Best Starter Animals in Planet Zoo 2

The seven easiest starter animals

• Aardvark: prefers a group of 1 to 2. For one adult it needs 160 m² of land and 10 m² of shelter, a grade 2, 1 m barrier and 14 to 36 °C. Biome: Grassland. Breeding: Easy.
• Meerkat: prefers a group of 2 to 30. For 2 adults it needs 194 m² of land and 4 m² of shelter, a grade 1, 1.25 m barrier and 14 to 41 °C. Biome: Desert and Grassland. Breeding: Very Easy.
• Galápagos Giant Tortoise: prefers a group of 1 to 4. For one adult it needs 230 m² of land and 10 m² of shelter, a grade 1, 1 m barrier and 18 to 33 °C. Biome: Tropical. Breeding: Very Easy.
• Common Warthog: prefers a group of 1 to 7. For one adult it needs 290 m² of land and 10 m² of shelter, a grade 2, 1.25 m barrier and 14 to 36 °C. Biome: Grassland. Breeding: Easy.
• Common Ostrich: prefers a group of 1 to 8. For one adult it needs 300 m² of land and 10 m² of shelter, a grade 2, 1.25 m barrier and 14 to 36 °C. Biome: Grassland. Breeding: Easy.
• Nyala: prefers a group of 1 to 5. For one adult it needs 340 m² of land and 10 m² of shelter, a grade 2, 1.25 m barrier and 14 to 41 °C. Biome: Grassland. Breeding: Easy.
• Wild Boar: prefers a group of 3 to 30. For 3 adults it needs 340 m² of land and 30 m² of shelter, a grade 2, 1.25 m barrier and -6 to 36 °C. Biome: Tropical, Grassland, Temperate and Wetlands. Breeding: Very Easy.

The Aardvark needs the least land. The Galápagos Giant Tortoise has the lowest barrier, grade 1 and 1 m. The Wild Boar takes the widest temperature range, -6 to 36 °C, and lives in four biomes. The Meerkat and Wild Boar live in the largest groups, up to 30. Six of the seven are Grassland animals; the Galápagos Giant Tortoise is a Tropical animal.

How we picked them

The game does not label any animal as a starter, so we used values the game shows. An animal made the list only if it is:

• on offer at accreditation tier 1 in both Career and Franchise, so a new zoo in either mode can adopt it;
• in the base game, so every edition has it;
• a Habitat animal, so there is no aviary, Exhibit or Aquarium to build;
• under 350 m² of land for the smallest group it prefers;
• happy with a barrier of grade 2 or lower and 1.25 m or lower, with no climb-proofing.

The limits are our own choice. Breeding difficulty did not decide the list, but it is in the finder's last column, and the Planet Zoo 2 breeding guide explains what it means.

Starter animals that can share a Habitat

Our habitat planner passes two sets of three from the easiest list on every check: both official relationship lists name each pair, and the groups, areas, temperatures, terrain and barrier all fit together.

Try other mixes, or larger groups, in the habitat planner.

Starter exhibits and aquariums

16 exhibit and aquarium animals are also on offer at tier 1 in both modes. They live in an Exhibit or an Aquarium instead of a Habitat, so they need the right building first: see Planet Zoo 2 exhibit animals and Planet Zoo 2 aquariums. Update 1.0.6 moved some exhibit animals and fish to other Franchise tiers, so check the Franchise tier in Trading before you build for one.

Tier 1 animals that ask for more

The other 16 Habitat and aviary animals on offer at tier 1 are fine to adopt, but each needs something the easiest seven do not:

• Bactrian Camel needs tier 3 in Career and 750 m² of land.
• Black Wildebeest needs tier 2 in Career and 530 m² of land.
• Blue Wildebeest needs tier 2 in Career and 530 m² of land.
• Cape Buffalo needs 600 m² of land and a grade 3, 1.25 m barrier.
• Golden Eagle needs tier 4 in Career, the Deluxe Edition, an aviary and 400 m² of land.
• Golden Lion Tamarin needs tier 3 in Career, the Deluxe Edition, a grade 1, 3 m barrier and climb-proofing.
• Lion needs tier 5 in Franchise, 920 m² of land, a grade 3, 3 m barrier and climb-proofing.
• Masai Giraffe needs tier 4 in Franchise and 1,750 m² of land.
• Plains Zebra needs 740 m² of land.
• Red Deer needs tier 2 in Career and 450 m² of land.
• Ring-Tailed Lemur needs tier 2 in Franchise, a grade 2, 3 m barrier and climb-proofing.
• Sable Antelope needs tier 2 in Franchise and 570 m² of land.
• Shoebill needs tier 4 in Franchise and an aviary.
• Springbok needs tier 2 in Career and 535 m² of land.
• Thomson's Gazelle needs 535 m² of land.
• Toco Toucan needs an aviary.

Career and Franchise start with different animals

Career and Franchise keep separate accreditation tiers. Career offers the Lion, Masai Giraffe, Ring-Tailed Lemur, Sable Antelope and Shoebill at tier 1, which Franchise only offers later. Franchise starts with the Bactrian Camel, Black Wildebeest, Blue Wildebeest, Golden Eagle, Golden Lion Tamarin, Red Deer and Springbok instead, which Career only offers from tier 2, 3 or 4. Every tier, in both modes, is on our Planet Zoo 2 accreditation tiers page, and the Planet Zoo 2 Franchise mode guide lists the tier 1 animals of each biome.

Update 1.0.6 moved some Franchise tiers. Of these 23 animals, we have seen the Franchise tier of the Black Wildebeest and Common Warthog again since, and Update 1.0.10 put the Deluxe Golden Eagle and Golden Lion Tamarin at Franchise tier 1; the others are from Update 1.0.5.

Getting your first animals

Build a Trade Centre, then adopt your starters in Animal Trading for Cash or Conservation Credits; each one waits in Animal Storage until a Caretaker carries it to its Habitat. The full steps, and what to do when an adoption is blocked, are in how to get animals in Planet Zoo 2. Send new arrivals through Planet Zoo 2 quarantine before they meet the rest of the zoo. Saving up for a star animal later? The giant panda habitat guide shows what one needs before you buy.