Plants Vs. Zombies at 16 Years

• Plants vs. Zombies celebrates 16 years and remains surprisingly vibrant
• Revisit our retrospective reviews of this legendary mobile franchise
• With PvZ 3 still in soft launch, fans eagerly await a return to its roots

Sixteen years have passed since the original launch of Plants vs. Zombies. Now, after more than a decade and a half, we reflect on this groundbreaking mobile classic and its evolution. From modest origins to turbulent acquisitions and expansion beyond mobile, it's clear why PvZ stands as a gaming icon.

The journey began with PopCap Games in the late 2000s, debuting Plants vs. Zombies on PC in 2009. However, its transition to mobile in 2010 and adoption of free-to-play mechanics arguably propelled the series to worldwide fame.

EA acquired PopCap in 2012, and despite a challenging shift toward mobile that led to staff reductions, the PvZ franchise swiftly became a mobile gaming hallmark with 2013's Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time.

EA envisioned PvZ as a flagship for console gaming as well. Releases like Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare and Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville received mixed responses, largely due to their departure from the original's tower defense format into third-person shooter territory.

Plants vs. Zombies 3: Welcome to Zomburbia has been in development since 2020 and recently underwent significant revisions, pulling the soft-launched version offline. The upcoming installment aims to revive the series' essence with a fresh art direction and a comeback of classic tower defense mechanics.

If you're interested in exploring the tower defense genre that Plants vs. Zombies helped popularize on mobile, browse our list of the 25 best tower defense games for iOS and Android to discover your next favorite.