Zoo: Happy Animals is a career simulation game with elements from many popular other categories, such as dash racing and logic-puzzle games. The player takes on the role of an animal keeper at a zoo. Their goal is to complete tasks that help make animals happy.
The game prompts the player every step of the way with on-screen text instructions. With the help of an avatar character, the player might need to feed an alligator a specific number of raw steaks, carry animals into enclosures, open or close enclosure gates, move hippo heads in precise ways to catch tossed whole watermelons, shave fleece off alpacas, or direct monkeys down race tracks over and around obstacles to win bananas.
If the player isn't careful, they can hurt their avatar. For example, they might allow an alligator to chomp on the avatar's arm or a herd of animals to attack the character. In many cases, the game warns the player to not perform an action by showing a smirking devil emoji just before the event. The player merely needs to wait before taking a specific action.
Zoo: Happy Animals allows the player to skip any level by watching an advertisement video. When the player completes a task, it rewards them with fireworks. After a specific number of completed tasks, it rewards them with a crate gift.
