Deal | For the first time at $2.24: “This is one of gaming’s great sandboxes” is 95% off on Steam

In Planet Zoo, players take charge of a modern zoo and manage nearly every aspect of its operations. While economic success matters, the main focus is animal welfare: Depending on the species, terrain and climate, requirements for enclosures, temperature, plants, retreat areas and social behavior can vary significantly. Frontier Developments’ zoo simulation is 95%off as part of the Steam Summer Sale through July 9 and costs only $2.24 instead of $44.99. According to SteamDB, Planet Zoo was discounted by 90% once in December 2025, but since then, discounts have been capped at 75%. The current deal therefore marks a new all-time low.

In terms of gameplay, Planet Zoo combines creative building with management simulation. Its extensive building system allows players to customize enclosures, buildings and entire park landscapes. It is not just about creating pretty scenery, though: Players must structure habitats sensibly, place suitable equipment and make sure animals, staff and visitors are as satisfied as possible. They also have to manage visitor flow, set admission prices, conduct research and keep an eye on the zoo’s finances. Alongside Career Mode, Challenge Mode and Franchise Mode, there is also a Sandbox Mode. This is where Planet Zoo really shows off its creative strengths, as zoos can be freely planned, built and expanded without major financial pressure. There is also a wealth of community-created content available through the Steam Workshop.

German gaming magazine GameStar reviewed Planet Zoo upon its release in November 2019 and particularly praised its lifelike animal animations, dense zoo atmosphere and enormous creative freedom when building enclosures and park facilities. The comprehensive animal management system and the many game modes also left a positive impression. Criticism, however, was directed at the sometimes rather fiddly building editor controls, the somewhat superficial tutorial and the economy, which becomes less challenging later in the game – once your zoo gets going, money worries quickly become a thing of the past. In the end, GameStar awarded the game a strong score of 86 out of 100 points. Kotaku even called Planet Zoo “this is one of gaming’s great sandboxes.”

The reception on Steam is even stronger: 91% of over 95,000 user reviews are positive. Metacritic lists Planet Zoo with a Metascore of 81 and a User Score of 7.9. On the Steam Deck, the building simulation is rated “Playable” and, according to ProtonDB, should run well after a few tweaks. Many building and strategy games can also be controlled surprisingly well on Valve’s handheld.

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