Games Like Planet Zoo

The wildly popular Zoo Tycoon series gets set to crank up the excitement, challenge, and fun of building the ultimate zoo. Let your imagination run wild with Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection. Build, manage, and maintain your dream zoo alone or with up to four players.

Why similar: Zoo 57.2% ★, Management 18.8%, Simulation 9.6%, Sandbox 6.1%, Building 3.5%

Why You'll Like It: It is the closest direct alternative, centered on building habitats, caring for real animals, and running a family-friendly zoo.

It's time to Build a Zoo! Construct and decorate enclosures, buy and breed animals, hire zookeepers and vets... then try your hand at DNA splicing, and stitch together over 300,000 different types of animal. This can only go smoothly...

Why similar: Zoo 25.4% ★, City Builder 14.6%, Management 14.3%, Building 10.8%, Sandbox 9.9%

Why You'll Like It: It swaps realism for pixel-art charm, but its loop of exhibit design, animal breeding, staff management, and guest satisfaction feels very Planet Zoo-like.

Jurassic World Evolution 2 is the much-anticipated sequel to Frontier’s highly successful Jurassic World Evolution. This bold new era in the Jurassic World Evolution game franchise builds upon the ground-breaking and immersive 2018 management simulation.

Why similar: Management 20.6%, Building 20.3%, Sandbox 14.3%, City Builder 13.5%, Economy 8.9%

Why You'll Like It: Its emphasis on enclosure design, animal welfare, staff logistics, and visually impressive parks makes it one of the strongest adjacent management sims.

Take on the role of park manager and design the ultimate zoo for nature's greatest creations.

Why similar: Management 24.1%, Building 20.1%, Sandbox 16.7%, Economy 14.6%, Simulation 9.8%

Why You'll Like It: It captures Planet Zoo's detailed habitat sculpting and exhibit customization, just with prehistoric animals instead of modern wildlife.

Place yourself at the heart of the Jurassic franchise and build your own Jurassic World. Bioengineer dinosaurs that think, feel and react intelligently to the world around them and face threats posed by espionage, breakouts and devastating tropical storms in an uncertain world where life always finds a way.

Why similar: Building 23.6%, Management 22.1%, Sandbox 12.3%, City Builder 11%, Simulation 9.7%

Why You'll Like It: Like Planet Zoo, it blends beautiful exhibit construction with animal needs, park operations, and guest-facing management.

Planet Coaster® - the future of coaster park simulation games has arrived! Surprise, delight and thrill incredible crowds as you build your coaster park empire - let your imagination run wild, and share your success with the world.

Why similar: Building 18.8%, Management 17.8%, Sandbox 12.2%, Simulation 9.5%, Economy 8.7%

Why You'll Like It: From the same studio, it offers the same high-end building tools and guest-management sandbox, just without the animal-care focus.

The public aquarium simulator. Design your displays, look after your fish, manage your staff and keep your guests happy! It's all in a day's work as the curator of your very own Megaquarium.

Why similar: Management 21.6%, Building 20.2%, Sandbox 16%, Simulation 9.8%, Economy 9.4%

Why You'll Like It: This is essentially Planet Zoo for aquariums, with species-specific care needs, exhibit planning, and a strong management layer.

Parkasaurus is a dinosaur tycoon management simulation where you take care of your dinosaurs by constructing well-designed exhibits, researching specialized technologies, and maximizing profits to expand into the ultimate dinosaur theme park. Do you favor development for guests or your dinosaurs?

Why similar: Management 17.2%, City Builder 16.6%, Building 13.7%, Zoo 12.4% ★, Sandbox 9.6%

Why You'll Like It: It turns zoo management into a lighter dinosaur park sim, but still nails enclosure requirements, guest amenities, and creative layout planning.

Build and customise thrilling roller coasters and incredible water slides, manage the ultimate theme park experience, and share your epic creations. Are you ready to ride the wave?

