It may not seem like it, but it’s been six years since the release of Plants vs Zombies 2: It’s About Time, the free-to-play mobile-only sequel to PopCap’s fantastic original title (that was on every platform under the sun). Since then, we’ve had a couple of well-received Garden Warfare titles, with plenty of rumors about Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 3, but no sign of Plants vs Zombies 3… until now. EA and PopCap have now released a pre-alpha build of the game out of the blue.
As spotted by Android Police, Plants vs Zombies 3 appeared on the Google Play store for anyone to install and try, but it’s currently only available to a select few, as access is limited. If you’d like to try your luck you can check out the game’s pre-alpha page here, but it’s only available in certain countries, such as the U.S. If you’re in the U.K., for example, you’ll get an error page instead. The purpose of the pre-alpha is to get feedback from players and improve the game as it does not suggest an official release date for the game.
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Details are otherwise light, as the game is still in construction, although the early screenshots on the game’s page make it appear similar to the previous tower defense games in the series. The major difference, however, seems to be the removal of the classic Plants vs Zombies Sunflowers, which (along with Sun-shrooms) provide players with the sunshine energy to buy new plants with. They seem to have been replaced with a meter.
EA had previously revealed that a new Plants vs Zombies game was on the way, although that was generally believed to be the rumored Garden Warfare 3. There’s no confirmation on whether Plants vs Zombies 3 will appear on platforms other than mobile this time, but it definitely seems to be another free-to-play game.
The description reads that it “is not representative of the final game” and that “Plants vs. Zombies 3 is under early construction.” While it may seem skim for now, EA promises that it is “saving a lot more for later.”
