Planet Zoo 2 has no cheat console, no cheat codes and no money cheat from Frontier. We checked Frontier’s official player guides and every update note from launch on October 13 through Update 1.0.8 on October 29, 2026, and none of them mention one. The official way to get unlimited money is Sandbox mode. Its presets and Sandbox Settings work as the game’s built-in cheats: you can switch off costs, unlock every animal and turn off whole simulation systems such as ageing, predation and injuries.
Below: how to set up a money-free zoo, every Sandbox setting Frontier has named so far, what Franchise and Challenge options exist, and the fastest legitimate ways to make cash in Career and Franchise.
Table of Contents
Quick answer
- Money cheat: there isn’t one. Planet Zoo 2 has no console and no cheat codes (checked October 31, 2026 UTC).
- Unlimited money: start a Sandbox zoo. Frontier describes Sandbox as having “unlimited resources and less restrictions”, and you can adjust Economy settings before you create the zoo.
- Unlock all animals: Frontier says Sandbox can be set so all animals are unlocked automatically.
- Presets: zoos offer Default, Creative and Challenge presets; Wildlife Reserves offer Default and Creative, or custom settings.
- Not available: there’s no research progression toggle in Sandbox yet. Players are voting for one on Frontier’s issue tracker.
- Franchise mode: runs online with a real economy and has no Sandbox-style settings.
- Trainers: third-party trainers with cash editing exist. We don’t link or recommend them.
No cheat needed: in this official screenshot the money counters at the bottom read Unlimited, as Sandbox allows. Image: Frontier Developments
Is there a money cheat in Planet Zoo 2?
No. Frontier’s Planet Zoo 2 guides cover the three game modes, building, animals, staff, guests and keyboard shortcuts. None of them list a console, a cheat menu or a code you can type. Update notes 1.0.4 to 1.0.8 also contain nothing about cheats. If you’ve arrived from a game with a real console, such as our Cyberpunk 2077 console commands list, Planet Zoo 2 doesn’t work like that.
The first Planet Zoo did get some fun hidden extras. In April 2020 Frontier added Easter cheats that, as PC Gamer reported, gave everyone balloons and made animals “super fluffy”. Frontier hasn’t announced anything similar for Planet Zoo 2. Some cheat sites list rename tricks for Planet Zoo 2 without citing Frontier. Treat them as unconfirmed.
Searches for “Planet Zoo 2 cheat engine” or “trainer” lead to third-party memory editors, some of which list cash editing. We don’t link them, and we don’t recommend them, for three reasons. They aren’t made or supported by Frontier. They tend to break with each patch, and Planet Zoo 2 got five updates in its first 16 days. And Franchise mode is online, with animal trading between real players.
How to get unlimited money in Planet Zoo 2 (Sandbox)
These steps follow Frontier’s “The Basics” guide:
- On the main menu, select Sandbox, then Create New Zoo (or Create New Wildlife Reserve).
- Pick a biome and a continent, then name the zoo.
- Choose a preset: Default, Creative or Challenge. Pick Default or Creative if you just want to build. Challenge is for players who want the money side to push back.
- Choose Flat or Sculpted terrain.
- Open Sandbox Settings to change individual options. Frontier says these cover areas “including Economy and Animal Welfare”.
- Select Create Zoo.
Frontier’s Tips and Tricks guide says Sandbox lets you “decide the level of simulation and challenge by editing the settings before you get started”. It also says you can set Sandbox “so all animals are unlocked automatically”. The screenshot above is one of Frontier’s Steam store images. The money counters in its bottom bar read “Unlimited”. If you want to know which species you’ll get, our Planet Zoo 2 animal list sorts all 136 animals by habitat type.
Planet Zoo 2 sandbox settings: what’s official
Frontier hasn’t published one complete list of Sandbox toggles. The table below includes only settings that Frontier itself has named in its guides or update notes, using its own wording. We left out settings that only appear on unofficial wikis.
| Setting or option | What it does | Official source |
|---|---|---|
| Preset: Default / Creative / Challenge | Starting rule set for a Sandbox zoo | The Basics guide |
| Preset: Default / Creative, or custom (Wildlife Reserves) | Starting rule set for a Sandbox reserve | The Basics guide |
| Ecosystems already established (Wildlife Reserves) | Choose whether a reserve starts with working ecosystems | The Basics guide |
| Terrain: Flat / Sculpted | Empty flat plot or a shaped map | The Basics guide |
| Economy settings | Controls cash and costs (Frontier calls Sandbox “unlimited resources”) | The Basics + Tips and Tricks guides |
| Animal Welfare settings | How strictly animal needs are simulated | The Basics guide |
| All animals unlocked | Every species available without accreditation | Tips and Tricks guide |
| Enable Animal Ageing and Birthing | Turns ageing and births on or off | Update 1.0.6 (fixed Oct 23) |
| Enable Animal Plant Need | Turns the plant (vegetation) need on or off | Update 1.0.6 (fixed Oct 23) |
| Enable Animal Predation and Fear | Turns predator and prey behaviour on or off | Update 1.0.6 (fixed Oct 23) |
| Enable Animal Defecation | Turns animal waste on or off | Update 1.0.6 (fixed Oct 23) |
| Animal injuries from fighting | Stops animals injuring each other | “Under Investigation” post, Oct 20 |
| Disable injuries for arriving animals | Animals from trading arrive without injuries | Update 1.0.8 (added Oct 29) |
The four “Enable Animal…” settings didn’t work properly at launch. If ageing, plant needs, predation or waste kept running in your Sandbox zoo after you switched them off, Update 1.0.6 on October 23 fixed that, according to Frontier’s Steam update notes. The injury setting was extended in two steps. Frontier’s October 20 “Under Investigation” post said the setting that prevents fighting injuries would also cover animals arriving from trading, and Update 1.0.8 then added a separate setting to disable injuries for arriving animals.
