While players got a little hint at what Update 3 of Planet Coaster 2 had in store with Frontier Unlocked, the new update coming on March 20, 2025, is set to blow park managers’ socks off.
Here are the basics of what players were told to expect leading into Planet Coaster 2‘s Update 3 breakdown:
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- Enhanced raft behaviours on flumes
- Further changes to flume jettison animations, including rafts being thrown overboard, as well as impacts on guest happiness
- A returning scenery theme from the original Planet Coaster, the Western theme, complete with a little teaser to give fans a taste of the past.
- Further updates to creative tools, including the option to use random auto-rotation and scaling for a more natural variation when placing non-animated scenery and the ability to select on-ride audio (including custom audio on PC)
- Career mode maps from the tutorials and Act 1 available to customise and build upon in Sandbox mode
- Standard ‘de-themed’ versions of two coasters, the Vector – Sit Down Launched New Gen and the Outamax – Launched Hydraulic
- A returning ride, the thrilling Vector – Inverting Suspended, which has been rebuilt for Planet Coaster 2.
Further enhancements to management and the multi-select tool - A range of bug fixes and optimisations
- And much more!
These are the basics, but let’s dig a little deeper and see what these items entail.
Planet Coaster 2 Features
Enhanced flume behaviors
Some updates were made to bake in some more variety into Planet Coaster 2‘s flumes. Check out everything that has been added to amplify this particular function.
- Flume bottoms are now rounded as part of Update 3, and inflatables will deform to match this shape as they slide down!
- Your guests will also enjoy more variation in how they travel down the flume special pieces, determined by their entry speed into the piece! To see this, you will need to toggle ‘Enhanced Guest Flume Behaviours’ on.
- Flume jettisoning also makes its way into Planet Coaster 2, with tight corners and bumps at high speed ejecting guests into the air! Although it is fun to watch people and rafts go flying, this will impact your guests’ happiness.
- In addition to the above, Update 3 also features general enhancements to physics and guests’ behaviours on flumes.
Developers did note, however, that players will need to make a slight adjustment when applying the changes.
Existing flumes will need to turn the ‘Enhanced Guest Flume Behaviours’ toggle on to see the new flume behaviours. Existing flumes in your parks may also be affected visually due to clipping with the new round-bottomed flumes – adjustments to your flume placement will resolve this. If you’re making new flumes, this will not impact them.
- Career Mode Sandbox maps
- Pre-made maps from the Career Tutorial and Act 1 have been added to Sandbox Mode to give you a starting point and get your creative juices flowing!
- Returning theme
- Yee-haw! Customise your park with the returning Western theme, featuring more than 350 scenery pieces. These include building props, animatronics, and wall sets inspired by the untamed Wild West. Personally, this may be my favourite customization coming to Planet Coaster 2. It brings back memories.
Planet Coaster 2 Rides
This news isn’t entirely new, but Frontier Developments is bringing you more standard “de-themed” versions of coasters to put your own creative spin on:
- The Vector – Sit Down Launched New Gen
- The Outamax – Launched Hydraulic
The plane and racing car-inspired pieces from these coasters can now also be used separately as standard scenery pieces!
We’re also seeing the return of another ride from the original Planet Coaster, introducing the return of the thrilling Vector-Inverting Suspended, which will turn your guests upside down (quite literally!)
Planet Coaster 2 Adjustments and Enhancements
As always, the team of developers is always trying to optimize and make the Planet Coaster 2 experience better for all players. Here’s the list of things that have been tweaked in Update 3:
- Multi-Select tool UI enhancements
- Improvements to staff scheduling
- Tweaks to park economy
- Many bug fixes and improvements, including crash fixes
This is all but a fraction of what Frontier Developments is delivering to players in Planet Coaster 2’s latest update. For a full list of updates, you can go here to the full list breakdown and see what all is coming.
Planet Coaster 2 is available on PC via Steam, PlayStation®5, and Xbox Series X|S. It’s as good a time as any to get ready for a fun springtime Coaster crafting experience. Make sure you get ready to dive into the latest update on March 20, 2025.