Why similar: Building 17.9%, City Builder 17.7%, Sandbox 15.4%, Economy 11.4%, Simulation 10.9%

Why You'll Like It: It delivers Frontier's signature detailed construction and park simulation, making it a strong pick if you love Planet Zoo's creative sandbox side.

Curate and manage incredible museums! Explore to discover amazing artifacts. Design and refine the layout, keep staff happy, guests entertained, donations plentiful… and children off the exhibits

Why similar: City Builder 18.4%, Building 17%, Management 13.9%, Sandbox 12.1%, Economy 9.5%

Why You'll Like It: Managing themed exhibits, visitor flow, and staff gives it a similar curated-attraction feel, even if the tone is much goofier.

Do you have what it takes to be a zoo tycoon? You are responsible for your very own and unique zoo. Choose from numerous types of enclosures, park buildings and plants to design an environment appropriate to each species. Take home a part of wilderness with Wildlife Park 3!

Why similar: Management 20.2%, Building 12.9%, City Builder 11.4%, Simulation 11.1%, Sandbox 10.2%

Why You'll Like It: It is older and rougher, but it shares Planet Zoo's realistic animal husbandry and zoo-building emphasis.

Now’s the chance to build the Zoo of your dreams! Just like in a real Zoo, your animals must receive complete care. Feed them, train them, cure them and even relocate them. Observe their realistic interactions with one another, the landscape, the play equipment and even Zoo visitors.

Why similar: Management 18.3%, Building 13.3%, Economy 13%, Sandbox 12.2%, Simulation 8.6%

Why You'll Like It: This classic zoo sim focuses on animal needs, enclosure design, and management in a way that closely overlaps with Planet Zoo's core appeal.

Build the park of a lifetime and rediscover the critically acclaimed rollercoaster simulation bestseller. Feel the thrill of a genre-defining classic, complete with two huge expansion packs.

Why similar: Management 24.3%, Building 18.6%, City Builder 18.5%, Sandbox 12.2%, Simulation 8.1%

Why You'll Like It: Its mix of park layout, guest satisfaction, and sandbox creativity makes it a natural fit for Planet Zoo players who enjoy the management side too.

Parkitect is a business simulation game that charges you with the construction and management of theme parks! Bringing back the best of classic theme park games with many new features and content on top. Now supports online co-op with up to 8 players!

Why similar: Management 18.3%, Building 16%, City Builder 14.3%, Economy 13.9%, Sandbox 10%

Why You'll Like It: It captures the satisfying blend of creative park building and behind-the-scenes logistics that Planet Zoo fans often appreciate.

Park Beyond is a theme park simulation game that gives you the freedom to create and manage the Parks of your Dreams! Whether you love to manage finances and visitor experience, or just create fun and cozy parks, the game has something in store just for you!

Why similar: Management 23.3%, Building 19.7%, Sandbox 15.2%, Simulation 10.8%, Resource Management 10.5%

Why You'll Like It: Its focus on constructing and operating eye-catching parks overlaps well with Planet Zoo's build-manage-expand rhythm.

Aquarium Designer gives you an opportunity to create the aquarium of your dreams! Become a professional whose job is to design it, build it, and fill it with the various underwater wildlife! All types, all sizes - your creativity is your only limit!

Why similar: Management 24.3%, Resource Management 13.4%, Sandbox 13.2%, Realistic 11.9%, Family Friendly 10.5%

Why You'll Like It: If your favorite part of Planet Zoo is crafting beautiful animal spaces, this focuses almost entirely on designing realistic aquariums and habitats.

Build the university of your dreams with Two Point Campus, the sim with a twist from the makers of Two Point Hospital. Build, hire staff and run an academic institution packed with wild courses.

Why similar: Management 25.2%, Building 17.7%, City Builder 17.6%, Sandbox 11.6%, Simulation 9.3%

Why You'll Like It: Its playful management of rooms, staff, and visitor needs echoes the readable, systems-driven side of Planet Zoo.

