available for purchase for £7.99 ($9.99, 9.99€) on Steam from 20 June. If you want to be notified when the game is available, then head on over to Steam and wishlist it now! Please remember that you'll only be able to enjoy the Planet Zoo: Arid Animal Pack if you already own the base game of Planet Zoo.

Head over to our social media in the run-up to the release for the return of Zookeeper Steve! This time he's off on another research trip and has set up camp in an arid landscape to observe the animals living there. He'll need your help to document them all, so keep an eye out for the animal reveals as they come by his hidey-hole. You can find us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Also, if you missed our ✨special livestream✨ yesterday you can check it out here.

Don't forget to also join our launch celebration livestream on 20 June, where we'll be checking out the Arid Animal Pack in even greater detail, and check in with all the different animals. We're kicking things off at 5pm BST on 20 June on both Twitch and Youtube, and we'll be joined by some friends from the Planet Zoo dev team. See you there!

We look forward to exploring with you and Zookeeper Steve! Tell us what you're more excited for below 

Hayo Zookeepers! 

Summer is fast approaching, and alongside the longer days and warmer nights, it's also bringing with it a new Planet Zoo update! Free update 1.14 will be making its way to you on 20 June - keep reading to find out exactly what's coming your way!

Staff Flexicolour
New season, new wardrobe! With the addition of Staff Flexicolour options for your Zoos, you'll be able to customise the colour combinations of your staff's uniforms, allowing for a whole new range of possibilities. These options will allow you to create custom colour schemes for your favourite members of staff through their individual info panel, or select different colourways for each staff type through the Staff Overview screen so you can get an at-a-glance overview of where they are in your zoo. The decision is yours! 



Spitting Behaviours
Guests might be in for a surprise next time they're a little too close to your habitats...some animals will now exhibit spitting at guests as a new behaviour! They'll be able to spit through some of the fences, and you might even be able to spot them attempting to spit through the glass walls of their habitats (eye emoji) Both the Bactrian Camel and Llama are capable of spitting at your guests in-game, so you'll want to keep an eye out to spot this behaviour in-action. Luckily, guests who experience spitting behaviours first-hand won't have their happiness impacted - how understanding! 

Scenic Camera Mode
Lights, camera, action! With the new Scenic Camera Mode, you'll be able to create smooth vista shots throughout your Zoos. 

Just place the camera in your desired location and select from a few predefined camera behaviours like spin, ellipse, spiral in, spiral out, then further adjust the zoom and movement speed of the camera to experience cinematic views of just parts of your zoo or your whole zoo if you'd like!



Cinematic Route Editor
That's not all, for our nifty Planet Zoo community who love creating more intricate and compelling videos and views of your park, we've added a new Cinematic Route Editor! This tool will put you into digital animation mode, allowing you to add specific key frames to any area of your park that can all be connected or separated in sequence to create a unique and defined path for the camera to transition through.

You can add as many key frames as you like and each key frame can be customised by changing camera position, rotation, focus, zoom or cutting directly to the next key frame. There are also some route settings you can add once you've created your key frame animation that include: hiding the UI whilst your route is being played, looping the route or changing the speed of the animation as a whole. It's a truly dynamic way to show off all your hard work to the world, so make sure you have a play around with it! 



You will be able to access both these new modes in the Camera Modes button on your UI and routes you have created will also be unique to the space you initially created them in. We can't wait to see what you do with these new tools, Zookeepers! 👀

As always, these exciting new features will come alongside a range of fixes and quality-of-life improvements, which you can read in the patch notes after release.

There's definitely more news coming for you soon, so keep your eyes peeled! Make sure to join us later today for a ✨special livestream✨ where we'll be taking a closer look at everything coming your way in free Update 1.14. Catch us on Twitch and Youtube at 17:00 BST - see you there!

Hayo Zookeepers,

Update 1.13.1 is available now for you all to enjoy! Simply update your game to play. For full patch notes, see below:


Planet Zoo - 1.13.1 Update Notes

This update contains bug fixes.

General Bug Fixes and Improvements

● Animals
● Polished the Siamang brachiating animations
● Fixed an issue where the Raccoon walks through the Slow Feeder enrichment, causing the animal animation to break
● Fixed an issue where the Siamang would be stuck in the air after leaping from one item to another
● Polished the Lar Gibbon Juvenile interaction with Block of frozen fruits
● Giant Anteater is now listed as Central America instead of North America
● Fixed an issue where the American Bison would escape through solid walls after a fight
● Updated audio while Lar Gibbon Juvenile is feeding from the Suspended Forager
● Fixed Menelaus Blue Morpho life expectancy in Zoopedia's Species Data

● Facilities
● Fixed an issue preventing mulch from covering all the floor of the Brown-Throated Sloth Walkthrough exhibit
● Fixed an issue where players were unable to unlock Indonesian Staff Room Large after researching Staff Facilities & Indonesian theme to max level

