PopCap has soft launched Plants vs Zombies 3

The game is now playable in selected countries ahead of its worldwide release this year

Electronic Arts and PopCap Studios have soft launched Plants vs Zombies 3: Welcome to Zomburbia.

A near-final build of the sequel is now playable on iOS and Android devices in the UK, Netherlands, Australia and Philippines, ahead of the game’s worldwide release later this year.

PopCap said Plants vs. Zombies 3 features the franchise’s traditional tower defence gameplay, “offering an experience that is both broadly accessible and deeper in strategic play”, updated with new “puzzle-adventure” elements.

Notably, the game is billed as a story-driven experience. It features an episodic narrative that introduces players to different neighbourhoods as they use new and returning plants to defeat a series of zombie waves.

PopCap said it plans to use the soft launch period to work on streamlining the game’s combat and expanding its world with new lore and characters.

EA announced back in 2019 that Plants vs. Zombies 3 was in the early stages of development and was playable in pre-alpha through the Google Play store.

The game is a sequel to Plants vs. Zombies 2: It’s About Time, which launched in 2013.

The most recent entry in the franchise was 2019’s Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville, a class-based shooter in the mould of the Garden Warfare spin-offs.