The indoor park management simulator where you can create your rides and coasters from scratch and freely design your halls. Manage, expand and develop your own park to inspire your guests. Satisfy your visitors' needs by unlocking and researching new buildings, rides, transportation and more!

Why similar: Management 22.1%, Building 18.5%, City Builder 14.5%, Sandbox 10.8%, Simulation 9.6%

Why You'll Like It: This indoor theme-park builder emphasizes layout, attraction placement, and guest comfort in a similarly creative sandbox-management style.

Step into the shoes of a hotel owner as you design, build, and manage grand hotels around the world. Juggle demanding guests, frantic logistics, and plenty of unexpected surprises in Hotel Architect; the ultimate hotel construction and tycoon management game!

Why similar: City Builder 18.1%, Management 17.5%, Building 15.3%, Economy 13%, Sandbox 12.5%

Why You'll Like It: Designing guest spaces and optimizing staff flow gives it a similar facility-building and operations-management appeal.

Cities: Skylines is a modern take on the classic city simulation. The game introduces new game play elements to realize the thrill and hardships of creating and maintaining a real city whilst expanding on some well-established tropes of the city building experience.

Why similar: City Builder 29.9%, Building 15.7%, Management 14.7%, Sandbox 9.2%, Simulation 8.7%

Why You'll Like It: If your favorite part of Planet Zoo is large-scale layout planning and sandbox construction, this is a strong next step.

A small zoo needs your help! As the new manager, it's your job to boost business. Design the zoo of your dreams. From wolves and polar bears all the way to prehistoric beasts – the further you progress in the game, the more exotic the animals you'll be able to keep in your zoo. Play now and save the zoo!

Why similar: City Builder 22.9%, Building 19.6%, Management 17.6%, Simulation 9.3%, Nature 8.6%

Why You'll Like It: It offers accessible zoo construction and animal collection with a lighter, more casual management approach.

Design stunning hospitals, cure peculiar illnesses and manage troublesome staff as you spread your budding healthcare organisation across Two Point County.

Why similar: Management 33.8%, Building 23.7%, Simulation 16.4%, Sandbox 9.7%, City Builder 7.3%

Why You'll Like It: Although not animal-themed, it delivers the same accessible blend of building, staffing, optimization, and lighthearted management.

In Animal Shelter, your main target is to make your four-legged friends happy. Pet them, hand out treats, play with toys - and they will pay you back with great trust. Get to know the animals well enough to find them the best home! Don't wait any longer, open your animal shelter now!

Why similar: Management 24.3%, Building 18.3%, Realistic 14.2%, Simulation 14.2%, Family Friendly 12%

Why You'll Like It: While much smaller in scale, it scratches the same itch of caring for animals while expanding and improving your facilities.

A relaxing sandbox casual simulation game where you perform various, even strange, aquarium-related tasks on very diverse levels. As an Aquarist you must create and manage a home to amazing fish🐟, sea turtles🐢, sharks🦈, octopuses🐙, and more🐬. Aquarium is their world and life. Make it worth...

Why similar: Management 25.2%, Building 18.9%, Sandbox 18.7%, Simulation 10.7%, Resource Management 9.7%

Why You'll Like It: It is a smaller-scale aquarium sim focused on fish care and tank customization, appealing if you especially enjoy Planet Zoo's habitat-building side.

Dive into the exhilarating role of a headmaster entrusted to revive your alma mater! Beyond just bricks and mortar, train teachers, recruit students. Sculpt your school into a unique educational haven! Let's School!

Why similar: Management 17.3%, City Builder 16.9%, Building 12.4%, Sandbox 11.2%, Nature 10.6%

Why You'll Like It: Designing a functioning campus and juggling room layouts, staffing, and daily needs creates a comparable management-building rhythm.

Build your own Jurassic World. Nurture generations of dinosaurs with the series debut of juveniles, create and manage sprawling prehistoric parks around the globe, and let your imagination roar with powerful new creative options.

