'Plants vs. Zombies 3' unearthed for the third time in early access testing

'Plants vs. Zombies 3'

"Plants vs. Zombies" fans have been waiting years for the long-awaited third installment, and despite a troubled development cycle, it's finally seeing some early public testing.

The original "Plants vs. Zombies" launched on Mac in 2009, later making its way to iPhone. After the developer PopCap was purchased by EA in 2011, "Plants vs. Zombies 2" was released in 2013 as a freemium nightmare.

EA has announced that "Plants vs. Zombies 3: Welcome to Zomburbia" has soft-launched in the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Australia, Philippines, and Ireland on Android. More countries will be added to early access in the coming months, but a full launch date hasn't been revealed.

This is the third time "Plants vs. Zombies 3" has entered an early testing phase. The game was originally announced in 2019, soft launched in 2020 then subsequently removed, then soft launched again in 2021 with robust alterations.

Head of the "Plant vs. Zombies" team, Matt Townsend, revealed that the third game wants to take the game back to its roots. Classic gameplay elements mixed with new puzzle elements are expected to make every battle unique.

The game is still in development, and levels are being built. Some level of in-app purchases are expected, but we're hopeful it's a step back from the travesty that was "Plants vs. Zombies 2."

While we're sure there are fans of the sequel game, it was inundated with elements that invaded the mobile gaming industry circa 2013. For example, users can buy gems, in-game powerups, and different seed packs for battle upgrades.

The original game, still available on iOS, simply launched into the storyline where the player fought through increasingly difficult tower defense levels. New plants and upgrades were earned as a part of gameplay, not with the player's wallet.

We hope "Plant vs. Zombies 3" can live up to the promise of returning to a classic experience. Freemium gaming hasn't changed in the past decade, but customers are surely tired of the nickel and diming these games can represent.

A release window hasn't been provided since "Plants vs. Zombies 3" is still under development. Android users in the countries mentioned above can join the early access program to test the game and provide feedback.