Action-adventure games are sure fun, but it is always better to take a break from all the violence once in a while. If you don’t want to give up on gaming hobby why not try other genres with no violence and more fun? One such enjoyable and addictive genre is zoo games. In most zoo games you will be usually managing a newly launched zoo, your job is to handle animal caretaking. Building entertainment structures for visitors and the animals. And hiring good employees to carry out these tasks without screwing up and blowing up your reputation. Some zoo games also let you take care of dangerous dinosaurs or even monsters! Here you may have a look at the list of the best zoo games for PC, to choose the game which you would like to play:
1. Planet Zoo
Planet Zoo is one of the best zoo games for PC. Build a majestic abode for your animals with a vast number of customization options. You can place and nurture around 50 different animal species in your zoo. What’s most exciting is that the animals have highly detailed behaviors and graphics. Each species has its own set of requirements, also they can only be placed close to a species they like or can tolerate. Their skin, feather, or fur look amazingly realistic! Idle animations and their social behavior also mimic reality. When you keep your furry friends happy, you will earn more currency to expand your zoo.
2. Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection
Build the zoo of your childhood dreams with Zoo Tycoon! Apart from the basics of building a zoo, placing animals, and maintenance, the new version of the game set objectives for you with time limits to make the gameplay more enjoyable. Most of these objectives are about adopting new animals, building new structures for them, leveling up your zoo, facilitating breeding of a particular species, etc. Running around the zoo and the ability to feed your animals feels innocently fun. On the other hand, the sandbox mode is all about having relaxation without any time limitations. Make a zoo as lavish as you want for your animals with unlimited funds.
3. Planet Zoo: Arctic pack
Raise your new set of animals in a tundra, christmassy area in the Arctic. Some new animals included in this zoo game are reindeers, polar bears, sheep, and arctic wolves. The characteristic details of each animal species are realistically presented with appropriate fur and idle animations. The behavior of animals in their social setting is finely tuned to mimic reality. The Scandinavian structures and tools give the whole zoo a fresh look as compared to other zoo games. The number of animals may be relatively less but the new features and content provide quality gameplay to the players.
4. Jurassic World Evolution
Craving for some Jurrasic World action? Here is the best zoo game for PC, especially for Jurrasic World/Park enthusiasts. You are given a few barren islands as a base to build the world’s first Jurrasic theme park and research center. Carve the terrain into habitable land for 42 majestic dinosaur species. To place a dinosaur in your park you must decode the species’ gene code completely from fossils. Set up areas for different species and make sure to separate the predators to allow other species to flourish. Try not to mess up security and create a deadly situation like in the movies. You can enjoy the hard work of setting up your park by going for a drive in a Jeep around your park. But there is no interaction with dinosaurs in this mode.
5. Wildlife Park 2
If you feel restricted by a zoo and would like a more of a forest environment, this zoo game is the best for you. Arranging for food is also a task you get to do. Build greenhouses, fish tanks, poultry arms to raise fowl meat, etc. It is never just about the zoo animals in this game, a variety of shrubs and trees have their own requirements of soil and temperature. Placing the wrong species together in the same shelter will end in a predator and prey hunt, and will give you quite a bad rep from the animal rights group. Needless to say, the animals are depicted with fine detail and are a joy to raise.
6. Zoo Empire
Just as the name implies, the game allows you to build an extravagant zoo empire. Apart from the zoo aspects like animals and their environment, the system also has you playing as a business manager by hiring employees and adopting new animals, etc. The more you level up, the more animals you can keep and the more features you unlock. Attending to customers is also a valuable aspect of gameplay. For example, set up eateries, souvenirs shop, etc. All this is wonderfully brought together by a simple interface.
7. Parkasaurs
Are you bored tending to the same animals in most of the zoo games? Parkasaurs is here with fresh gameplay! Build a dinosaur sanctuary for a variety of exotic dinosaurs. The game is more focused on having fun with your Dino friends and not so much on difficulty. But of course, like in many zoo management games, you must give the visitors an unforgettable experience while caring for your dino friends, also you must ensure public safety as well. You don’t want them to experience Jurrasic Park movie in real life. The graphics depict dinosaurs in an adorable way. It is a game for relaxation and cozy fun.
8. Zoo Tycoon 2: Endangered Species
Endangered Species is one of the well-known expansion packs of Zoo Tycoon 2. Save endangered species from going extinct by nurturing them and allowing them to reproduce in your zoo. To do that they need a very precise environment setting. Since the species in the game are endangered, their requirements need to be precise. Expect some hard work to save these creatures from extinction. New structures have been added to this pack for just that. New ways to travel around the zoo are jeep rides and sky tram. Endangered species expansion delivers what it promises along with new campaign adventures.
9. Zoo Vet
From adorable kittens, puppies to exotic animals like pandas, horses, elephants, etc. This immense diversity of animal species is what makes Zoo Vet one of the best zoo games. Treating animals is a serious job, so follow the instructions concisely. But if you get stuck do not worry, the hint system will give you some clues. Treating animals is well-simulated and realistic. For example, to treat a Panda you must first shave the hair around the treatment site before tending to the wound. This amazing flow is slowed by the clunky interface but otherwise, Zoo Vet is a great game.