● Scenario
● In 'The Madagascan Simian Conservation Project' scenario, "Box all animals" can now be completed while the game is paused
● Removed a cooler in 'The Summer Project' scenario
● Fixed an issue preventing the 'Caldera Safari Park' scenario Transport Ride Objective counter from updating properly
● Blueprint
● Removed DLC warning when placing Brachiation Frame Small, Medium and Large

● UI
● Added a toggle option to disable the Multi-Axis Advanced Movement tool for players preferring the initial way of building
● Adjusted the Multi-Axis Advanced Movement tool by making the arrows easier to grab
● Added a tooltip to "Filter Habitat Items by Species" button for when the button is disabled
● Added a missing icon to "Facilities Repaired Last Year" on the Mechanic info panel
● Fixed an issue in the Path Size slider after switching from meters to feet
● Fixed an issue causing missing unhappy face icons on heat maps after using the Water Temperature Regulator heat map

● Stability
● Fixed a crash when deleting a large number of buildings with the bulldozer tools
● Fixed a crash caused by using the Jholthausen in game cheat
● Fixed a crash occurring when players send Proboscis Monkey from Trade Center to a habitat

Hayo Zookeepers!

Spring has sprung so let's get ready for the sun reappearing with the Planet Zoo: Tropical Pack, out now! Grab the pack on Steam and update your game now to enjoy free Update 1.13.



Time to welcome 5 new animal friends into your Zoo: the agile Lar Gibbon, elusive Fossa, gentle Asian Water Monitor, vibrant Red River Hog, and new Walkthrough Exhibit animal, the sleepy Brown-throated Sloth!

Alongside these new creatures, you'll be able to enjoy a range of new building materials! Spruce up your habitats with new foliage including the Rafflesia and Pitcher's Plant, add a bit of Southeast Asian flare to your Zoo with new intricately carved benches and tables, vibrant parasols and drapery, amidst other decor inspired by the architecture and traditions native to the area, or even create a whole new serene area with our new Tongonkan-inspired buildings!

You can also put your managerial skills to the test once again with a new Career Scenario set in a tropical forest. Tiffany has gotten herself into yet another pickle, and this time Dominic Myers has gotten involved too - oh no! Do you have what it takes to steer her on the right path?

Check all of this out and more in the new Planet Zoo: Tropical Pack. For further info check out our announcement post and the full patch notes below!


Free Update 1.13 also brings several exciting features, including new Animal Sociality! This feature aims to bring a more life-like experience to the introduction of new animals in your habitats, and the coexisting bonds between your already established groups. This new managerial function can be found under the Social tab of your animals. For more comprehensive info on Animal Sociality and how it works, be sure to check out this post.

Alongside this you can enjoy a range of new building tools, making customising your zoos better than ever. Create custom paths - or have no visible path at all! - with new Null Paths, move items with even more freedom with the new Multi-Axis Advanced Movement Tool, and customise your barriers and climbing frame enrichments with the new Climbability Toggle, allowing you to pick and choose which items can be scaled!



Enjoy these beautiful new species and unleash your building creativity with NVIDIA's GeForceNOW service, which gives you instant access to GeForce PC performance on nearly any PC, Mac, SHIELD TV, Android, iOS device or Chromebook without any downloads! Make sure you can enjoy the Planet Zoo: Tropical Pack as well as Update 1.13, no matter what device you're on!

Check out the full Update Notes below for more information and all you need to know about various bug fixes, improvements, and changes in Update 1.13!


But before you read on - make sure to join us later today for an extra special launch livestream where we'll be fundraising for our friends at Chester Zoo! They do incredible work with animals and conservation, including in the Madagascar rainforest which our new Fossa friends call home.

We'll be there for 4+ hours for a range of fun including special guests, forfeits, giveaways, and more - so be sure to check it out! We'll be live from 14:00 BST on both Twitch and Youtube, and if you'd like to donate you can do so on Tiltify. See you there PlanZo fam! 💚

Now onto the patch notes:

Planet Zoo - 1.13.0 Update Notes
This update contains bug fixes, updates and some new content.
New Content - Planet Zoo: Tropical Pack

• NEW - Animals
  • New animals in the Planet Zoo: Tropical Pack:
    • Asian Water Monitor
    • Fossa
    • Lar Gibbon
    • Red River Hog 
    • Brown-Throated Sloth
• NEW - Career Scenario 
  
  • There aren't many places that exude as much charm as this primeval forest, soon to be the location of the new 'Summer Project': a jungle paradise zoo developed and built by young socialite and up-and-coming conservationist, Tiffany Summers. She'll be running it under the ever-watchful eye of her father's, rather familiar-looking, right-hand man.

