Join the DiscordBringing D3D9 Effects into Bevy
How the original shaders and Effects pass state reach Bevy, with help from vkd3d-shader and MojoShader.
Read the article →Development roadmap
Four phases connect the original game to OpenZT2. Each phase has its own record and measure of progress.
Phase 1
Disassembly and decompilation
Executable addresses, byte ranges, and symbols.
Done
Explore the byte map →
Phase 2Reverse engineering
Recovered identities, boundaries, and behavior evidence.
Done
Explore the binary perimeter →
Phase 3Asset conversion
Original content formats and their conversion coverage.
19 of 19 families done
Explore asset conversion →
Phase 4Gameplay reimplementation
Functional capabilities across the gameplay domains.
145 of 163 capabilities done16 not done · 2 blocked
Explore gameplay progress →
What’s new in OpenZT2?
Mod hot reloads
Reload mods from the main menu without restarting the game and moving files around.
64-bit platform
Native 64-bit targets, including Linux and macOS.
Modern shader pipeline
vkd3d-shader and MojoShader compile the original D3D9 Effects into shaders and evaluated pass state for Bevy’s renderer.
Getting started
Get OpenZT2
Available at release.
Select your game files
Point OpenZT2 to your Zoo Tycoon 2 files.
Start playing
Launch the game and start building your zoo.
System requirements
Supported editions
Compatibility & known issues
Devblog
Comparing OpenZT2’s rendering with Zoo Tycoon 2
How the globe, menus and terrain reveal what is still missing from the material pipeline.
Made for players
and creators
OpenZT2 is designed to be mod-friendly and easy to extend. You’ll be able to make mods and contribute changes to the game.
O — Original game. This screenshot was captured in Zoo Tycoon 2.
Coming Q4 2026
Follow development on Discord.
Help OpenZT2 grow
Discuss the game and follow development on Discord.
Join the Discord
Contribute
O — Original game. This screenshot was captured in Zoo Tycoon 2.