The Game Census
Plants vs. Zombies GOTY Edition cover art

Plants vs. Zombies GOTY Edition

PopCap Games, Inc. · 2009-05-05

SteamEpic Games StoreMicrosoft Store

Strategy

Franchise: Plants vs. Zombies · Modes: Single player

Releases: Aug 09, 2010 (Mac), Aug 09, 2010 (PC (Microsoft Windows))

Zombies are invading your home, and the only defense is your arsenal of plants! Armed with an alien nursery-worth of zombie-zapping plants like peashooters and cherry bombs, you'll need to think fast and plant faster to stop dozens of types of zombies dead in their tracks.

1,947
playing now
98%
positive of 155k reviews
Overwhelmingly Positive
steam rating
2,000,000–5,000,000
owners (SteamSpy est.)
80/100
critic score (1 outlets, IGDB)
83/100
IGDB user rating (32 ratings)
8h
to beat · completionist 66h
gold
deck/linux tier (ProtonDB)
$4.99
steam price (US)

1,947 players in-game as of 2026-08-30 00:00 UTC (census sample)

Plants vs. Zombies is a 2009 tower defense video game developed and published by PopCap Games. First released for Windows and macOS, the game has since been ported to consoles, handhelds, and mobile devices. The player takes the role of a homeowner amid a zombie apocalypse. As a horde of zombies approaches along several parallel lanes, the player must defend their home by placing plants or fungi, which fire projectiles at the zombies, or otherwise detrimentally affect them, or aid the player. The player collects a resource called "sun" to place plants. If a zombie reaches the house on any lane, the player loses the level.

Health check

Healthy
  • · 1,947 players in-game at the last census sample.
  • · 8,582 reviews in the last 8 weeks (~1,073/week).
  • · Review velocity down 13% vs the prior 8 weeks.
  • · Top 1% of 5,887 Strategy games in the census by review count.

Health tier since 2026-08-27

Estimated sales: 6.2M–12M copies

Review-multiple estimate from 155,362 total reviews — how this is computed.

Current store prices

Microsoft Store$0.00

Deal snapshots via CheapShark, refreshed daily.

All-time low: $0.44 at Fanatical (2021-12-21) · bundled 2×via IsThereAnyDeal

12-month high $4.99 · on sale 1 of 2 observed days · at its all-time low (census price snapshots)

