Developer – Frontier Developments

Publisher – Frontier Developments

Platforms –  PS5, Xbox Series S|X,PC (Reviewed)

Review copy given by Developer

Back when I was young, Simulation games were pretty basic. You had Roller Coaster Tycoon (which you likely got a free copy from getting in your Cereal or Frozen Pizza Box), and Sim ThemePark, being the big two. There was also Thrillville, less popular than the other two of the Theme Park sim games at the time. Nowadays we have new competitors for the best Themepark Simulation game, such as Parkitect and Park Beyond, but the biggest Newcomer came to the table back in November 2016 and now eight years later, it’s time for a sequel to Planet Coaster baby!

While the original Planet Coaster was an award-winning title, Planet Coaster 2 plans to expand on its success with tons of key new features and improvements, so let’s jump in and go over everything to expect in this Thrilling Sequel.

New Features & Enhancements:

One of the biggest inclusions to Planet Coaster 2, is The inclusion of water rides and swimming pools, which opens up tons of fresh avenues for park design and guest entertainment. These new attractions add variety to your offerings, making your park not only a thrill-seeker’s paradise but also a relaxing retreat. Whether crafting lazy rivers, wild log flumes, or sprawling wave pools, these additions bring a whole new layer of dynamism to creating your theme park.

Customization takes a major role in Planet Coaster 2, with enhanced tools allowing players to modify nearly every aspect of their park. From unique building facades to intricately designed rides, the possibilities are nearly endless. The revamped path-building tools provide more control, enabling the creation of expansive plazas and intricate thoroughfares. These tools not only improve guest flow but also enhance the architectural authenticity of your park, ensuring every corner feels thoughtfully designed.

For those who love orchestrating magical moments, the new event sequencer is a game-changer. This tool allows players to choreograph stunning spectacles by combining animated scenery, lighting, water effects, and more. Imagine syncing fireworks to a music track or timing a fountain display to erupt as a roller coaster races by—these custom sequences bring your park to life in ways never before possible. Additionally, the scenery brush accelerates the process of landscaping, letting players quickly paint their environments with trees, rocks, and flowers for a lush, immersive world.

Some of the other new features and enhancements include Ride customization which in Planet Coaster 2 reaches new heights, with switch and drop track coaster parts, allowing for thrilling designs such as mid-ride track changes or sudden vertical drops. To further enhance immersion, the game introduces a first-person view mode, letting you see the park through the eyes of your guests. This perspective provides valuable insights into how attractions, scenery, and layout affect guest satisfaction.

Planet Coaster 2 also introduces broader guest archetypes, each with unique needs, desires, and tolerances. Catering to these diverse groups becomes a new layer of challenge, encouraging you to think more deeply about park amenities and design. Finally, dynamic weather effects add realism and complexity. Rainstorms might send guests rushing for cover, while hot sunny days could leave them seeking shade—or sunburned if you’re not offering sunscreen kiosks. These new conditions bring both strategic challenges and business opportunities, pushing players to think on their feet.

Rides:

As mentioned Planet Coaster 2 added Water Rides and Swimming Pools to the game, These aquatic additions allow for dynamic creativity, with features ranging from tranquil lazy rivers to adrenaline-pumping water coasters that twist and turn through towering waterfalls. The water rides come with advanced customization options, enabling players to adjust speed, splash intensity, and even synchronized water effects to craft an immersive experience that caters to every guest’s thrill level.

Part of the Waterpark additions include wave pools and infinity pools, which add a layer of luxury and relaxation to your park. While Guests can unwind in cabanas or suntan on the lounge chairs, The pools are highly interactive, with lifeguards ensuring safety and animations showing guests diving, swimming, and even lounging on floaties. The realism extends to water physics, with ripples and splashes reacting naturally to every movement, enhancing the visual appeal.

The water mechanics also play a crucial role in park design and operations. Players must manage water cleanliness, filtration systems, and guest safety, ensuring that their aquatic areas remain both visually stunning and hygienically maintained.

Moving on from Water Rides, Roller coasters of course play a big part in Planet Coaster 2. Above I mentioned the addition of new Drop and Switch Tracks, as well as creating piece-by-piece tracks, which adds for more design freedom. Curl tracks around rock formations, send them high, low, and through the trees, and make the coaster a more immersive theme. If you’re struggling to finish that perfect rack, however, don’t forget about the Auto-Complete feature to help you finish off completing that perfect coaster, before you ride it for yourself in the new First Person View.