Why similar: City Builder 20.5%, Management 17.2%, Sandbox 15.5%, Economy 11.6%, Simulation 11.4%

Build your ideal ski resort. Keep skiers smiling with fresh pistes and fine facilities. Ski, build and chill in the wintry world of Snowtopia where everyone is welcome!

Why similar: Management 14.8%, City Builder 14.6%, Building 13.2%, Nature 11.3%, Sandbox 10.5%

Why You'll Like It: It swaps habitats for ski slopes, but the build-manage-balance loop and relaxed creative pacing feel surprisingly similar.

Anno 1800™ – Lead the Industrial Revolution! Welcome to the dawn of the Industrial Age. The path you choose will define your world. Are you an innovator or an exploiter? A conqueror or a liberator? How the world remembers your name is up to you.

Why similar: City Builder 35.4%, Economy 16.4%, Simulation 9.5%, Sandbox 7.4%, Management 7.2%

Why You'll Like It: It is more economy-driven than Planet Zoo, but its beautiful presentation and layered management will appeal to players who enjoy polished sims.

To The Rescue! is a charming dog shelter simulator. Take care of unique dogs and find the right homes for as many of them as you can. Upgrade your shelter, control disease outbreaks, learn each dog's preferences, and make tough decisions, all while helping support real-world animal shelters!

Why similar: Management 33.1%, Building 27.6%, Simulation 10.4%, Resource Management 10.4%, Family Friendly 8.1%

Why You'll Like It: Its shelter management and animal welfare focus make it a good fit if Planet Zoo's caretaking side is what hooked you most.

Have you ever wanted to design and manage your own hotel, rundown motel, or elegant resort? With a ridiculous amount of customization tools to wield, a host of facilities to build, and a wide variety of guests to impress, Hotel Magnate has it all. Let your inner hotel manager shine!

Why similar: Management 17.7%, City Builder 15.5%, Building 14.9%, Sandbox 12.1%, Economy 11.5%

Why You'll Like It: Building and tuning a hospitality business hits similar design-and-operations beats, though with less animal focus and less warmth.

Project Highrise is a skyscraper construction and management sim...

Why similar: Management 32.8%, Building 24.4%, Simulation 13.5%, Sandbox 8.9%, Economy 7.7%

Why You'll Like It: It is more architectural and less thematic, but it offers the same satisfaction of designing efficient spaces around visitor and service needs.

Raise a city from the ground up and transform it into a thriving metropolis with the most realistic city builder ever. Push your creativity and problem-solving to build on a scale you've never experienced. With deep simulation and a living economy, this is world-building without limits.

Why similar: City Builder 24.3%, Building 15.3%, Management 14.3%, Sandbox 10.8%, Economy 10.2%

Build an idyllic 19th century Mediterranean town and help it flourish into a prosperous city. Freely place and customise each element to create the perfect home for your growing population in this cozy city builder from the creators of Station to Station.

Why similar: City Builder 23.9%, Building 15.1%, Management 14.3%, Economy 11.1%, Sandbox 9.7%

Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 Platinum combines the excitement of rollercoasters with the fun of a great strategy simulation. RCT3 Platinum combines the roller coaster theme park fun of the Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 with included expansion packs Soaked! and Wild! Now enjoy more options than ever.

Why similar: Management 29.1%, Building 18.9%, Sandbox 16.6%, Simulation 13.6%, Economy 7.5%

One of the best games from acclaimed Tycoon series, with well designed gameplay mechanics, appealing graphics, and really high re-playability value. There’s no limit to what you can create so design and build the most thrilling roller coaster the world has ever seen!

Why similar: Management 32.8%, Sandbox 16.2%, Simulation 15.8%, Building 14.7%, City Builder 4.9%

Welcome back to the heartwarming world of Animal Shelter 2! Provide a loving home for every four-legged friend in need – play with them, pet them, even dress them up! Get to know them and find them a loving family. Play with your friends and manage your shelter together in co-op!

