Planet Zoo: Arctic Pack
First major DLC for Planet Zoo, adding Arctic animals and scenarios.
Frontier Developments · via Wikipedia: Planet Zoo: Arctic Pack · Fair use
Planet Zoo: Arctic Pack is the first major downloadable content (DLC) expansion for the construction and management sim Planet Zoo, created and published by Frontier Developments. It launched on 17 December 2019. The pack, with an Arctic theme, introduces four new animals and two new playable scenarios to the base game.
The expansion adds the polar bear, arctic wolf, reindeer, and Dall sheep. One of the two new scenarios is set in Norway, where players build an animal sanctuary near a village on a remote island. The other takes place in a Mexican zoo, challenging players to create suitable habitats for Arctic animals in a desert environment. The DLC also includes over 200 new scenery pieces, such as festive decorations and building parts inspired by Nordic architecture.
The expansion was released on 17 December 2019 alongside a free update for the game. It later became available for the Console Edition on 3 December 2024, together with the Conservation Pack.
Reviews noted the DLC felt short. Destructoid called the animals "terrific, expressive, and a joy to watch" but said the content was "over before you know it." But Why Tho? found it "light on overall content" but still adding to the existing game. Gameblog gave it 8/10, while Impulse Gamer rated it 3.5/5, saying Frontier Developments set a high bar for future DLC. Invision Game Community gave it 4.5/5, calling it good value but noting the new content ended too quickly. Game Rant ranked it fifth among Planet Zoo DLCs, stating polar bears alone make it a great pack and a must-have for fans of the bears.
- Developer
- Frontier Developments
- Release date
- 17 December 2019
- Platform
- Planet Zoo (PC); later Console Edition on 3 December 2024
- Genre
- Construction and management simulation
- Number of new animals
- 4
- Number of new scenarios
- 2
- Number of new scenery pieces
- Over 200
Lore & Background
The expansion adds four different animals to the game: the polar bear, arctic wolf, reindeer and Dall sheep. Of the two scenarios added in the expansion, the first takes place in Norway, where players build an animal sanctuary near a village on a remote island. The second, which takes place in a zoo in Mexico, tasks players with building suitable habitats for arctic animals in a desert climate. Alongside this, the DLC also introduces over 200 new scenery pieces to the game, including festive decorations and building pieces based after Nordic architecture.
Reader's Guide
Planet Zoo: Arctic Pack marks the beginning of Frontier Developments' DLC offerings for Planet Zoo, setting a benchmark for future expansions. Its release on 17 December 2019 introduced four Arctic-themed animals—polar bear, arctic wolf, reindeer, and Dall sheep—alongside two scenarios that challenge players to build sanctuaries in Norway and a desert zoo in Mexico. The inclusion of over 200 new scenery pieces, including Nordic architecture and festive decorations, expanded creative possibilities. Reception was mixed but generally positive: Destructoid found the DLC short but praised the animals as 'terrific, expressive, and a joy to watch.' But Why Tho? noted it was 'light on overall content' yet added to the base game. Gameblog rated it 8/10, while Impulse Gamer gave 3.5/5, calling it an excitingly high bar. Invision Game Community awarded 4.5/5 for value, though felt content ended too soon. Game Rant ranked it fifth among Planet Zoo DLCs, calling polar bears alone enough to make it a must-have. The DLC later became available for Console Edition on 3 December 2024.
Did You Know?
- Planet Zoo: Arctic Pack is the first major DLC expansion for Planet Zoo.
- One of its two scenarios takes place in a zoo in Mexico, requiring players to build arctic habitats in a desert climate.
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