• NEW - Scenery Pieces
  • Indonesian Mossy Stone Step
  • Indonesian Mossy Stone Flower Small
  • Indonesian Mossy Stone Flower Half Small
  • Indonesian Mossy Stone Flower Quarter Small
  • Indonesian Mossy Stone Flower Corner Small
  • Indonesian Mossy Stone Flower Large
  • Indonesian Mossy Stone Flower Half Large
  • Indonesian Mossy Stone Flower Quarter Large
  • Indonesian Mossy Stone Flower Corner Large
  • Indonesian Gilded Stone Swirl
  • Indonesian Mossy Stone Swirl
  • Indonesian Mossy Stone Block 0.5m
  • Indonesian Mossy Stone Block Thick 1m
  • Indonesian Mossy Stone Block Thin 1m
  • Indonesian Mossy Stone Block Thick 2m
  • Indonesian Mossy Stone Block Thin 2m
  • Indonesian Mossy Stone Trim Smooth 1m
  • Indonesian Mossy Stone Trim Smooth 2m
  • Indonesian Mossy Stone Trim Leaf 2m
  • Indonesian Mossy Stone Trim Swirl 1m
  • Indonesian Mossy Stone Trim Palm 1m
  • Indonesian Mossy Stone Cornice Midsection
  • Indonesian Mossy Stone Cornice Corner
  • Indonesian Mossy Stone Column Base
  • Indonesian Mossy Stone Column Topper
  • Indonesian Mossy Stone Base 1m
  • Indonesian Mossy Stone Base 2m
  • Indonesian Stained Timber Fence
  • Indonesian Stained Timber Fence Post
  • Indonesian Stained Timber Fence Support
  • Indonesian Stained Timber Beam Thick 1m
  • Indonesian Stained Timber Beam Thick 2m
  • Indonesian Stained Timber Beam Thick 4m
  • Indonesian Stained Timber Beam Thin 1m
  • Indonesian Stained Timber Beam Thin 2m
  • Indonesian Stained Timber Beam Thin 4m
  • Indonesian Stained Timber Plank 1m
  • Indonesian Stained Timber Plank 2m
  • Indonesian Stained Timber Plank 4m
  • Indonesian Stained Timber Panel 2m x 1m
  • Indonesian Stained Timber Panel 1m x 1m
  • Indonesian Stained Timber Panel 1m x 0.5m
  • Indonesian Stained Timber Panel Angled 1m
  • Indonesian Stained Timber Panel Angled 2m
  • Indonesian Stained Timber Beam Cap
  • Indonesian Stained Timber Pole Thick 0.5m
  • Indonesian Stained Timber Pole Thick 1m
  • Indonesian Stained Timber Pole Thick 2m
  • Indonesian Stained Timber Pole Thin 0.5m
  • Indonesian Stained Timber Pole Thin 1m
  • Indonesian Stained Timber Pole Thin 2m
  • Indonesian Stained Timber Pole Cap
  • Indonesian Painted Wooden Trim Small
  • Indonesian Painted Wooden Arch
  • Indonesian Painted Wooden Arch Half
  • Indonesian Painted Wooden Cap Large
  • Indonesian Painted Wooden Cap Small
  • Indonesian Painted Wooden Corner
  • Indonesian Painted Wooden Flower
  • Indonesian Painted Wooden Triangle Large
  • Indonesian Painted Wooden Triangle Small
  • Indonesian Painted Wooden Trim Medium
  • Indonesian Painted Wooden Trim Large
  • Indonesian Painted Wooden Horn
  • Indonesian Gilded Wooden Trim Small
  • Indonesian Gilded Wooden Arch
  • Indonesian Gilded Wooden Arch Half
  • Indonesian Gilded Wooden Cap Large
  • Indonesian Gilded Wooden Cap Small
  • Indonesian Gilded Wooden Corner
  • Indonesian Gilded Wooden Flower
  • Indonesian Gilded Wooden Triangle Large
  • Indonesian Gilded Wooden Triangle Small
  • Indonesian Gilded Wooden Trim Medium
  • Indonesian Gilded Wooden Trim Large
  • Indonesian Gilded Wooden Horn
  • Indonesian Door Handle Metal
  • Indonesian Door Handle Ring
  • Indonesian Door Handle Wood
  • Indonesian Drapery Hanging
  • Indonesian Drapery Corner 1m
  • Indonesian Drapery Corner 2m
  • Indonesian Drapery Trim
  • Indonesian Drapery Curtain Top
  • Indonesian Drapery Curtain Bottom
  • Indonesian Drapery Loop
  • Indonesian Drapery Knot
  • Indonesian Drapery Tie
  • Indonesian Drapery Wide 1m
  • Indonesian Drapery Wide 2m
  • Indonesian Earthenware Pot 01
  • Indonesian Earthenware Pot 02
  • Indonesian Earthenware Pot 03
  • Indonesian Earthenware Pot 04
  • Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Arch
  • Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Arch Square
  • Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Arch Square Tunnel
  • Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Arch Tunnel
  • Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Large Window
  • Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Shop Front
  • Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Station Surround 01
  • Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Station Surround 02
  • Indonesian Temple Brick Wall 1m
  • Indonesian Temple Brick Wall 2m
  • Indonesian Temple Brick Wall 4m
  • Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Door
  • Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Slope 1m
  • Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Slope 2m
  • Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Slope 4m
  • Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Curved 1m
  • Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Curved 2m
  • Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Curved 4m
  • Indonesian Temple Brick Column Thin 1m
  • Indonesian Temple Brick Column Thin 2m
  • Indonesian Temple Brick Column Thin 4m
  • Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Floor
  • Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Floor Quarter Circle
  • Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Floor Quarter Circle Mirrored
  • Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Gable 1m
  • Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Gable 2m
  • Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Panel 1m x 2m
  • Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Panel 2m x 2m
  • Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Panel 1m x 4m
  • Indonesian Temple Brick Wall Panel 4m x 2m
  • Indonesian Thatch Roof Eave 1m
  • Indonesian Thatch Roof Eave 2m
  • Indonesian Thatch Roof Eave 4m
  • Indonesian Thatch Roof Eave Corner
  • Indonesian Thatch Roof Eave End
  • Indonesian Thatch Roof Gable Large
  • Indonesian Thatch Roof Gable Small
  • Indonesian Thatch Roof Midsection Large
  • Indonesian Thatch Roof Midsection Small
  • Indonesian Thatch Roof Wedge
  • Indonesian Pagoda Roof Topper 2m
  • Indonesian Pagoda Roof Topper 4m
  • Indonesian Pagoda Roof Topper End
  • Indonesian Pagoda Roof Section 1m
  • Indonesian Pagoda Roof Section 2m
  • Indonesian Pagoda Roof Section 4m
  • Indonesian Pagoda Roof Cap
  • Indonesian Pagoda Roof Corner
  • Indonesian Tonkonan Roof End
  • Indonesian Tonkonan Roof Midsection
  • Indonesian Roof Topper
  • Indonesian Lantern
  • Indonesian Lantern Bracket
  • Indonesian Lantern Pole
  • Tropical Sculpture Asian Water Monitor Head
  • Tropical Sculpture Fossa Head
  • Tropical Sculpture Lar Gibbon Head
  • Tropical Sculpture Red River Hog Head
  • Tropical Sculpture Snake Arm Left
  • Tropical Sculpture Snake Arm Right
  • Tropical Sculpture Snake Body Eighth Turn
  • Tropical Sculpture Snake Body Quarter Turn
  • Tropical Sculpture Snake Body Straight
  • Tropical Sculpture Snake Tail
  • Tropical Sculpture Snake Torso
  • Tropical Sculpture Human Legs
  • Tropical Sculpture Human Torso
  • Tropical Sculpture Topper
  • Indonesian Bench
  • Indonesian Bin
  • Indonesian Picnic Bench
  • Bark Panel 01
  • Bark Panel 02
  • Bark Panel 03
  • Indonesian Fence Panel
  • Indonesian Lattice Panel 1m x 1m
  • Indonesian Umbrella
  • Indonesian Straw Tassle
  • Indonesian Bamboo Panel 01
  • Indonesian Bamboo Panel 02
  • Indonesian Drum
  • Indonesian Wooden Trellis
  • Indonesian Package Bag 01
  • Indonesian Package Bag 02
  • Indonesian Package Cardboard 01
  • Indonesian Package Cardboard 02
  • Tropical Animal Sign Fossa
  • Tropical Animal Sign Lar Gibbon 01
  • Tropical Animal Sign Lar Gibbon 02
  • Tropical Animal Sign Lar Gibbon 03
  • Tropical Animal Sign Red River Hog
  • Tropical Animal Sign Brown-Throated Sloth
  • Tropical Animal Sign Asian Water Monitor 01
  • Tropical Animal Sign Asian Water Monitor 02
  • Indonesian Zoo Entrance
  • Indonesian Keeper Hut Large
  • Indonesian Keeper Hut Small
  • Indonesian Quarantine Large
  • Indonesian Quarantine Small
  • Indonesian Research Centre Large
  • Indonesian Research Centre Small
  • Indonesian Staff Room Large
  • Indonesian Staff Room Small
  • Indonesian Trade Centre
  • Indonesian Veterinary Surgery
  • Indonesian Workshop
  • Indonesian Toilet Large
  • Indonesian Toilet Small
  • Indonesian Shop Large [Shell]
  • Indonesian Shop Small [Shell]
  • Indonesian Archway 01
  • Indonesian Archway 02
  • Indonesian Centrepiece 01
  • Indonesian Centrepiece 02
  • Indonesian Spired Roof House
  • Indonesian Temple
  • Indonesian Tongkonan House
  • Indonesian Walkthrough Exhibit
  • Indonesian Bicycle
  • Indonesian Gate
  • Indonesian Nature Scene
  • Indonesian Pagoda Tower
  • Indonesian Ruins Corner
  • Indonesian Ruins Doorway
  • Indonesian Ruins Entrance
  • Indonesian Ruins Wall
  • Indonesian Shrine