10. Wild Life Park: Wild Creatures
Boasting a total of 45 species to take care of and maintain, along with the characteristic behaviors and mental capacity of each species, Wild Life Park sure makes a stand of its own. The game has a unique training feature, which lets you train your animals with tools and structures like ropes, slides, trampolines, etc. It even has an underwater observation facility for showcasing marine life. Wild Life Park: Wild creatures as the perfect expansion pack, filled with quality content in which you get lost in it for hours!
11. Zoo Tycoon 2
While being certainly better than the first installment, Zoo Tycoon 2 has not reached the ranks of the best zoo games. The interface system is improved, so it is more user-friendly, better animations and graphics, etc. The cute art style is designed for younger audiences. After selecting an animal, you will be recommended what kinds of food, place, toys/props would be best to keep them happy. A visitor mode allows you to roam around your zoo and meet your animals from a first-person perspective.
12. Pilot Brothers
While the game may not be based on zookeeping, the main objective of the game is to find a peculiar missing elephant. The story is set in a small town in Russia, where a unique striped elephant was found and then kept in a zoo. One night the elephant disappears from the zoo, the suspect is Karbofoss, the former owner. You will play as two detectives called Pilot Brother, to uncover the mystery. There are around 15 levels, filled with puzzles and mini-games. While the game is not insanely challenging, it is still quite fun to play, the goofy art style only adds to the experience.
13. Megaquarium
Megaquarium shows fish keeping at its best. You start with few simple fishes and 2 or 3 tanks, but soon enough you will build a marine metropolis with tons of different fishes and special environments for each of them. There are around 100 marine species you can nurture, from goldfishes, corals to huge sharks. Hiring employees to maintain your facility will also dictate your success. After all, only a competent staff will be able to keep up with the demands of your mega aquarium.
14. Prehistoric Kingdom
Prehistoric Kingdom is a theme park management game that will allow you to build and manage a wildlife sanctuary for dinosaurs. The game is about to be released on Steam, but after a quick look at the trailer and early access, it looks quite promising. There are around 22 species of dinosaurs to be enjoyed in stunning graphics and animations. Building a variety of terrains to enable your dinosaurs to live and thrive. Build infrastructure to take care of guests and staff. Lax security can spell utter disaster for your park and your reputation. New dinosaurs can be produced by discovering and researching hidden genetic material.
15. Jane’s Zoo
This time around Jane decided to save endangered species. Follow Jane as she explores nature as you both discover and collect some of the most endangered wild animals. Thus, saving the world’s diversity of fauna. The campaign offers fun mini-games, features like managing weather conditions according to the preference of a species, etc. while traveling all over the world. What spoils the fun is the annoying number of times you need to click to do each (and every) task.
16. Marine Park Empire
Get ready to take a dive into one of the best zoo games for PC, not a terrestrial zoo though, but a marine one! You will play as the manager of this Marine Park, so everything is under your control! Build a thrilling theme park filled with lively and colorful aquatic life. Take care of the fishes, by hiring good employees to clean, feed, and maintain security. Put on some entertainment for your fishes to keep them happy, all the while staying in profit. You can also visit them in their aquatic abode in first person or third person camera modes. Apart from the career mode, other modes like the sandbox mode offer more relaxing gameplay.
17. World of Zoo
World of Zoo is clearly inspired by titles like Zoo tycoon, but it specializes in a gameplay experience for younger audiences. A new game begins with you choosing one of the animal families you would like to raise. The whole family branch can be slowly unlocked as you progress through the game. Keep your animals happy with the right choice of toys and zookeepers. The game also teaches you as you play because all the information for each animal is from National Geographic. World of Zoo is the best zoo game for young ones, especially because of the simple interface and objectives.
18. The Eldritch Zookeeper
So you are bored after years of playing Zoo Tycoon and looking for something different. What about operating a cursed zoo filled with monsters? Run a zoo with a little bit of bloodshed, as minimum as possible, ”ideally” speaking. Build strong enclosures for the monsters to keep yourself safe, keep them well-fed and somewhat happy. Of course, a zoo wouldn’t be complete with visitors! Just make sure the number of visitors entering and leaving is the same. But don’t let the bloodthirsty monsters spoil the atmosphere, build food stalls, ice-cream stands, etc. to keep the guest engaged.
19. Viki Spotter: Zoo
This game by the Viki Spotter franchise may not be a zoo game, but it does have some challenging puzzles which include animals. Doubling as a puzzle game and an educational game, Viki Spotter: Zoo is a decent game for young players. The puzzles are a mix of mild to hardcore challenging ones. Train your attentiveness with the cleverly crafted puzzles and learn something about the different species of animals depicted in the puzzle. If you are stuck, Viki (virtual helper) will give you some hints to crack the stage.
20. 3 Days: Zoo Mystery
You play as a beautiful girl named Anna who is tasked with the mission of solving a mystery in 3 days to save a zoo. Five exotic animals have been stolen from her uncle’s zoo, you will investigate the zoo grounds and the town to look for clues. You must act fast because after 3 days you won’t ever be able to get those animals back. The game is rich with content with more than 25 challenging levels, including unique, 50 plus mini-games. The beautiful artwork adds up to the experience of an engaging narrative of the game.