IMHO.

Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection vs Planet Zoo

Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection and Planet Zoo both land in Simulation on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both are Simulation games on Steam. Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection (2018) is 1 year older than Planet Zoo (2019). Planet Zoo scores higher on Steam reviews (91.3% positive) than Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection (56.9% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.

Which should you pick?

Choose Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection

Choose Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection if you want the Multi-player, Online PvP, and PvP side of the pairing. On Steam, it's currently about 56% cheaper on the Steam Store. Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection launched in 2018.

Choose Planet Zoo

Choose Planet Zoo if you want a Strategy and Casual game with HDR available. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 91.3% positive across 41,603 reviews.

Both Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection and Planet Zoo sit in Simulation on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.

Side-by-side comparison

Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection vs Planet Zoo — Steam metadata comparison
Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection — Steam game coverZoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal CollectionPlanet Zoo — Steam game coverPlanet Zoo
Released20182019
GenresSimulationStrategy, Simulation, Casual
PlatformsWindowsWindows
Steam DeckDeck UnsupportedDeck Playable
Price19.99 USD44.99 USD
Steam reviews56.9% positive (779 reviews)91.3% positive (41,603 reviews)
MultiplayerMulti-playerSingle-player only
DevelopersFrontier Developments, Asobo StudioFrontier Developments

Side by side

Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection vs Planet Zoo — FAQ

Which is better, Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection or Planet Zoo?
On Steam reviews Planet Zoo scores higher (91.3% positive) than Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection (56.9% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Planet Zoo is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
Should I play Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection or Planet Zoo first?
If you want chronology, Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection (2018) came out before Planet Zoo (2019). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
Are Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection and Planet Zoo similar?
They overlap on Simulation on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
Does Planet Zoo have multiplayer like Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection?
No. Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player), while Planet Zoo is listed as single-player only.
Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection vs Planet Zoo · imho.run