Review momentum

PositiveNegative
4.1k4.1k20182026Week of 2018-01-01: 206 positiveWeek of 2018-01-01: 10 negativeWeek of 2018-02-01: 235 positiveWeek of 2018-02-01: 11 negativeWeek of 2018-03-01: 180 positiveWeek of 2018-03-01: 6 negativeWeek of 2018-04-01: 108 positiveWeek of 2018-04-01: 5 negativeWeek of 2018-05-01: 133 positiveWeek of 2018-05-01: 4 negativeWeek of 2018-06-01: 261 positiveWeek of 2018-06-01: 4 negativeWeek of 2018-07-01: 247 positiveWeek of 2018-07-01: 9 negativeWeek of 2018-08-01: 170 positiveWeek of 2018-08-01: 6 negativeWeek of 2018-09-01: 108 positiveWeek of 2018-09-01: 2 negativeWeek of 2018-10-01: 128 positiveWeek of 2018-10-01: 10 negativeWeek of 2018-11-01: 519 positiveWeek of 2018-11-01: 10 negativeWeek of 2018-12-01: 223 positiveWeek of 2018-12-01: 11 negativeWeek of 2019-01-01: 162 positiveWeek of 2019-01-01: 5 negativeWeek of 2019-02-01: 215 positiveWeek of 2019-02-01: 12 negativeWeek of 2019-03-01: 121 positiveWeek of 2019-03-01: 10 negativeWeek of 2019-04-01: 120 positiveWeek of 2019-04-01: 7 negativeWeek of 2019-05-01: 231 positiveWeek of 2019-05-01: 13 negativeWeek of 2019-06-01: 1,146 positiveWeek of 2019-06-01: 25 negativeWeek of 2019-07-01: 1,120 positiveWeek of 2019-07-01: 26 negativeWeek of 2019-08-01: 276 positiveWeek of 2019-08-01: 25 negativeWeek of 2019-09-01: 112 positiveWeek of 2019-09-01: 9 negativeWeek of 2019-10-01: 245 positiveWeek of 2019-10-01: 15 negativeWeek of 2019-11-01: 907 positiveWeek of 2019-11-01: 29 negativeWeek of 2019-12-01: 902 positiveWeek of 2019-12-01: 30 negativeWeek of 2020-01-01: 1,209 positiveWeek of 2020-01-01: 61 negativeWeek of 2020-02-01: 2,345 positiveWeek of 2020-02-01: 147 negativeWeek of 2020-03-01: 3,117 positiveWeek of 2020-03-01: 153 negativeWeek of 2020-04-01: 1,834 positiveWeek of 2020-04-01: 78 negativeWeek of 2020-05-01: 1,330 positiveWeek of 2020-05-01: 59 negativeWeek of 2020-06-01: 4,095 positiveWeek of 2020-06-01: 131 negativeWeek of 2020-07-01: 2,331 positiveWeek of 2020-07-01: 66 negativeWeek of 2020-08-01: 1,392 positiveWeek of 2020-08-01: 50 negativeWeek of 2020-09-01: 1,303 positiveWeek of 2020-09-01: 57 negativeWeek of 2020-10-01: 980 positiveWeek of 2020-10-01: 48 negativeWeek of 2020-11-01: 1,373 positiveWeek of 2020-11-01: 53 negativeWeek of 2020-12-01: 1,570 positiveWeek of 2020-12-01: 54 negativeWeek of 2021-01-01: 1,678 positiveWeek of 2021-01-01: 65 negativeWeek of 2021-02-01: 1,605 positiveWeek of 2021-02-01: 47 negativeWeek of 2021-03-01: 1,297 positiveWeek of 2021-03-01: 41 negativeWeek of 2021-04-01: 1,291 positiveWeek of 2021-04-01: 47 negativeWeek of 2021-05-01: 1,483 positiveWeek of 2021-05-01: 33 negativeWeek of 2021-06-01: 1,730 positiveWeek of 2021-06-01: 37 negativeWeek of 2021-07-01: 2,410 positiveWeek of 2021-07-01: 42 negativeWeek of 2021-08-01: 2,049 positiveWeek of 2021-08-01: 50 negativeWeek of 2021-09-01: 1,529 positiveWeek of 2021-09-01: 44 negativeWeek of 2021-10-01: 1,416 positiveWeek of 2021-10-01: 38 negativeWeek of 2021-11-01: 2,249 positiveWeek of 2021-11-01: 48 negativeWeek of 2021-12-01: 2,254 positiveWeek of 2021-12-01: 52 negativeWeek of 2022-01-01: 2,298 positiveWeek of 2022-01-01: 46 negativeWeek of 2022-02-01: 2,013 positiveWeek of 2022-02-01: 35 negativeWeek of 2022-03-01: 2,672 positiveWeek of 2022-03-01: 49 negativeWeek of 2022-04-01: 1,860 positiveWeek of 2022-04-01: 40 negativeWeek of 2022-05-01: 2,325 positiveWeek