Garden Warfare is a team-based third-person shooter where players take control of the Plants or the Zombies in either a cooperative or competitive multiplayer environment.[1] The game features eight classes, four for either faction. The Peashooter and the Foot Soldier act as general ground characters; the Sunflower, Scientist, and Engineer act as support characters; the Chomper and the All-Star are characters that engage in close-up combat, and the Cacti are snipers.[2] In addition to normal third-person shooting, each class has three special abilities. For instance, the Peashooters can deploy a Chili Bean Bomb to launch an area of effect attack, while the Chomper can burrow underground and ambush a zombie from below.[3] As an added compliment to combat, most maps have scattered "Flower Pots" and "Bone Piles"; from these, the Plants can place stationary defensive plants while the Zombies can spawn lesser undead that roam the map on their own. This adds a player versus environment element to most game modes, which are otherwise player-versus-player.[4] These units are controlled by artificial intelligence (AI) and are consumed upon use.[5][6] Players earn coins, a form of currency in the game, by completing objectives, reviving teammates or killing enemies.[7]
To progress in the game, players must complete unique challenges to each class. Once completed, these challenges level up the player character, allowing access to upgrades, new character variants, or cosmetic items.[8] In-game items such as character outfits and accessories, weapon upgrades, and spawnable units are obtained from sticker packs.[9] These packs are bought using coins from an in-game shop that contains random items.[5] There are multiple packs available, such as cheap ones that contain only AI units, or more expensive ones that contain items of greater rarity.[10] As for unlocking character variants, once a player has collected five stickers[11] to make a completed picture of the variant in question, it is unlocked for use.[12] In a post-launch update, PopCap introduced microtransactions, which enable players to unlock sticker packs using real-life currency.[13] Variants have different weapons, stats, or an elemental effect compared to their base version.[14] For example, Commando Pea, a variant of Peashooter, uses a fully automatic weapon but cannot deal splash damage,[15] while Cricket Star can inflict additional fire damage to enemies.[16] All unlocked items can be viewed in a sticker book