Planet Coaster 2 Announced: New Trailer Reveals Water Park Attractions and Fall 2024 Launch Window [IGN]

Frontier Developments has announced Planet Coaster 2, a sequel to its 2016 theme park-building simulator, with a release window of autumn 2024 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S.

Frontier announced the news with a reveal trailer highlighting pre-alpha engine footage of some of the new water park attractions. The video shows off a pool area for attendees to float around in as well as a steep, stomach-churning waterslide, but the team also promises other features, including lazy rivers, wave pools, water coasters, changing rooms, sunbeds, lifeguards, and more.

“Building upon its highly successful predecessor, Planet Coaster 2 gives players the ability to push the boundaries of creativity like never before,” Frontier explains. “Be inspired by spectacular real-world parks and create vibrant guest plazas with enhanced building and pathing tools. Intuitive piece-by-piece building tools and mesmerising new themes make it simple for players to elevate their park building to the next level.”

Planet Coaster 2 aims to enhance the experience players remember from the series’ last outing, so while new watery tools will freshen up the theme-park management gameplay, some fan-favorite rides will return, too. Other new tools include animatronics, smoke, water jets, and unique sounds to ensure guests stay happy.

Frontier also promises three game modes to enjoy: Career mode, Franchise mode, and Sandbox mode. Career sees players completing specific scenarios, while franchise challenges players to build out a worldwide park network. Sandbox, meanwhile, lets thrill-seekers design parks to their heart’s content.

Finally, Frontier says playing with friends will be “easier than ever” in Planet Coaster 2. That’s thanks to the ability to visit friends’ parks and compete in Franchise mode leaderboards. Even Sandbox mode includes the option to jump into shared levels, allowing for cooperative building across platforms.

Frontier plans to reveal further details in Frontier Unlocked livestreams, which are set to premiere on the last Wednesday of every month. We enjoyed Planet Coaster upon its launch in 2016, giving it an 8.5/10 in our review. At the time, we said, “Planet Coaster is a wild ride of delightfully customizable roller coaster theme parks and light economics.”

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.

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