I am hot off my appointment for Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted at PAX West 2025, and I have to say, I’m sold. Though I have seen plenty of Plants vs. Zombies titles played at home by my kids, I had never really jumped into the title itself, and I really feel like Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted is a great way for the franchise to go back to its roots while simultaneously honouring the progress it has made since its original release in 2009.
But what does all of that mean to players both new and old? Well, Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted is a remaster of the original 2009 title, bringing all of those pixelated graphics into 4K. Not only does the game look beautiful, but it also brings with it a few other updates. PopCap Games has been listening to players across dozens of versions of the game and countless platforms and is bringing some of the community’s favourite features to Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted.
The game modes players already know and love are there: Day, Night, Pool, Fog, and Roof. There is also a section called “Bonus Levels,” which was only slightly explained to me as levels that existed that people found but were never really released. In Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted, two new modes are also available, called Cloudy Day and Rest in Peace mode.
“Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted is a great way for the franchise to go back to its roots while simultaneously honouring the progress it has made since its original release in 2009.”
Starting with the new Cloudy Day mode, this brings what you would expect to Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted…rain. Unfortunately for your happy little sunflowers, where there is rain, there are usually clouds, and without the sun, your sunflowers fall asleep—the team is quite proud of this adorable little sleeping animation. Once they fall asleep, you are no longer generating the sun power you need to place plants, giving a new layer of challenge to the base Plants vs. Zombies title.
Rest in Peace mode is also a new layer of difficulty, but that’s for those players who have already completed the game. Once you complete the full adventure, you have a handy-dandy switch that you can turn on to ramp the game’s difficulty up. Here, Crazy Dave will automatically choose three of your six plants you can use, and if you fail, you’re adventure resets all the way back to the beginning. This will be punishing for some, so luckily, you can always turn that trusty switch off and go back to the normal game.
Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted will feature a couple of other popular modes from other titles in the franchise, like co-op mode, originally introduced in the 2010 Xbox 360 version of the title. Here you work together with your own 4-set of plants and sun stock each. You work with your partner to strategize and fend off zombies, but can often plant in front of each other and have to do some mechanics in sync with the other player.
“In Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted, two new modes are also available, called Cloudy Day and Rest in Peace mode.”
Versus mode was also introduced in previous Plants vs. Zombies games, and you will find it here in Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted, too. In this mode, one player will take on the role of the plants, and the other the role of the zombies in a battle to find the winner. It is important to note that both of these modes are limited to couch co-op, and there was no talk of online play.
Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted is also coming with the game’s 20 original mini games. I got to take a look at Walnut Bowling, and I think these modes will bring a lot of fun for new players, but a nice dash of nostalgia for everyone else. There are no plans for DLC for Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted, and this is meant to be the title that the future of the franchise is built upon.
“Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted will feature the game’s 20 original mini games, including fan favourites like Walnut Bowling.”
There are no new plants in Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted, but there will be a retro zombie skin, bringing that 8-bit pixelated art style to this 4K remaster. There is also a pre-order bonus for those who purchase early: an 8-bit pixelated Pea Shooter, who is super adorable.
Overall, Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted looks so crisp in this new remaster, and it really brings some of the favourite pieces of more recent games while also bringing players back to basics. I think Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted is going to be an amazing jumping-in point for new players, and immediately after my playthrough, I started downloading other Plants vs. Zombies titles, as it gave me the itch to start playing right away.
Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted releases on October 23, 2025, for $19.99 USD for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2 with Game Share capabilities.
