Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare is a 2014 and developed by and published by . The third game in the franchise, the basic premise revolves around plants defending humankind from a zombie invasion. In the game, players assume control of either the Plants or the Zombies, as they fight in various cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes. Upon completing matches and finishing objectives, players earn coins to acquire stickers that unlock customization items and character variants.
PopCap Games began the development of Garden Warfare in early 2012. They decided to eschew the series' roots and use the game to introduce the franchise to a broader audience. The team was inspired by other team-based shooters with colorful visuals such as . They faced different challenges when designing the game's eight classes. The game is powered by the engine, and the team collaborated closely with Frostbite's developer when implementing its technology.
The game was revealed at , and released in February 2014 as a budget title for and , followed by versions for , , and later in the year. The game received a generally positive reception from critics, with praise directed at its playful tone, art, combat, and character designs. The game's progression, lack of originality, and lack of content were criticized. The game was supported by several pieces of free upon its release. By November 2015, more than eight million players had played the game. A sequel, was released in February 2016.Garden Warfare is a team-based where players take control of the Plants or the Zombies in either a cooperative or competitive multiplayer environment. The game features eight classes, four for either faction. The Peashooter and the Foot Soldier act as general ground characters; the Sunflower, Scientist, and Engineer act as support characters; the Chomper and the All-Star are characters that engage in close-up combat, and the Cacti are snipers. In addition to normal third-person shooting, each class has three special abilities. For instance, the Peashooters can deploy a Chili Bean Bomb to launch an attack, while the Chomper can burrow underground and ambush a zombie from below. As an added compliment to combat, most maps have scattered "Flower Pots" and "Bone Piles"; from these, the Plants can place stationary defensive plants while the Zombies can spawn lesser undead that roam the map on their own. This adds a element to most game modes, which are otherwise . These units are controlled by (AI) and are consumed upon use. Players earn coins, a form of currency in the game, by completing objectives, reviving teammates or killing enemies