• NEW - Foliage
  • Rafflesia Large
  • Rafflesia Small
  • Attenborough's Pitcher Plant Pitcher
  • Attenborough's Pitcher Plant
  • Attenborough's Pitcher Plant Small
  • Attenborough's Pitcher Plant Pitcher Small
  • Basket Fern 01
  • Basket Fern 02
  • Basket Fern 03
  • Tetrastigma Vine 01
  • Tetrastigma Vine 02
  • Tetrastigma Vine 03
  • Tetrastigma Vine 04

• NEW - Avatar Costume 
  
  • Brown-Throated Sloth avatar costume

New Content - Free Update 1.13.0

• NEW - Animal Sociality
  • Improving the feedback provided to players when and why overcrowding issues happen, sociality introduces the concept of Outsiders, Bonded animals and Leaders to Planet Zoo
  • Outsiders
    • Outsiders are unable to mate, interact, herd, or participate in any other social behaviour with the group. Fights occurring due to overpopulation are directed at Outsiders, rather than everyone beginning to infight as soon as the habitat becomes overcrowded
    • An animal's Outsider status is shown in its info panel as well as highlighted in the habitat info panel's animal list
    • Outsiders are generated if animals are introduced (or mature into) a habitat where it would exceed the population limits, gender ratio limits, or are rejected based on a new criteria: maturation type
    • There are four maturation types, which define how animals interact with their matured offspring:
      • Gregarious - meaning matured offspring is accepted into the group regardless of their gender. Timber Wolves or Flamingoes are examples of a gregarious species
      • Matrilineal - meaning male offspring related to the habitat's alpha are becoming outsiders, while the female line is accepted to remain in the group. Plains Zebras or West African Lions are examples of a matrilineal species
      • Patrilineal - meaning female offspring related to the habitat's alpha are becoming outsiders, while the male line is accepted to remain in the group. Western Chimpanzees are examples of a patrilineal species
      • Solitary - meaning offspring of either gender are becoming outsiders while their parents are present in the habitat. Siberian Tigers or Grizzly Bears are examples of a solitary species
    • A species' maturation type is listed in its zoopedia entry in the reproduction section
    • Outsider relationships can be lost if the reason for an animal being considered an Outsider are no longer valid, i.e. the animal fits into the habitat's population limits or gender ratio again, or it is no longer related to the current alpha. In this case, they enter an integration phase, after which they lose their Outsider status and can participate in the habitat's social environment again
  • Bonds
    • Animals can also become Bonded - these are individual, friendly relationships between two animals. Bonding happens between all juveniles of the same parents in a habitat, or on a low chance upon social interaction or play chases in adults
    • Bonded animals do not fight each other, even if one animal ends up being an Outsider to the habitat
    • It is unlikely for all animals in a habitat to form bonds among each other, however this may enable brothers of an alpha lion to remain in the habitat even though they would technically exceed the gender ratio of the species
    • Both Outsider and Bonded relationships will be lost over time if the animals are removed from their habitat - so careful management of separation and reintroduction is required
  • Leaders
    • In some species, the alpha animal tends to lead and guide the group, but does not claim exclusive mating rights. These leaders will now display a crown icon next to their gender symbol, in place of the alpha icon, to provide clearer information about their social and reproductive status in your groups
• NEW - Null Paths
  • When placing any of the natural paths with the option "Kerb on ground path" turned off, they turn into Null Paths: paths that will become indistinguishable from the terrain they are placed on
  • Like with Null Barriers, Null Paths will still be highlighted with a white outline when editing terrain, building, or hiring and moving around staff members, to help you find them again. This can be disabled via the new "Highlight hidden paths" dropdown in the building browser's setting
  • Normal path behaviour of course still applies to Null Paths - terrain can be painted, but not deformed around them, and they obstruct water and facility placement
• NEW - Climbing Asset toggle
  • Any climbable scenery or nature object now comes with a toggle on its info panel to turn of the climbable functionality of the piece. This toggle is also available for grouped scenery or multi-selections of pieces, showing you the current status of all pieces (climbable, mixed, not climbable) and the option to change it for all objects at once
  • In the animal traversable area heatmap, pieces whose climbing functionality has been turned off but would technically be traversable by your animals otherwise will highlight black instead of green.
• 
  NEW - Brachiation Extension
  
  • Brachiation has been extended to vines, trees and beams
• 
  NEW - Multi-Axis Advanced Movement
  
  • Advanced Movement tool now features connecting handles between all adjacent directional axes, grabbing and dragging the handles moves the object along both connected axes at the same time, allowing for much finer control when creating intricate buildings

