A Decade on, Plants vs Zombies 3 Has Now Soft Launched For at Least the Third Time

Plants vs Zombies 3 has been soft launched yet again in certain countries around the world, as part of the troubled threequel's latest attempt to take root.

This is at least the third time that developer PopCap has attempted to release a game titled Plants vs Zombies 3 — with this latest iteration focused on new gameplay that allows players to merge different plant species. It also arrives with a shiny new subtitle: Plants vs Zombies 3: Evolved.

Today, Evolved is now available to download on iPhone and Android devices in Ireland and the Philippines, before a wider rollout beginning in the UK and Singapore over the next couple of months.

Plants vs Zombies 3: Evolved is the product of a decade of development, with work beginning back in 2016 on ideas for a third major PvZ game. That work resulted in multiple false starts, as developers initially flirted with the introduction of 3D graphics and various other gameplay changes that were later scrapped.

After an initial version with 3D visuals and other unwelcome changes was ditchd back in 2020, PopCap worked for years on a new version that ultimately soft launched as Plants vs. Zombies 3: Welcome to Zomburbia. This iteration was itself ditched in late 2024, when publisher EA admitted it was taking the game offline for a "major overhaul".

18 months later, and Plants vs Zombies 3 is back again, this time with that Evolved moniker and its plant-fusing gameplay — an idea previously seen in a popular PvZ player mod, something that itself has raised some eyebrows among fans.

In a new blog post, PopCap acknowledged the game's latest soft launch and acknowledged that this version of Evolved was itself an evolved form of "Seedling Build" it tested in some regions last fall, albeit with some significant revisions (longer levels, and the removal of systems tied to your neighborhood and creating player avatars).

All of that said, PopCap has cautioned that this latest period of early access is still "early" — meaning that the game's features are still subject to change yet again.

"For those joining us in Early Access, it is, well, early," PopCap wrote. "So as the months go on we'll be planting new systems and features, pruning things that aren't working, and steadily growing the experience with more content and improvements. Like any well-tended garden, the game will continue to evolve over time."

Here's hoping this time Plants vs Zombies 3 finally grows into a success.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social