Animal Hospital Beginner Guide — How to Play

Animal Hospital Beginner Guide

What is Animal Hospital?

Animal Hospital is a co-op survival horror game on Roblox where you play as a receptionist working the night shift at a veterinary clinic. Your job: screen animal patients for hidden anomalies — monsters disguised as ordinary animals.

Key facts:

• Free to play on Roblox
• Up to 30 players per server
• Developed by Animal Anomaly (led by Roytt)
• Released May 10, 2026
• 45.2M+ total visits

The Core Gameplay Loop

Every shift follows the same cycle:

1. Patients arrive — Animals appear at your reception window
2. Screen for anomalies — Check appearance, photo, and CCTV
3. Treat patients — Heal real patients through medical procedures
4. Survive — Maintain your Sanity above 0 through the entire shift

Understanding Sanity

Your Sanity is your health bar. If it hits 0, you are eliminated from the shift. Sanity drains from:

• Encountering anomalies and monsters
• Looking at cursed photos (-10 Sanity)
• Being stared at by the Stalker (-10 Sanity)
• Various events and environmental hazards

How to recover Sanity:

• Heal patients as Doctor/Surgeon
• Check in patients as Secretary
• Use Coffee (+5 Sanity per sip)
• Use Chocolate (+20 Sanity per bite)

Three Detection Methods

There are three ways to check if a patient is an anomaly:

1. Appearance

Look directly at the patient. Some anomalies have visible signs: extra eyes, twitching, creepy smiles, hollow faces.

2. Photo

Take a polaroid photo and wait for it to develop on the desk. Some anomalies only show up in the photo — not in person.

3. CCTV

Check surveillance cameras, especially the waiting room camera. Some anomalies only appear on camera feeds.

Your First Shift — Step by Step

1. Start as Intern (free class)
2. When a patient arrives, look at them for 4-5 seconds
3. Take a photo and wait for it to develop on the desk
4. While waiting, check the waiting room CCTV
5. If anything looks suspicious, close the shutters
6. If everything looks normal, stamp their details and admit them
7. Treat admitted patients in the treatment rooms
8. Keep Sanity above 0 using Coffee (free in lobby)

First Purchases Priority

1. Doctor (900 Animal Coins) — Sanity recovery on healing
2. Surgeon (2,500 Animal Coins) — Best free class, self-sustaining
3. 50% Faster DNA Analysis ($110) — Speeds up diagnosis
4. Patients Recover 25% Faster ($115) — More throughput

Essential Tips

• Never rush the screening — some anomalies are subtle (twitching, mismatched eyes)
• Always check CCTV — some anomalies are invisible in person AND in photos
• Listen for audio cues — Skinwalker roars, Hider breathing
• Keep Coffee in inventory — it's free and restores Sanity
• Play with friends — co-op is much easier than solo

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Sources: IGN, Eurogamer, TechWiser, animal-hospital.me