• NEW - Transport Ride UI Updates
  
  • Transport Ride info panels have received a touch-up, improving their set-up and information
  • Ride prices are now no longer set per station, but on the ride info panel's finance tab directly. Existing ride's prices will average between all their stations individual prices
  • Additionally, ride and station info panels now contain further information on their Overview tabs, which will be helpful in planning zoo layouts around your rides:
    • Ride info panel:
      • Species seen from the ride over the last 12 months
    • Station info panel:
      • Species seen en route between this and the next station over the last 12 months
      • Guest facilities within walking distance from this station
  • Guests whose wishlisted animals are visible from a ride now have a greater desire to purchase a ticket for the ride

• NEW - Foliage
  
  • Tropical Leaf Litter 01
  • Tropical Leaf Litter 02
  • Tropical Leaf Litter 03
  • Tropical Leaf Litter 04
  • Kentia Palm 01
  • Kentia Palm 02
  • Kentia Palm 03
  • Kentia Palm 04
  • Tangled Liana 1m 01
  • Tangled Liana 1m 02
  • Tangled Liana 1m 03
  • Tangled Liana 1m 04
  • Tangled Liana 2m 01
  • Tangled Liana 2m 02
  • Tangled Liana 2m Curved
  • Tangled Liana 3m 01
  • Tangled Liana 3m 02
  • Tangled Liana 3m Curved
  • Tangled Liana 4m 01
  • Tangled Liana 4m 02
  • Cecropia Tree Sapling

• NEW - Scenery
  
  • Rough Rope Large
  • Rough Rope Small
  • Wagon Wheel
  • Bicycle Wheel
  • Large Candle
  • Thin Candle
  • Tiled Stone Path

• NEW - Blueprints 
  • Natural Brachiation Frame

General Bug Fixes and Improvements

• Animals
  • Dall Sheep can now use Goat Climbing Mountain
  • Fixed a bug preventing the game to update usage of Pinata Pronghorn and Pinata Zebra
  • Animals can now hang down on plants, and at increased beam angles
  • Fixed an issue where the Zoopedia for the Cloudless Sulphur, European Peacock, Menelaus Blue Morpho, Monarch, and Old World Swallowtail would list the Exhibit instead of the Walkthrough Exhibit as their suitable boundary
  • Fixed the size of the Goliath Beetle's Fun Fact #2 in US-English
  • Fixed Zoopedia scientific names for Wild Water Buffalo, European Badger, European Fallow Deer, Fennec Fox, Alpine Ibex, African Penguin, Eurasian Lynx, Fire Salamander in Polish
  • Polished Chew Toy's interaction to avoid audio to loop on collision
  • Clarified information on animal's enrichment tab with new headings and tooltips
  • Added options to disable timeline notifications for exhibit species
• Camera
  • 'Rotate Camera Left' and 'Rotate Camera Right' can now be rebound under 'General Shortcuts'. Previously the 'Change Rotate To Raise' option would disable rotation or the raise/lower controls, now they will both work if bound to different keys
• Controls
  • The bulldozer tool now supports separate Nature and Construction categories, to allow for deletion of foliage without editing buildings or vice versa
  • Fixed shops and counters being wrongly classified as nature/construction objects for the bulldozer tool
  • Fixed an issue where the terrain stamp could get stuck when toggling fill mode
• Game Modes
  
  • The 'Months Without Crime' progress is displayed during the 'Reduce Crime' Challenge
• Guests
  • Shops' guest happiness rating is no longer wildly affected by a single unhappy guest
• Localization
  • New string to cover the case where a habitat object isn't usable by adults of a species
  • Added localized text when players create a train track in a loop and try to add a second station
  • Added new plurals for Keepers, Vets, and Educators
• Scenario
  • Fixed an issue where you could complete the one-way glass objective in Goodwin House scenario with any barrier type
  • Fixed transport ride issue stopping guests from using the last carriage in Yamaguchi Prefecture Tranquility Zoo scenario
• Scenery
  • Fixed issues where education boards were displaying incorrect location information compared to their respective Zoopedia entries
  • Fixed inconsistency between information displayed on Education Boards and images on TV screen
  • Fixed an issue where certain plants would not display the correct biome information
  • When saving habitat blueprints, now we save the entire building/scenery groups including parts outside the habitat
  • Fixed multiple visual issues on Twilight Porch Gates blueprint
  • Removed grid icon from several Twilight Masonwork non-grid pieces
  • Fixed the names of the Aquatic Pack's Painted Slate Roof 2m Corner Inverted and Painted Slate Roof 4m Corner Inverted assets being swapped
  • Added temperate biome suitability to the bald cypress foliage
  • Fixed graphical issue on Olive tree 01
• Staff
  • Fixed educators displaying as 'Education speakers overlapping' in heat maps 'Guest education coverage' mode
  • Fixed sorting by work zone in the staff management tab
• UI
  • Fixed new-born exhibit animals not being filtered in the animal management tab
  • Fixed sorting by capacity in the staff room management tab
  • Fixed an issue where objects would stay rotated after hovering over the UI when using Position Snap Rotation
  • Removed misleading information about having well educated guests contributing to passive Conservation Credit income, as guest education doesn't directly affect the Conservation Credit income. Guest education still improves Zoo Reputation, which is one of the factors driving ticking Conservation Credit gain
  • Fixed animal talk problem status which incorrectly read 'Habitat does not contain selected species'
  • Fixed objects highlight inconsistency in colour editor
  • Fixed sorting by power costs and status on quarantine management tab
• Performance
  • Improve performance when multiselecting many habitat walls by limiting the number of height label widgets we show at once
  • Slightly reduced RAM usage in large zoos with lots of guests, water, or enrichment objects
  • Saves files are slightly smaller for large zoos with lots of water or climbable scenery
• Stability
  • Fixed rare crashes on start-up
  • Fixed a rare crash while editing habitats

