Planet Zoo gets a November release date in a new E3 2019 trailer

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The menagerie sim from the makers of Jurassic World Evolution will be out this fall

Planet Zoo looks like one of the most realistic and lovingly detailed zoo sims yet, and thanks to a new trailer which debuted at the E3 2019 PC Gaming Show, we finally know when we'll get to play it. Planet Zoo will launch on PC on November 5. The base game is $45 / £35, and the $55 / £43 Deluxe Edition will let you access a pre-launch beta, not to mention three exclusive animals: the Komodo dragon, pygmy hippopotamus, and Thomson's gazelle. 

Developer Frontier is promising "authentic living animals who think, feel and explore the world you create around them." The game's new trailer takes a closer look at several of those animals and the habitats you can build for them. Planet Zoo looks great from above, but it's nice to finally get a grounded in-game view of its zoology. We saw feeding pens for elephants, a remarkably clean and effective poop vacuum, and all manner of toys and environmental features you can install for your animals. Also, did I mention the baby animals? Lion cubs, little elephants, tiny giraffes, mama bear with her cub. Planet Zoo is sure to be properly adorable if nothing else.

Planet Zoo will have a "globe-trotting" campaign mode featuring varying flora and fauna, as well as a sandbox mode where you can build whatever zoo you want. In all cases, Frontier says "animal welfare and conservation comes first," which is a message I can get behind as our actual planet steadily deteriorates before our very eyes. Sorry, that's a bit of a downer. Let me leave you with this lion cub:  

Head here for more E3 2019 games and trailers. 

Austin Wood
Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.