Can you enable research in Sandbox?
Not at the moment. Planet Zoo 1 let Sandbox players turn research progression on, but Planet Zoo 2 doesn’t. In Steam discussions from launch day onward, players say they went through every Sandbox Settings tab and found no research option, and that even the Challenge preset starts with all research unlocked. On October 23 a Steam thread reported that the request had reached the voting stage on Frontier’s issue tracker. Frontier hasn’t announced the option in its update notes through 1.0.8. If you want to earn your research, play Career or Franchise for now.
Sandbox Wildlife Reserves can start with ecosystems already established, one of the options Frontier lists. Image: Frontier Developments
Franchise vs Sandbox vs Career: where money is real
| Mode | Money | Online? | Settings you can change | Unlocks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career | Earned, per scenario | No | None (scenario rules) | Accreditation from scenario medals |
| Franchise | Earned; cash per zoo, Conservation Credits shared across the franchise | Yes, Frontier account required | None | Accreditation from Zoo Reputation and Biodiversity |
| Sandbox | Set by preset and Economy settings | No | Presets + Sandbox Settings | Can unlock all animals automatically |
Frontier’s Zoo Management guide also says Conservation Credits are not shared between Franchise mode and the offline modes. Credits from a Sandbox or Career zoo can’t be spent in Franchise, and Franchise credits don’t carry over the other way.
Challenge options: the Challenge preset and Community Challenges
Planet Zoo 2 has no separate Challenge mode. Planet Zoo 1 players will remember one, but in the sequel it’s a Challenge preset inside Sandbox. It brings the money side back while keeping Sandbox’s offline freedom. Remember that research stays fully unlocked (see above).
Community Challenges are a different feature. Frontier lists them under Franchise mode only: your Franchise zoos contribute to shared goals, and taking part is one way to earn extra Conservation Credits online.
Planet Zoo 2 money tips (Career and Franchise)
Without a cheat, money comes from running the zoo well. Frontier’s Zoo Management guide names four cash sources: shops and restaurants, donations, entrance tickets, and quick-trading animals. The steps in order:
- Check Management > Finances first. It shows income and expenses for the current and previous season, so you can see what’s actually losing money.
- Tune ticket prices. Adult and child tickets are priced separately. Watch Guest Thoughts: if the price is too high guests won’t enter, and if it’s too low you’re leaving cash on the table.
- Put Donation Bins at the best viewing spots. Better views, higher-appeal animals and Thriving animals all bring bigger donations.
- Add ATMs. Guests stop buying when their pocket cash runs out, and ATMs let them withdraw more.
- Quick-trade surplus animals for cash. In Franchise you can also list them for other players.
- Use loans carefully. You get up to three loan offers, one per provider. Interest applies to the remaining balance, so paying early saves money. Update 1.0.4 (October 14) lowered interest on low-level loans, and Update 1.0.8 (October 29) lets you take a loan again after paying it off over time.
If your cash suddenly dropped by hundreds of thousands after you added a habitat roof or roof supports, that was a launch bug. Frontier’s 1.0.6 notes say habitat roof repairs “sometimes” cost excessive amounts, and that zoos left with negative cash would be reset to $0. Our Planet Zoo 2 beginner guide covers early money and accreditation in more depth. For the sister game, Iris’s Planet Coaster 2 tips and tricks covers park money and ratings.
Breeding herds cost money in Career and Franchise. In Sandbox, Enable Animal Ageing and Birthing can be switched off. Image: Frontier Developments
Can you move a Career or Franchise zoo into Sandbox?
Yes, as a Sandbox map. Frontier’s update notes mention exporting career and franchise zoos “as a sandbox map”. Update 1.0.4 fixed land animals being removed during that export, and Update 1.0.5 fixed the “Terrain Only” export option for career scenarios. This gives you a way to keep building a zoo you made in Career without money limits.
FAQ
Does Planet Zoo 2 have console commands?
No. There’s no developer console and no command list in Frontier’s guides or update notes (checked October 31, 2026). Everything “cheat-like” is done through Sandbox presets and Sandbox Settings.
Can you get unlimited money in Franchise mode?
No. Franchise is the online mode with a real economy and no Sandbox Settings. Cash isn’t shared between Franchise zoos, though Conservation Credits are.
Do the Planet Zoo 1 Easter cheats work in Planet Zoo 2?
Frontier hasn’t said so. The Easter cheats were added to the first game in April 2020, and no Frontier source lists them for Planet Zoo 2. Treat any list that claims they work as unverified.
What is the best Sandbox preset for just building?
Default or Creative. Then open Sandbox Settings and turn off the systems you don’t want to manage, such as ageing and birthing, predation, defecation or fight injuries. Choose Challenge only if you want money to matter.
Sources: Frontier Developments, Planet Zoo 2 player guides (The Basics, Tips and Tricks, Zoo Management); Frontier’s Steam update notes for Updates 1.0.4 (Oct 14), 1.0.5 (Oct 16), 1.0.6 (Oct 23) and 1.0.8 (Oct 29, 2026); Frontier’s Under Investigation post (Oct 20, 2026); Planet Zoo 2 Steam discussions (Sandbox Challenge research, research vote); All Things How game modes guide (Oct 14, 2026); PC Gamer (Apr 9, 2020). Checked October 31, 2026 UTC.
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Featured image: AI-generated illustration