Hayo Zookeepers!

Kick back and relax as we head towards summer with the new Planet Zoo: Tropical Pack, coming to you on 4 April alongside Free Update 1.13!



Venture through the depths of the tropical rainforest and take a look at the new friends heading your way!

Keep a keen eye up in the trees and you'll spot the Lar Gibbon leaping between the boughs, or maybe you'll even see a Fossa asleep up in the branches of the trees. If you head down to the water there are some new friends to be found too, such as the Asian Water Monitor slinking down the river. And look there, at the edge of the swamp! It's the Red River Hog basking in the sun - it looks like it's having a great time. Last but not least, we couldn't forget our new Walkthrough Exhibit mammal - the Brown-throated Sloth! They'll be sure to sloooooowly climb their way into your guests' hearts 💚



Alongside this, you'll get a range of new scenery items including architectural pieces inspired by places across Southeast Asia, and tropical foliage such as the Rafflesia, Pitcher's Plant, and Epiphytes!

Continue our ongoing story in a Planet Zoo Career Scenario as Tiffany has gotten herself into another pickle! This time, Tiffany's dad bought her a Zoo at auction and left it to her to fix up, and she's hired both Dominic Myers and yourself to help her do so - oh no! Can you help her turn the place around, and what is Myers really up to? Can he be trusted?



The Planet Zoo: Tropical Pack will be available for purchase for £7.99 ($9.99, 9.99€) on Steam from 4 April. If you want to be notified when the game is available, then head on over to Steam and wishlist it now! Please remember that you'll only be able to enjoy the Planet Zoo: Tropical Pack if you already own the base game of Planet Zoo.

Head over to our social media in the run-up to the Pack launch as we see the return of Zookeeper Steve! This time he's heading off on a research trip and is asking for your help in an unexplored tropical forest, keep an eye out there for the animal reveals. You can find us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Also, if you missed our ✨special livestream✨ yesterday you can check it out here.

Join us on 4 April for a special charity livestream that we'll be hosting to celebrate the launch of the Tropical Pack and raise money for our friends at Chester Zoo! Chester Zoo is a world-leading conservation zoo that’s carrying out some vital, species-saving work. As a not-for-profit, the zoo ploughs everything into its conservation work, both in the UK and right across the world. The zoo is doing amazing things such as helping preserve Madagascar's rarest forest type, with Madagascar being where our new Fossa friends are from! We'll kick things off at 2pm BST on 4 April on both Twitch and Youtube, and we'll be joined by some friends both from Frontier and from our community. See you there!



We hope you enjoyed this announcement, and we look forward to exploring with you and Zookeeper Steve! Tell us what you're more excited for below ⬇️

Hayo Zookeepers,

Spring has sprung and with it comes a new Planet Zoo update! ✨Free Update 1.13✨ will be making its way to you on 4 April - take a look below for more info on what you can expect to see👀 ⬇️



Animal Sociality
A new animal interaction mechanic is making its way to Planet Zoo - introducing Animal Sociality! This feature aims to bring a more life-like approach to the introduction of new animals into your existing habitats, and to provide clarity when and why overcrowding issues happen. This will not change how you manage your animals but is instead an overhaul in how we communicate this to you, and how the animals engage within their group relationships.

All animals will now have an additional definition in their Zoopedia entry; solitary, matrilineal, patrilineal, or gregarious. This will let you know how they engage with their offspring. New animals that are introduced to a habitat (and juveniles that mature) will be marked as Outsiders if they exceed the gender or population limits of a habitat, if they are rejected due to their relationship with the group Alpha (i.e. a male in a matrilineal group), or if their parents are present when they are a solitary species. This will maintain a more stable existing population and reduce infighting amongst existing animals, instead having them group together to target the new outlier and continue to fight until they are removed (or the situation causing them to be deemed an Outsider is improved). Outsiders will also be rejected and unable to partake in group dynamics such as mating, social interaction, and playing, thus creating a more realistic experience and helping stop further overpopulation issues (so if you forget to pause and go grab a snack, you won't come back to 30+ unintentional new offspring!).

