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Planet Zoo 2 updates & patch notes — 1.0.4 and 1.0.5
Planet Zoo 2 shipped on 13 October 2026, and Frontier has already pushed two post-launch updates: 1.0.4 on 14 October and 1.0.5 on 16 October. This page tracks what each patch changed, what Frontier has publicly said is still being worked on, and what happens next. Everything below is taken from Frontier's own Steam announcements, listed at the bottom.
Update timeline
| Date (2026) | Build | Headline | What it changed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Oct | Launch build | Planet Zoo 2 released | PC (Steam, Epic), PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, one global unlock at 15:00 BST. The 136-species launch Zoopedia included 37 aquatic species and 12 free-flying birds. |
| 14 Oct · 14:00 BST | Update 1.0.4 | Performance, DLSS / FSR and keybinds | “Various performance and stability improvements” and several crash fixes. FSR and DLSS started working when selected in the Graphics menu, and custom keybindings stopped resetting. |
| 15 Oct · ~07:00 BST | Planned maintenance | Franchise Mode and the Workshop offline | About an hour of downtime for online features while Frontier increased server capacity and worked on the amount of animals in Animal Trading. |
| 16 Oct | Update 1.0.5 | Franchise stability, Edge Scrolling, animal climbing | Improved stability when loading a franchise zoo, a new Edge Scrolling option, four career-mode softlock fixes, male/female trading balance and a Steam Deck Proton fix. |
What Update 1.0.5 changed
1.0.5 went live on 16 October, ahead of the first post-launch weekend. It is the patch that added Edge Scrolling and the one that finally made loading a franchise zoo stable for most players.
Franchise Mode
- Improved stability when loading a franchise zoo, especially for newly created zoos and flat zoos.
- Increased the split between male and female animals becoming available for cash in the Animal Trading Market.
- Improved the overall balance for animals born in Franchise Mode being male or female.
- Resolved Wildlife Reserves costing the incorrect amount of Conservation Credits.
- Extended the login window to reduce the risk of a server timeout while connecting.
Animals
- Initial improvements to animal climbing animations.
- Fixed African Penguins being able to walk on water.
- Resolved fish getting stuck outside an aquarium when the habitat is moved.
- Resolved shoals not using new space when an aquarium is expanded.
- Fixed Meerkat albino textures not loading, and updated the Zoopedia.
Career softlocks (four of them)
- Nordic Fjords: deleting the Moon Jelly Exhibit could softlock the scenario — it is now a placeable item.
- Great Rift Valley: ‘Quick Release’ on giraffes could remove them from storage and make them unplaceable.
- East Africa: opening Animal Trading while Alys talks about adopting a Shoebill could softlock the scenario.
- Sumatra Reserve: boxed animals no longer appear in the level on load.
Park management, construction and settings
- New ‘Edge Scrolling’ option in Keyboard and Mouse settings.
- Inspection reports no longer cap at 4 stars when every aspect was rated 5.
- Resolved vet staff getting stuck removing deceased animals from aquariums.
- ESC hotkey no longer stops working after using a nature brush, and path panel width now works in Feet.
- Item browser filters and sorting reset on level load; featured Workshop creations now show in the item browser.
- Adjusted the HDR calibration image, and fixed the gamepad sometimes being unresponsive in the Edit Media panel.
Platform
- Steam Deck: fixed the inability to connect to the server on Steam Deck Proton 11 and newer.
What Update 1.0.4 changed
1.0.4 arrived on 14 October at 14:00 BST, roughly 23 hours after launch, as Frontier's “first post-release update, tackling a number of key concerns”.
- Various performance and stability improvements, plus crash fixes (moving scenery out of a group, entering and leaving the Hub quickly, multiselecting blueprints at once).
- FSR and DLSS now function correctly when selected in the Graphics menu.
- Custom keybindings no longer reset when opening the Hub, Animal Trading or Animal Storage.
- Greater access to initial animal trading volumes in Franchise Mode, and juvenile shoals can now be listed for trading.
- Animal navigation, escaping and boxing improvements, breeding frequency and success rate, shoal welfare requirements, and temperature calculations and notifications.
- Updates to animal cohabitation lists, and social group welfare information added to shoal info panels.
- Default angle snap reduced from 15° to 1°, and reduced interest rates on low-level loans.
- PC: the ‘Ultra’ graphics preset now sets Foliage Detail to Very High.
- Editable-area fixes on several sculpted sandbox maps — including the China map, which now reaches the whole plateau.
A note on our own tables
Frontier's 1.0.4 notes confirm animal cohabitation lists were changed in that patch. The 1,358 co-habitation pairs on the compatibility chart are generated from the official Zoopedia export dated 1 October 2026, and that export date is stamped in the footer of every page on this site — so you can always tell which build a table reflects. Frontier's 1.0.5 note that “updates and corrections” were added to the Zoopedia is the signal we watch for before regenerating.
What Frontier says is still being worked on
Both patches carried the same ‘Ongoing Areas of Focus’ list — the things Frontier says are still open because of how heavy the simulation is:
- Animals climbing, jumping and pouncing will see ongoing improvements.
- Some animals do not align with their enrichment items correctly on occasion.
- Animals sometimes erroneously escape from habitats during certain behaviours.
- Animals are being boxed more frequently than usual, including when migrating in Wild Areas.
- Feedback on the core creative toolset is being investigated.
- Franchise Mode stability is being monitored following the fixes.
