Data as of 20 October 2026 (Launch Update 1.0.5). Mechanics from Frontier's official player guide; tier numbers cross-checked between Prima Games' and AllThingsHow's launch guides.
Accreditation is the progression system that gates Franchise mode in Planet Zoo 2. A new franchise starts at Tier 1 with 32 of the game's 136 species, and higher tiers unlock the rest in Animal Trading, alongside extra Marketing slots, Research Network equipment and animal storage. You raise it by holding zoos at three Zoo Reputation stars and reserves at three Biodiversity stars — not by perfecting a single park. This guide covers every tier requirement and the fastest route to Tier 5; the shared economy is explained in our Franchise mode guide.
What Accreditation Does in Planet Zoo 2
Frontier's official player guide defines the system: higher Accreditation Tiers give you access to new species in Trading, improved Marketing, new Research Network types and increased animal storage capacity. The gate exists because Franchise locks its roster gradually — lions and elephants, the marquee species, only appear at Tier 5.
Two ratings feed the system, and they never mix: zoos generate Zoo Reputation stars, while Wildlife Reserves generate Biodiversity stars. Each location is judged on its own, and tier requirements are network-wide totals of qualifying locations — not amounts you add at each step.
Every Accreditation Tier: Requirements and Rewards
The table below lists all five tiers. Requirements are totals of qualifying locations across your franchise; species counts are what each tier adds:
| Tier | Requirements | New species | Other rewards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | None (starting tier) | 32 | Observation Platform, +1 Bronze Marketing Slot |
| 2 | 1 zoo with 3 Reputation Stars | 33 | Camera Trap, +2 Bronze Marketing Slots |
| 3 | 2 zoos with 3 Reputation Stars, 1 reserve with 3 Biodiversity Stars | 31 | Acoustic Monitor, +1 Bronze +1 Silver Marketing Slot |
| 4 | 2 zoos with 3 Reputation Stars, 2 reserves with 3 Biodiversity Stars | 30 | +1 Bronze +1 Silver Marketing Slot, +50 Animal Storage |
| 5 | 2 zoos with 3 Reputation Stars, 3 reserves with 3 Biodiversity Stars | 10 | +1 Silver +1 Gold Marketing Slot |
Data as of 20 October 2026, per Prima Games' and AllThingsHow's launch guides.
Three details trip people up. Three stars is the entire bar — going past three does nothing for Accreditation, and stars cannot be added together across parks, so a five-star zoo counts the same as a three-star one. You never need a third zoo: from Tier 3 onward every new requirement is another reserve, and qualifying locations keep counting toward every higher tier. Species counts are cumulative — the full animal list opens at Tier 5.
How to Raise Your Accreditation Level Step by Step
The Accreditation panel in your Franchise's Planet Hub shows what the next tier needs and which locations already count. The efficient sequence works through one location at a time:
- Raise your first zoo to three Zoo Reputation stars to unlock Tier 2 — read the reputation breakdown to see which category is falling short, because adding animals does not always fix it.
- Open a second zoo from the Planet Hub, which costs Conservation Credits, and raise it to three stars too. Tier 3 will not trigger yet — it also needs a reserve.
- Establish your first Wildlife Reserve and raise it to three Biodiversity stars — with both zoos qualifying, this unlocks Tier 3.
- Raise a second reserve to three stars for Tier 4 — the +50 Animal Storage here matters once breeding programmes scale.
- Raise a third reserve to three stars to hit Tier 5 and the final ten species.
Bought animals pass through quarantine first, and their needs stay hidden until they clear it. Your opening roster comes from Tier 1 species such as meerkats, warthogs and plains zebras — our best starter animals guide covers how to build around them.
Why the Three European Reserves Are the Fast Route
European reserves have far more species crossover across their Ecosystem Roles than other regions, so one set of European animals bred in your zoos can supply all three. That turns the Tier 3–5 grind into a repeatable loop instead of three separate trading hunts.
Start each reserve the same way: clear Environmental Pollution and Invasive Flora first, then use the Create Release Group menu to fill Ecosystem Roles with species your zoos already breed. Spread research equipment across a broad area — wide coverage raises the Research Rating faster than a few well-placed units. Our exhibits and biomes guide covers how it all fits together.
What Raises Zoo Reputation and Biodiversity Stars
Zoo Reputation runs on four categories, and neglecting any one of them stalls the count:
| Rating | Category | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Zoo Reputation | Animal Husbandry | Average welfare, Thriving animals |
| Zoo Reputation | Sustainability | Renewable power, recycling bins |
| Zoo Reputation | Guest Education | Education boards, speakers, educators |
| Zoo Reputation | Guest Experience | Guest happiness, scenery, species variety |
| Biodiversity | Ecosystem Rating | Ecosystems reaching Established, then Flourishing |
| Biodiversity | Research Rating | Observation Platforms, Camera Traps, Acoustic Monitors |
In zoos, fully research every species first — only then do its Thriving requirements appear, covering habitat size, terrain, temperature, food and enrichment. Educators' animal talks lift donations, while marketing campaigns increase animal appeal. In reserves, ratings move independently of your zoos: a strong zoo score never carries over.
Career vs Franchise vs Sandbox Rules
Accreditation behaves differently in each mode, and mixing the rules up causes a lot of false bug reports. Career and Franchise keep separate records, so progress never transfers. In Career, you raise the tier by completing objectives at scenario zoos and Wildlife Reserves for Bronze, Silver and Gold medals.
The modes even sort species differently — Lion and Masai Giraffe are available at Career Tier 1, while Career Tier 5 adds only marketing slots with no new animals. Sandbox has no Accreditation at all; every animal is available from the start. If you are working from a species tier list found online, check which mode it covers first.
Tier 5 Species and the Deluxe Caveat
Tier 5 adds the final ten species: African Savannah Elephant, Asian Elephant, Giant Panda, Great Hammerhead, Lion, Ocean Sunfish, Sumatran Orangutan, Western Chimpanzee, Western Lowland Gorilla and White-Backed Vulture. After you place your first Franchise animal, the in-game Zoopedia shows each species' lock icon and unlock tier.
One edition caveat: the 136-species total includes six Deluxe Edition animals, but tiers do not grant Deluxe species you do not own, and owning Deluxe does not skip progression — the Deluxe Edition widens what you can adopt, not when.
Accreditation Not Progressing? Common Fixes
If a tier refuses to advance, work through four checks. First, confirm the species is unlocked at your tier — enough Cash or Conservation Credits does not bypass a lock. Second, Animal Trading needs a working Trade Centre, and an animal is only buyable when your edition includes it, your tier has unlocked it and the market has one listed — an empty market is not an accreditation failure.
Third, Franchise is an online mode, so connection or server problems can block trading. Fourth, compare the Accreditation panel against each location's rating — requirements are totals, not per-park scores. If everything shows met and the tier still will not move, send your mode, platform, game version and screenshots of each rating to Frontier's issue tracker, and keep your save; deleting a zoo is not a confirmed fix.