Why similar: Management 26.8%, Simulation 16.7%, Realistic 13.6%, Family Friendly 12.8%, Multiplayer 10.3%

My Voice Zoo is a unique idle zoo game brought to life with your own voice. Record your sounds through the microphone and turn them into animal calls, creating a one-of-a-kind zoo found nowhere else. Start building your very own zoo, complete only with your voice!

Why similar: Zoo 82% ★, Sandbox 7.3%, Simulation 4.6%, Cute 2.2%, Funny 1.2%

Before We Leave is a city building game set in a cozy corner of the universe. Nurture your Peeps and their surroundings while rebuilding and rediscovering civilisation. Settle new lands and planets while avoiding hungry Space Whales.

Why similar: City Builder 22.5%, Building 16.4%, Economy 16.1%, Sandbox 11.5%, Resource Management 9.5%

Foundation is a grid-less, laidback medieval city-building game with a focus on organic development, monument construction and resource management.

Why similar: City Builder 31.6%, Management 13.6%, Building 11.3%, Sandbox 10.2%, Economy 9.6%

Equilinox is a relaxing nature simulation game in which you can create and nurture your own ecosystems. Shape the world to your liking, cultivate and raise hundreds of different species, and evolve your wildlife to unlock more exotic plants and animals.

Why similar: Sandbox 26.8%, Simulation 20.3%, Nature 19.1%, Great Soundtrack 10.6%, Management 8.2%

The Zoo is expanding! More than 30 new types of animals and plants have moved in at the zoo. Favorite species such as the Wolf, the Arctic Fox, the Giant Kangaroo and the Meerkat are the new Stars in your zoo! Improve the park with the blossoms of sunflowers and rare orchids and plant exotic trees such as bamboo and eucalyptus.

Why similar: Zoo 39.2% ★, Management 9.7%, Building 7.6%, Simulation 7.5%, City Builder 7%

RollerCoaster Tycoon World™ is the newest installment in the legendary RCT franchise. This next-generation theme park simulation and building game includes fan-favorite features along with incredible new advancements!

Why similar: Management 26.6%, Building 24.7%, Sandbox 17.2%, Simulation 16.2%, Strategy 4.6%

What would you do if you had the keys to the zoo? World of Zoo is the only life sim game that pushes you past the fences and into a world of your own zoo. Create and customize your zoo experience and develop hands on relationships to earn the trust and love of your animals.

Why similar: Zoo 80.7% ★, Simulation 10.8%, Family Friendly 6.1%, Cute 1.8%, Singleplayer 0.6%

El Presidente is back! Prove yourself once again as a feared dictator or peace-loving statesman on the island state of Tropico and shape the fate of your very own banana republic through four distinctive eras.

Why similar: City Builder 28.5%, Management 18.6%, Economy 15.2%, Sandbox 9.3%, Simulation 9.2%

Become an ace doctor, an aspiring architect and a successful manager at the same time. Design your very own hospital, tweak every detail or choose one of the prebuilt scenarios and just jump to the doctor’s duty.

Why similar: Management 22%, City Builder 21.8%, Building 14.1%, Sandbox 12%, Economy 9.8%

Become a Zoo Keeper, manage and build the zoo of your childhood dreams! Take care of the animals and create ideal conditions for them. Grow your zoo, add extraordinary species and prepare amazing attractions for visitors.

Why similar: Management 16.3%, Building 14.2%, Sandbox 11.2%, Nature 10.8%, Economy 10.5%

Care for over 40 different animals from all four corners of the Earth whilst running a professional programme of rescue, rehabilitation, research and conservation.

Why similar: Management 27.1%, Simulation 19.4%, City Builder 10.5%, Building 8.8%, Economy 8.1%

Build cities, shape a world.Cities XL Platinum lets you design, build and link up cities of all shapes and sizes around the Cities XL planet!Build more impressive cities than ever before! Cities XL Platinum offers a huge variety of over 1,000 buildings and constructions (including 50 brand new structures), that you can freely place on...