While Roller coasters aren’t for everyone, Planet Coaster 2 also has a large selection of Flat Rides, such as Carousels, Swinging Rides that throw you upside down, Tower drops, and much much more.

Park Design:

While there are new path building mechanics and tools, and tons of new scenery items, Park design took a turn in Planet Coaster 2 that I’m not sure was the right move. In the original Planet Coaster, Sharing blueprints and designs was done via Steam Workshop, which was one of the key features that made the game stand out among simulation business games. However, the second generation abandoned Steam’s workshop in favor of a self-built workshop system, which greatly reduced the experience. Network connections are often slow, resulting in a long time to load or download work. In addition, the process of subscribing to works is more complicated and not as convenient as the one-click subscription of Steam Workshop. While it isn’t the worst experience, I feel Steam Workshop made it easier and more open to sharing and visibility to see what people have created without having to own the game.

Some of the other park design features include the Event Sequencer, which I mentioned above aswell as some new shops, such as Guest Services to sell Priority Passes to skip queues, PoolPasses to take a dip, and suncream and umbrellas for changeable weather.

Guest Interaction Types:

Catering to guests is the most important thing you need to remember in Planet Coaster 2, as without guests, your park is gonna go bankrupt. Guests have tons of different needs and preferences and each have different tolerance levels for things such as long queues, pricing, or even the temperature of the pool. One of the biggest preferences I found interesting to include in the game is the Guest’s dietary restrictions from dairy or egg allergies to vegan options or the use of artificial ingredients.

Weather System:

The weather system in Planet Coaster 2 adds a new layer of realism and strategic depth, dynamically affecting the mood and behavior of park guests. From sunny skies and gentle breezes to sudden downpours and thunderstorms, the game ensures that players must plan their parks with changing weather in mind. Weather impacts ride popularity—guests might flock to water rides on hot days or seek shelter in indoor attractions during rainstorms. Seasonal changes further enrich the gameplay, introducing challenges like snow-covered paths in winter or heatwaves in the summer.

Selling essential items like umbrellas and sunscreen becomes crucial for maximizing profits and keeping guests satisfied. When rain clouds gather, guests will rush to purchase umbrellas, turning sudden storms into a lucrative opportunity. Likewise, during sunny spells, sunscreen sales soar as guests look to protect themselves from the blazing sun. Strategically placing shops that sell these items near park entrances or high-traffic areas ensures accessibility and boosts revenue. Balancing weather preparedness with guest comfort creates an engaging challenge, rewarding players who think ahead and adapt their strategies to nature’s whims.

Multiplayer:

This is the part of the review where things turn for the worst. Before launch Planet Coaster 2 hype up Franchise mode or otherwise known as multiplayer, however, multi-player is a very loose term when it comes to reality. The game was advertised as a multiplayer experience where players could collaborate to build their dream park, with friends. Unfortunately, the reality is disappointing and simply means players take turns building, which doesn’t provide any real-time interaction and feels indistinguishable from single-player mode.

Other Issues:

While I didn’t have many other major issues with the game, one thing I did notice vs the original Planet Coaster is the lack of themes for rides such as Fantasy, Vikings, Pirates, and more, it feels like Planet Coaster 2 is moving this all to DLC packs to make more revenue instead, which I have no problems with DLC, along as the base game feels like a fair amount of content still, I feel while there has been an expansion to types of rides, and the addition of Water Park related attractions, the lack of themes takes away from the customization a bit.

Conclusion:

Planet Coaster 2 successfully expands the theme park simulation genre with its robust suite of new features and refined mechanics. From water rides and swimming pools to the immersive first-person view and dynamic weather systems, the game offers plenty of fresh elements to excite both returning fans and newcomers. Enhanced customization tools empower players to craft parks that feel uniquely theirs, while guest archetypes and realistic weather effects introduce new layers of strategy.

However, the experience is not without its frustrations. The move away from Steam Workshop to an in-house system hampers the community-sharing aspect, and multiplayer feels more like a half-hearted afterthought than a true co-op experience. Additionally, the lack of ride themes at launch hints at a potential shift toward a DLC-heavy model, which may disappoint players seeking a more complete base game experience.

Despite these shortcomings, Planet Coaster 2 remains a must-play for fans of theme park simulations. Its innovations in ride mechanics, park management, and guest interactions keep it exciting and engaging, making it a worthy successor to the original. If you can overlook the annoyances with multiplayer and limited thematic options, you’ll find yourself immersed in one of the most detailed and rewarding theme park builders to date.