High-priority areas as of 1.0.5
- Franchise Mode stability.
- Resolving crashes and performance concerns.
- Save stability, and negating the loss of Conservation Credits.
- Re-engaging key quality of life features introduced in Planet Zoo which have not correctly deployed — Frontier names edge scrolling and exhibit quick sell/release.
- Animal behaviours and animations behaving erratically.
Franchise Mode: what Frontier has said
- Frontier apologised for the stability issues some players hit in Franchise Mode and said general game stability has been “below what we would expect”.
- Since launch it has increased server capacity, increased the volume of animals added to the Animal Trading Market, extended the login window and rebalanced male/female availability for cash.
- A one-hour maintenance window took Franchise Mode and the Workshop offline on Thursday 15 October, around 07:00 BST (02:00 EDT).
- Frontier warns that playing over a VPN, particularly in Franchise Mode, may lead to connectivity issues.
- If your username contains a word Frontier's profanity filter catches, that can also show up as a server connection error — raise a ticket with support if it affects you.
- Bugs go on Frontier's own Issue Tracker for Planet Zoo 2.
Accreditation: Career and Franchise are separate
- Frontier clarified that accreditation is entirely separate per game mode — there is no requirement to play Career mode to improve your Franchise accreditation, or the other way round.
- Career Mode: your Accreditation Tier increases by gaining medals from scenario zoos and Wildlife Reserves.
- Franchise Mode: it increases through zoos with a high Zoo Reputation and Wildlife Reserves with a high Biodiversity Rating.
What's coming next
- Frontier says an ‘under investigation’ news post will follow in the week beginning 19 October 2026, and that it “will regularly update to highlight key issues from the Issue Tracker which the team are working on fixes for”.
- The cadence so far is roughly one patch every 48 hours, and Frontier says the fixes “will continue over the coming weeks”.
- As of 16 October 2026, no paid DLC, roadmap or season pass has been announced.
Frontier's post-launch announcements
| Date | Post |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-16 | Update 1.0.5 |
| 2026-10-15 | Keeper Talks - Greater Flamingo |
| 2026-10-14 | Player Feedback and Planned Maintenance |
| 2026-10-14 | Update 1.0.4 |
| 2026-10-13 | Planet Zoo 2 - OUT NOW! 💚💚 |
Feed: Frontier's official Steam announcements. Full posts are on Steam.
FAQ
Is Planet Zoo 2 still being updated?
Yes. Frontier shipped two post-launch updates inside the first three days: 1.0.4 on 14 October (performance and stability, the DLSS/FSR fix, keybindings) and 1.0.5 on 16 October (Franchise Mode loading stability, Edge Scrolling, career softlocks, animal climbing). Frontier says the work “will continue over the coming weeks” and that an ‘under investigation’ news post will follow in the week beginning 19 October.
What did Update 1.0.5 fix?
The headline fixes were Franchise Mode stability when loading a franchise zoo (especially newly created and flat zoos), a new Edge Scrolling option in Keyboard and Mouse settings, four career-mode softlocks, a rebalance of male and female animals in the Animal Trading Market, initial improvements to animal climbing animations, and a Steam Deck fix for Proton 11 and newer.
What did Update 1.0.4 fix?
Performance and stability improvements with several crash fixes, the FSR and DLSS fix when selected in the Graphics menu, custom keybindings no longer resetting, greater access to initial animal trading volumes in Franchise Mode, animal navigation and escaping improvements, updated animal cohabitation lists, and a lower default angle snap (1° instead of 15°).
Did Frontier fix DLSS and FSR in Planet Zoo 2?
Yes. Both were listed as broken in the Graphics menu at launch, and Update 1.0.4 on 14 October says “FSR and DLSS should now function correctly when selected in the Graphics menu”.
Does Planet Zoo 2 have edge scrolling?
It does now. Edge scrolling existed in the first Planet Zoo but did not deploy correctly at launch; Update 1.0.5 added an Edge Scrolling option to Keyboard and Mouse settings. Frontier lists “re-engaging key quality of life features introduced in Planet Zoo which have not correctly deployed” — naming edge scrolling and exhibit quick sell/release — as a high-priority area.
Why can't I connect to Franchise Mode?
Frontier acknowledges Franchise Mode stability problems and says it has increased server capacity, increased the volume of animals in the Animal Trading Market and extended the login window to reduce server timeouts. Two other causes it names: playing over a VPN can cause connectivity issues, and if your username contains a word its profanity filter catches, that can also present as a server connection error — in that case raise a ticket with Frontier support.
When is the next Planet Zoo 2 update?
No date has been published. Frontier has only said that fixes “will continue over the coming weeks” and that an ‘under investigation’ post will follow in the week beginning 19 October, updated regularly with the key issues from its Issue Tracker. For reference, 1.0.4 landed about 23 hours after launch and 1.0.5 two days after that.
Is there Planet Zoo 2 DLC yet?
No paid DLC, season pass or roadmap has been announced as of 16 October 2026. The only extra animals are the 6 Deluxe Edition species.
Did the patches change the animal data behind this site?
Update 1.0.4 included “updates to animal cohabitation lists” and added social group welfare information to shoal info panels. Every table here is generated from the official Zoopedia export dated 1 October 2026 — that date is stamped in the footer of every page, so you can always see which export a table came from.
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Release date, unlock times & editions · PC system requirements · Compatibility chart · Platforms: PS5, Xbox & PC · Site changelog