Why similar: City Builder 40%, Simulation 17.8%, Management 15.9%, Sandbox 11.9%, Building 4.8%

Grow your own worlds and nurture a deep natural connection with everything they hold. See your actions change the world for better! Bring the Evertree back to life in this breathtaking world-crafting sandbox, with life management and adventure elements.

Why similar: City Builder 21.7%, Management 17.5%, Sandbox 15.6%, Nature 14.8%, Simulation 9.2%

The classic transport simulation genre has a new gold standard with Transport Fever 2. Discover a whole new world by navigating transport routes through land, water and air. May progress and prosperity find their way!

Why similar: Management 21.1%, City Builder 18.7%, Economy 12.6%, Building 11.2%, Simulation 10.8%

Exotica 2: Pet Shop Simulator is a cozy management game where you design and run your own exotic pet shop. Care for over 70 animals, raise babies, breed rare color variants, customize your store, and manage customers and staff.

Why similar: Zoo 76.9% ★, Nature 5.6%, Simulation 4.5%, Family Friendly 3.9%, Realistic 2.8%

Humans are long gone. In a world struck by droughts and toxic waste, will your lumberpunk beavers do any better? A sandbox city-building game featuring ingenious animals, vertical architecture, water physics, and terraforming. Contains high amounts of wood.

Why similar: City Builder 24.6%, Management 17.2%, Building 15.3%, Nature 14.4%, Sandbox 12.8%

Zoo 2: Animal Park – Take care of wild and tame zoo animals in this animal game!

Why similar: City Builder 24.3%, Building 22.2%, Management 20.5%, Simulation 9.3%, Economy 7.7%

The Prologue is just part of the gameplay that awaits you in the full version. In Zoo Simulator: Prologue, your main task is to run and manage your own zoo. Renew it and take care of all the animals' needs, ensuring them a peaceful life! Will you attract crowds of visitors? Create your own zoo!

Why similar: Management 21.1%, Nature 19.3%, Building 15.4%, Simulation 10.7%, Realistic 9.7%

Only the world’s most ruthless Warden can contain the world’s most ruthless inmates. Design and develop your personalized penitentiary in Prison Architect.

Why similar: Management 18.3%, Building 17.7%, City Builder 17.1%, Sandbox 14%, Economy 9%

In Railway Empire, you will create an elaborate and wide-ranging rail network, purchase over 40 different trains modelled in extraordinary detail, and buy or build railway stations, maintenance buildings, factories and tourist attractions to keep your travel network ahead of the competition.

Why similar: Management 23.9%, Economy 15.4%, Building 15%, Simulation 11.6%, City Builder 10.8%

Shape the Roman Empire in this genre-defining strategic builder game. Build cities while expanding your influence through Roman provinces. Govern using your economic prowess, diplomatic skills, or military might.

Why similar: City Builder 23%, Building 15%, Sandbox 13.4%, Economy 13.3%, Management 13%

Startup Company is a business simulation sandbox game where you’re the CEO of a new company. Your job is to build your very own website and compete against the largest tech giants on the planet!

Why similar: Management 38.9%, Economy 19.8%, Simulation 13.9%, Building 9.6%, Sandbox 8.1%

Build and run your own waterpark. Design slides, send guests flying with ragdoll physics, manage staff, and fully customize your park. Turn total madness into a five-star empire in this first-person management simulator!

Why similar: Management 24.5%, Building 19.5%, Economy 18.3%, Sandbox 16.5%, Simulation 10.4%

Terra Nil is an intricate environmental strategy game about transforming a barren wasteland into a thriving, balanced ecosystem. Bring life back to a lifeless world by purifying soil, cleaning oceans, planting trees, and reintroducing wildlife, then leave without a trace.

Why similar: Nature 33%, City Builder 30.3%, Resource Management 9%, Relaxing 7.3%, Strategy 6.9%