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Planet Coaster 2: The Ultimate Park Layout Guide (2025 Tutorial)
Provides key strategies and tips for successful park layouts in Planet Coaster 2. Get practical advice on everything from theme selection to guest flow, landmarks, transitions between zones, and how to keep projects moving steadily. Gain creative inspiration from real park examples and in-game examples, and learn how to build amazing parks while avoiding burnout.
1. 🎢 Starting Your Park: Setting Themes and Concepts
- ✅ It's easy to feel overwhelmed when starting a park in sandbox mode.
- ✅ Decide on the big picture first. Determine whether you will build a theme park, water park, or resort, what your budget is, and what style (e.g., spooky fantasy, steampunk, tropical adventure) you will pursue.
- ✅ These decisions set the identity of the park, and the rides, shops, and themes will naturally follow.
- ✅ Choose a major point that will become a landmark. It can be a main street, a roller coaster station, or a restaurant.
| Considerations | Details |
|---|---|
| Park Type | Theme Park, Water Park, Resort |
| Budget | Low Budget, High Budget, Mid Budget |
| Style | Fantasy, Steampunk, Tropical, Family Friendly |
00:00 - 01:26
1. 🎢 Starting Your Park: Setting Themes and Concepts
- ✅ It's easy to feel overwhelmed when starting a park in sandbox mode.
- ✅ Decide on the big picture first. Determine whether you will build a theme park, water park, or resort, what your budget is, and what style (e.g., spooky fantasy, steampunk, tropical adventure) you will pursue.
- ✅ These decisions set the identity of the park, and the rides, shops, and themes will naturally follow.
- ✅ Choose a major point that will become a landmark. It can be a main street, a roller coaster station, or a restaurant.
| Considerations | Details |
|---|---|
| Park Type | Theme Park, Water Park, Resort |
| Budget | Low Budget, High Budget, Mid Budget |
| Style | Fantasy, Steampunk, Tropical, Family Friendly |
01:27 - 02:37
2. 💡 Getting Inspired: Using References and Managing Projects
- ✅ Using references to get inspiration is a good way to go.
- ✅ Use Pinterest, ArtStation, AI image generation tools (MidJourney, Chat GPT), Google Maps, etc. to get ideas.
- ✅ You can refer to the layouts and details of real parks (Disney, Europa-Park, Tivoli Gardens, etc.) through Google Maps.
- ✅ If a project gets stuck, it's a good idea to switch to a new project or work on two projects at the same time, alternating between them.
- ⚠️ However, if you work on too many projects at the same time, it may be difficult to complete them.
02:38 - 04:56
3. 🚶♂️ Designing Guest Flow: Circular Layouts and Hub and Spoke Systems
- ✅ It is important to design the flow so that guests move naturally without getting stuck.
- ✅ A circular layout is an effective way to keep guests moving. It doesn't have to be a perfect circle.
- ✅ Adding small paths to the circular layout to intersect and reconnect them will cause guests to loop around no matter which direction they go.
- ✅ Real parks (Disneyland, Magic Kingdom) use a hub and spoke system so that everything is connected radially from the center.
| Layout Type | Features | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Circular Layout | Keeps guests moving | Tivoli Gardens |
| Hub and Spoke | Connected radially from the center | Disneyland, Magic Kingdom |
04:57 - 05:47
4. Landmarks and Weenies: Using Visual Focal Points
- ✅ Landmarks (also called 'weenies' in Disney) are visual focal points that draw guests deep into the park.
- ✅ Castles, mountains, volcanoes, etc. can be landmarks.
- ✅ Landmarks provide park structure and create points for guests to aim for.
- ✅ From a design perspective, it lets you know where the center of each zone should be.
05:48 - 06:55
5. 🚧 Project Management and Preventing Burnout
- ✅ Using colored boxes to temporarily mark the location of zones, buildings, and rides can help you track project progress.
- ✅ If a project feels too overwhelming, scale it down and focus on completing only the core parts.
- ✅ Don't get stuck in perfectionism and stop completing things.
- ✅ Taking a break is okay, but if you rest for too long, it becomes difficult to come back. Keep the rhythm going.
06:56 - 08:16
6. 🌉 Transitions Between Zones: Creating Smooth Connections
- ✅ Avoid abrupt transitions between zones and consider smooth transitions.
- ✅ It is best to gradually change the vegetation through forest trails, or to give space between zones by using bridges or tunnels.
- ✅ Mixing two styles to create a short section is also a good way to go.
- ✅ Smooth transitions make the entire park feel like one story.
08:17 - 09:48
7. 🌱 Evolution of Layout: Embracing Growth and Change
- ✅ Remember that the layout can always change.
- ✅ It's natural for plans to evolve once you start building.
- ✅ Beginners should start small and focus on mini-parks, themed zones, or a few blueprints.
- ✅ Experts also use iterative designs. Start roughly, then refine and improve.
- ✅ A perfect plan is not needed from the beginning. It's important to just get started.