An audio game by PartyvAIbz
Zoo Star
A game you play outdoors, and one everybody can join in.
- Free, in closed testing
- For iPhone, and in beta on Android
- With headphones or earbuds
- Works with VoiceOver
Join in
Choose your phone. On iPhone you install the test through TestFlight, Apple's testing app. The steps for Android are further down this page.
About the game
Put your headphones on and step outside. As you walk, animals appear around you — an elephant to your left, something small and quick to your right. You turn your head towards them and catch them. Back home you build your own zoo out of what you caught: enclosures, staff, breeding programmes, and a marketplace where you trade with other players.
There are over 250 species in it, from pigeons to lions, and the game only moves forward while you are on the move, on foot or in a wheelchair. Everything that happens can be heard as well as seen: every sound has something on screen, and every ring, colour and animation has a spoken or audible counterpart.
Join the test
Zoo Star is in closed testing. You can install the iPhone version right away through TestFlight, Apple's testing app. On Android you can join the beta; the steps are below. Only the public release on the App Store and Google Play is still in preparation.
Join on Android
The Android beta is open. It is still an early version, and we are building on it every day. Here is how to join, using the Google account on your phone:
- Join the test group: choose Join group there. Seeing You don't have permission to access this content? Sign in with your Google account at the top right first; the button appears after that. A window about your Google profile and email follows: leave everything as it is and choose Join group once more at the bottom. Only the owner can see who has joined.
- Then open the test link and choose Become a tester.
- Install Zoo Star from the Play Store. New versions arrive automatically after that.
Seeing Item not found or App not available in the Play Store? After joining it can take a while before the app is ready for you, sometimes a quarter of an hour or more. Check that you chose Become a tester in step 2, and that the Play Store is signed in with the same Google account you joined with. Then try again a little later.
What to expect
- Taking part is free.
- You play a version that is still very much in development. New versions arrive regularly, and sometimes something goes wrong.
- At the official App Store release, every player starts again from scratch. Everyone who took part in the test gets a permanent badge in the game.
Give feedback
If the app gets stuck or something is not right, you can send a report from inside the app. Ideas, questions and experiences are welcome at support@partyvaibz.com. What testers report helps decide what gets built next.
You will need an iPhone or an Android phone and headphones or earbuds. Works with VoiceOver. The terms of use and code of conduct apply during the test as well.
Zoo Star in the media
Kijken Met Je Oren
Zoo Star: dieren vangen in de echte wereld, op basis van geluid
Ferry.fm · 15 September 2026 · 9 minutes · in Dutch
Ferry talked to maker Stefan van Loenen about building a game that runs entirely on sound, and why it takes you out of the house. The interview is in Dutch.
Or listen here
This episode was produced by Ferry.fm and appears here with his permission. You can subscribe to the series through the podcast feed.
On Facebook
Mijn ervaring met de Zoo Star-app
Tim de Groot · in Dutch
Tim de Groot wrote on Facebook about his experience with the Zoo Star app. The post is in Dutch.
On X
Build your own zoo!
Robbert (@rvdstarre) · 4 October 2026
Robbert, one of the regular testers, shared Zoo Star on X (the post is in Dutch): "Catch animals by walking outside and listening to their sounds. Buy and sell animals, let them mate and expand your zoo!"
What testers say
Zoo Star has been played daily for months by a standing group of testers. This is what they wrote in the group chat. Translated from Dutch.
“My dogs are thoroughly enjoying this game. We are out of the house far more often than before.”
“I am motivated again to take very long walks through this overbuilt city.”
“A worried neighbour came up to me. He had seen me pacing back and forth outside and thought I was sleepwalking, so he came to check. That was rather sweet.”
“62 per cent of all the battery I used today went to the zoo. Does that count as addicted?”
“Just walked round the block for three quarters of an hour to finish my marathon.”
“This is a great game. I am looking forward to it being publicly available, because this could turn out to be rather big.”
More from PartyvAIbz
PartyvAIbz is the name under which Stefan van Loenen makes his games and other projects, with sound as the starting point. Zoo Star is the biggest of them. Besides Zoo Star there are two other things going on:
- PartyvAIbz Radio, a station playing AI-generated music round the clock
- Spellborn, a role-playing game that takes place entirely inside your headphones
Also have a look at our YouTube channel.
Stay in the loop
Want to hear when Zoo Star reaches the App Store, or when PartyvAIbz comes up with something new? Join the mailing list. You will get a few e-mails a year at most, and you can unsubscribe with one click at any time.
After signing up you will get an e-mail to confirm. With Hotmail and Outlook addresses it can take a few hours to arrive. What we do with your details is described in the privacy policy.
Contact
Questions, ideas, or simply fancy joining the test? The door is open. Send an e-mail to support@partyvaibz.com.
Press and editors are welcome at the same address. I am happy to supply audio, screen recordings and background information.