of 2022-05-01: 42 negativeWeek of 2022-06-01: 1,843 positiveWeek of 2022-06-01: 32 negativeWeek of 2022-07-01: 1,665 positiveWeek of 2022-07-01: 37 negativeWeek of 2022-08-01: 2,049 positiveWeek of 2022-08-01: 46 negativeWeek of 2022-09-01: 1,591 positiveWeek of 2022-09-01: 31 negativeWeek of 2022-10-01: 1,613 positiveWeek of 2022-10-01: 33 negativeWeek of 2022-11-01: 3,125 positiveWeek of 2022-11-01: 36 negativeWeek of 2022-12-01: 3,094 positiveWeek of 2022-12-01: 63 negativeWeek of 2023-01-01: 3,402 positiveWeek of 2023-01-01: 56 negativeWeek of 2023-02-01: 1,812 positiveWeek of 2023-02-01: 32 negativeWeek of 2023-03-01: 1,630 positiveWeek of 2023-03-01: 30 negativeWeek of 2023-04-01: 1,529 positiveWeek of 2023-04-01: 32 negativeWeek of 2023-05-01: 1,273 positiveWeek of 2023-05-01: 25 negativeWeek of 2023-06-01: 1,545 positiveWeek of 2023-06-01: 33 negativeWeek of 2023-07-01: 1,755 positiveWeek of 2023-07-01: 52 negativeWeek of 2023-08-01: 1,912 positiveWeek of 2023-08-01: 35 negativeWeek of 2023-09-01: 2,047 positiveWeek of 2023-09-01: 41 negativeWeek of 2023-10-01: 2,004 positiveWeek of 2023-10-01: 50 negativeWeek of 2023-11-01: 2,750 positiveWeek of 2023-11-01: 48 negativeWeek of 2023-12-01: 2,021 positiveWeek of 2023-12-01: 64 negativeWeek of 2024-01-01: 1,616 positiveWeek of 2024-01-01: 49 negativeWeek of 2024-02-01: 1,519 positiveWeek of 2024-02-01: 41 negativeWeek of 2024-03-01: 1,584 positiveWeek of 2024-03-01: 32 negativeWeek of 2024-04-01: 1,315 positiveWeek of 2024-04-01: 31 negativeWeek of 2024-05-01: 1,375 positiveWeek of 2024-05-01: 41 negativeWeek of 2024-06-01: 1,475 positiveWeek of 2024-06-01: 30 negativeWeek of 2024-07-01: 1,614 positiveWeek of 2024-07-01: 39 negativeWeek of 2024-08-01: 1,494 positiveWeek of 2024-08-01: 37 negativeWeek of 2024-09-01: 1,288 positiveWeek of 2024-09-01: 30 negativeWeek of 2024-10-01: 1,434 positiveWeek of 2024-10-01: 39 negativeWeek of 2024-11-01: 1,282 positiveWeek of 2024-11-01: 32 negativeWeek of 2024-12-01: 1,247 positiveWeek of 2024-12-01: 23 negativeWeek of 2025-01-01: 1,198 positiveWeek of 2025-01-01: 28 negativeWeek of 2025-02-01: 911 positiveWeek of 2025-02-01: 20 negativeWeek of 2025-03-01: 1,017 positiveWeek of 2025-03-01: 37 negativeWeek of 2025-04-01: 913 positiveWeek of 2025-04-01: 16 negativeWeek of 2025-05-01: 984 positiveWeek of 2025-05-01: 22 negativeWeek of 2025-06-01: 1,104 positiveWeek of 2025-06-01: 22 negativeWeek of 2025-07-01: 1,183 positiveWeek of 2025-07-01: 26 negativeWeek of 2025-08-01: 1,350 positiveWeek of 2025-08-01: 31 negativeWeek of 2025-09-01: 957 positiveWeek of 2025-09-01: 17 negativeWeek of 2025-10-01: 1,599 positiveWeek of 2025-10-01: 27 negativeWeek of 2025-11-01: 1,584 positiveWeek of 2025-11-01: 21 negativeWeek of 2025-12-01: 1,093 positiveWeek of 2025-12-01: 23 negativeWeek of 2026-01-01: 1,043 positiveWeek of 2026-01-01: 9 negativeWeek of 2026-02-01: 891 positiveWeek of 2026-02-01: 17 negativeWeek of 2026-03-01: 994 positiveWeek of 2026-03-01: 24 negativeWeek of 2026-04-01: 1,021 positiveWeek of 2026-04-01: 23 negativeWeek of 2026-05-01: 1,169 positiveWeek of 2026-05-01: 20 negativeWeek of 2026-06-01: 1,089 positiveWeek of 2026-06-01: 22 negativeWeek of 2026-07-01: 1,116 positiveWeek of 2026-07-01: 28 negativeWeek of 2026-08-01: 922 positiveWeek of 2026-08-01: 22 negative
Weekly review counts (Steam review histogram). Positive above the line, negative below.

