Just hours after its release, Planet Zoo 2 surpassed 40,000 concurrent players on Steam, exceeding the original Planet Zoo's historical peak of under 39,000. That record for the predecessor was set nearly seven years ago.
For reference, Frontier Developments' previous Steam concurrent player record was around 60,000, set by the original Jurassic World Evolution. It remains to be seen whether Planet Zoo 2 will approach or exceed this figure.
This sequel launched simultaneously on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, whereas the original was released only on PC. There is currently no data on concurrent player counts for console platforms, so Steam figures do not represent the total player base across all platforms.
In terms of gameplay, Planet Zoo 2 introduces fully aquatic and flying animals, and players can also create their own nature reserves.