However, some groups where coexisting wouldn't have been possible without aggression (such as habitats with an unbalanced gender ratio) may now be able to be formed if the members have developed a bond prior to maturing. Sociality will show you which animals have become bonded. Bonded animals will never fight their Alpha or their bonded partners, and can become bonded through spending time together, or by being juveniles born from the same two parents. It is unlikely that all animals in a large group will be bonded but, for example, it can allow for more than one male to remain in a matrilineal society (i.e. the alpha lion's brother being able to remain within the pride). Furthermore, in some species, the alpha male or female tends to lead the group but doesn't claim exclusive mating rights. These leaders will be marked with a crown in the info panel (replacing the alpha symbol) so that, whatever claim they have, it is clear who they are within the group and so that players can be aware of their reproductive role.

The Outsider relationship can be lost once an animal is removed from the habitat and time has passed allowing the relationships to decay. After this, an animal can be reintroduced to a group as if they have never met before, but unless the habitat has changed (i.e. the gender ratio is now balanced), the animal may still be rejected and become an Outsider once more. However, if all conditions that are causing an animal to be deemed an Outsider become invalid, it will enter an "integration" period, after which it will be fully integrated and accepted by the existing group. This can happen if the gender and population limits are balanced again, or if the animal is no longer impacted by the alpha of the group. The type of Outsider an animal is will be displayed within the info panel, so you will know the cause and be able to take appropriate managerial steps from there. This panel will also display the time left in the integration period, should your animal enter one.

Animal Sociality will add all of this information under the Social tab. All sociality dynamics will also be labelled appropriate per species, whether that be as a pride, pack, herd, clan, or similar.

Null Paths
Ever wanted to have a hidden or completely natural path, or to style your own via decorative items? We know you have, and now you can! Introducing Null Paths ✨

Disabling the "Kerbs on Ground Path" toggle on any Natural Path will now create a Null Path - an "invisible" path that allows guests and zoo staff to walk across a seemingly unmarked terrain. These paths will function the same as any other path meaning that terrain cannot be deformed around them, nor can facilities or similar be placed on them, but they will only show an outline when selected for building purposes and can be customised beyond that to your heart's content.

Similar to Null Barriers, any build mode will now have a settings dropdown to "Highlight Hidden Paths". This is enabled by default but can be toggled as necessary for those who really go in-depth with their building!

Multi-Axis Advanced Movement
Another improvement coming for all of our builders is an addition to your Advanced Movement options - multi-axis movement!

Until now, when moving objects you have had to pan it across each axis individually to reach the exact placement you want. Now, when you are in building mode, an additional handle has been added between each of the axis arrows. These handles can be selected to move any asset freely across two axes at once, i.e. forward/back and left/right, whilst remaining locked in position up/down. This should make building easier than ever!

Climbable Asset Toggle
Ever created a build that you're really happy with but then you unpause and - oh no! - some of your assets are climbable and now your animals keep escaping? This is no longer an issue with the introduction of the Climbable Asset Toggle!

Any object that is climbable can now have its climbing function toggled on/off. This selection is also available for groups and multi-selections, allowing you to toggle large amounts of assets at once. This will allow you to customise what animals are able to climb on, therefore restricting what they can scale - and stopping them from being able to escape from undesired areas!
When looking at the animals' traversable area, disabled climbing assets will be highlighted in black whereas enabled climbable assets will be highlighted in green. This will be particularly useful for things like custom barriers, or for creating more comprehensive climbing frames in which sections of it are maintained as purely decorative without disrupting the rest of the frame.

As always, these exciting new features will come alongside a range of fixes and quality-of-life improvements, which you can read in the patch notes after release.

There's more news coming for you soon but, for now, join us later today for a ✨special livestream✨ where we'll be taking a closer look at everything coming your way in free Update 1.13. Catch us on Twitch and Youtube at 17:00 GMT - see you there!

Hayo Zookeepers!

Update 1.12.4 is now available for download. Just update your game before you play! This update contains various bug fixes - you can read more below:

Planet Zoo - 1.12.4 Update Notes
This update contains bug fixes
General Bug Fixes and Improvements

• Animals
  • Fixed the Nine-Banded Armadillo disappearing when feeding from the Termite Mound
  • Fixed the Formosan Black Bear mouth being always open
• Facilities
  • Fixed the Grasslands Walkthrough Exhibit from requiring Twilight pack DLC to be placed
• Scenery
  
  • Buffalo Grass, Blue Stem Grass and Red Oat Grass dry variants reverted to their original colour variants and are now called "Parched" grass
  • Added yellow toned variants to Buffalo Grass, Blue Stem Grass and Red Oat Grass, called "Dry" grass

• Stability
  • Fixed a crash that could happen when using the Automation Management Population and reaching the Conservation Credit limit