Players online

3.9k1.6k2026-08-06 21:00 — 1,585 players2026-08-07 05:00 — 2,758 players2026-08-07 13:00 — 3,625 players2026-08-07 21:00 — 1,721 players2026-08-08 05:00 — 2,922 players2026-08-08 13:00 — 3,756 players2026-08-08 21:00 — 1,769 players2026-08-09 05:00 — 3,085 players2026-08-09 13:00 — 3,912 players2026-08-09 21:00 — 1,848 players2026-08-10 05:00 — 2,661 players2026-08-10 13:00 — 3,771 players2026-08-10 21:00 — 1,591 players2026-08-11 05:00 — 2,728 players2026-08-11 13:00 — 3,784 players2026-08-12 21:00 — 1,596 players2026-08-14 04:00 — 2,546 players2026-08-15 12:00 — 3,754 players2026-08-16 20:00 — 2,115 players2026-08-18 03:00 — 2,542 players2026-08-19 11:00 — 3,268 players2026-08-20 18:00 — 1,973 players2026-08-22 02:00 — 2,466 players2026-08-23 09:00 — 3,817 players2026-08-24 17:00 — 2,239 players2026-08-26 01:00 — 2,201 players2026-08-27 09:00 — 3,321 players2026-08-28 17:00 — 2,539 players2026-08-30 00:00 — 1,947 players
Concurrent players, hourly average, last 30 days (census samples).

Price history

$9.99$0.002015-01-012026-08-272015-01-01 — best price $2.492015-03-05 — best price $6.492015-05-01 — best price $6.952015-05-23 — best price $6.492015-06-16 — best price $2.492015-09-08 — best price $2.492015-12-01 — best price $4.992016-02-02 — best price $2.492016-06-10 — best price $1.242016-10-28 — best price $0.992017-01-02 — best price $4.992017-10-26 — best price $0.992018-01-04 — best price $4.992018-06-21 — best price $1.242018-11-21 — best price $1.242019-02-11 — best price $4.992019-08-09 — best price $4.992020-01-02 — best price $4.992020-06-04 — best price $0.992020-09-04 — best price $4.892020-11-02 — best price $4.992021-01-05 — best price $4.992021-06-10 — best price $0.992021-07-29 — best price $9.992021-10-05 — best price $4.492021-11-02 — best price $9.992021-12-01 — best price $4.492022-01-26 — best price $4.992022-02-15 — best price $9.992022-06-07 — best price $0.992022-08-16 — best price $0.992022-11-22 — best price $0.992023-01-19 — best price $0.992023-04-13 — best price $4.992024-08-05 — best price $4.492026-08-27 — best price $0.00
Lowest recorded price across tracked stores, per day (census snapshots).

Attention

5532472026-05-29 — 553 pageviews2026-06-01 — 401 pageviews2026-06-04 — 366 pageviews2026-06-07 — 331 pageviews2026-06-10 — 407 pageviews2026-06-13 — 336 pageviews2026-06-16 — 318 pageviews2026-06-19 — 340 pageviews2026-06-22 — 394 pageviews2026-06-25 — 325 pageviews2026-06-28 — 367 pageviews2026-07-01 — 366 pageviews2026-07-04 — 369 pageviews2026-07-07 — 357 pageviews2026-07-10 — 342 pageviews2026-07-13 — 315 pageviews2026-07-16 — 343 pageviews2026-07-19 — 289 pageviews2026-07-22 — 344 pageviews2026-07-25 — 356 pageviews2026-07-28 — 308 pageviews2026-07-31 — 358 pageviews2026-08-03 — 385 pageviews2026-08-06 — 307 pageviews2026-08-09 — 372 pageviews2026-08-12 — 353 pageviews2026-08-15 — 380 pageviews2026-08-18 — 339 pageviews2026-08-21 — 389 pageviews2026-08-24 — 350 pageviews2026-08-26 — 351 pageviews
Daily Wikipedia pageviews (attention proxy, census-recorded).

Completion

21
achievements tracked
81.6%
earned "SPUDOW! "
18.2%
median achievement earned by

Global achievement rates from Steam.

Details

WindowsmacOSSingle-playerSteam AchievementsRemote Play on PhoneRemote Play on TabletFamily Sharing

1 supported languages: English

Where its players are

Share of Steam reviews by language (top languages measured) — a proxy for where the player base lives.

Player tags

2DCuteFunnyCasualComedyPuzzleClassicZombiesStrategySurvival

Census log

Computed from census-recorded observations only — dates are observation dates.

Players also track

Breach & ClearStar Control®: OriginsImagine EarthMiscreatedDead AgeMedieval Kingdom WarsForce of NatureDesperados III

Similarity via IGDB.

Official site ↗Wikipedia ↗