Games Like Plants vs. Zombies: Lane Defense in a Browser
Updated
Games like Plants vs. Zombies are defense games: enemies walk toward your base in waves, and you stop them by placing defenders and paying for them with a resource. Plants vs. Zombies is a 2009 game by PopCap Games. The games below are original titles by independent studios, from lane defense to merge-and-shoot walls.
How Plants vs. Zombies plays
In Plants vs. Zombies you defend your home from a zombie invasion. The lawn is a grid with your house on the left, and you place plants on its squares. Each plant works in its own way: some shoot, some explode, some block the way and some help the others.
The lawn usually has five lanes, and zombies arrive in waves. Each wave is denser than the one before, and every level ends with an extra-large wave. Each lane also has one last defense at its left end, such as a lawn mower, that clears the lane once.
Plants cost sun. You collect sun from icons that fall across the lawn or from plants that make it, such as sunflowers. Before a level you choose a limited set of plants, and each plant needs time to recharge after you place it.
So the game comes down to where you place defenders, how you spend a resource and how you hold a lane under pressure. This table shows where the games below ask for the same.
| What you do in Plants vs. Zombies | Games that ask the same |
|---|---|
| Place defenders in lanes | Defenders of the Realm, Jungle Fight |
| Pay for defenders with a resource | Seedfall: Defend the Last Tree, Tower Defense Zombies, HorrorLand Defense |
| Hold off waves that grow | Stickboy Defender, Pirate Defense Online, Hot Barrel Cats |
| Combine defenders into stronger ones | Hot Barrel Cats, Stickboy Defender, Tower Defense Zombies |
Defenders in lanes
Two games here describe lanes in their own instructions.
- Defenders of the Realm has you command knights against monsters. You place your troops to defend the castle, and the enemies come from the right side on one of five lines.
- Jungle Fight has you control an army of animals against an opposing player's forces, and the goal is to deplete the opponent's health. You pick a skill, then tap a lane to release the chosen animal onto the board.
Defenders you pay for
These three hand you a resource and ask what to buy with it.
- HorrorLand Defense is a tower defense game with cute visuals and a nightmare tone. You place strange, living defenders against waves of grotesque monsters, and its description names smart resource management and fast reactions.
- Seedfall: Defend the Last Tree is a 2D endless side-scroller. You spend coins to summon natural defenses and cast enchanted upgrades against waves of corrupted creatures. Move with A and D or the arrow keys, and spend coins with S or the down arrow.
- Tower Defense Zombies has you collect coins to build new towers and buy more space for them, then merge towers to make them stronger and faster. Its description lists 30 towers, 13 enemy types and 3 power-ups.
Merge, drag and upgrade
These games let you rearrange the defense while the wave is coming.
- Stickboy Defender has you recruit stickman units, drag them to the wall and merge identical units into stronger fighters. You survive waves, upgrade damage, income and prices, and buy new troops in the shop.
- Hot Barrel Cats puts cats on a wall to shoot a fungus horde marching down the road. Every shot heats a cat up, and a cat whose burn time runs out jams until it cools. So you drag hot cats down, send fresh ones up and drop two matching cats together to merge them. It has 16 levels, with boss fights on levels 8, 12 and 16.
- Pirate Defense Online is a tower defense game with 15 levels in 3 regions. You drag units onto a highlighted tile, they attack incoming enemies by themselves, and you tap a unit to upgrade it.
For more towers and upgrades, read tower defense tips. For waves of the undead, see zombie games, and the strategy page lists more games where you plan before you act.
Tips for lane and wave defense
- Cover every lane before you upgrade one. In Defenders of the Realm the enemies can come down any of five lines.
- Watch your cooldowns. In Hot Barrel Cats a cat that keeps firing jams, and a merged cat starts completely cool.
- Merge when you can. Stickboy Defender and Tower Defense Zombies both turn matching units or towers into a stronger one.
- Read the controls before wave one. Seedfall spends coins with S, and Hot Barrel Cats pauses with Esc.
- Expect the last wave to be the heaviest. Plants vs. Zombies ends every level with an extra-large wave, and Hot Barrel Cats puts a boss on levels 8, 12 and 16.
Games like Plants vs. Zombies FAQ
What kind of game is Plants vs. Zombies?
A tower defense game. You protect your home by placing defenders while waves of enemies walk toward it. The games above are of that type, and some of them add merging or a wall to defend.
Are there free games like Plants vs. Zombies?
Yes. They play free in the browser, with no install and no registration.
Can I play games like Plants vs. Zombies on a computer or a phone?
Yes. The site works in the browser of a phone, a tablet and a computer. Hot Barrel Cats lists mouse controls for a computer and finger controls for a phone, and Seedfall is played with the keyboard.
Is there a game similar to Plants vs. Zombies?
There are several. If you want lanes, start with Defenders of the Realm or Jungle Fight. If you want to spend what you collect, try Seedfall or Tower Defense Zombies.
Cover every lane early, upgrade as the waves grow and keep an eye on your cooldowns.
