‘Plants Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare’ Hits EA Access With 10 Hour Trial For Xbox One And PC

Xbox One and PC gamers can now give Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 an early run through. The cartoonish third-person shooter is now available to download for EA Access and Origin Access subscribers on both platforms ahead of its scheduled release next week.

The Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 download weighs in at 20 GB, so make sure there is plenty of space on your Xbox One or PC gaming machine hard drive. The EA Access and Origin Access trial is good for only 10 hours, but gives full access to the game, including the two 24-player multiplayer modes, the 4-player co-op mode, Backyard Battleground, and all of the characters that you can unlock through play.

The good news is all progress earned in Garden Warfare 2 during the trial will carry over when the Plants vs. Zombies shooter launches on the Xbox One and PC on Tuesday, February 23.

The Backyard Battleground is one of the more significant additions to Garden Warfare 2 from the original Plants Vs Zombies shooter. It’s a hubworld where players can see their achievements and progress, explore to find secrets, get story missions, and battle the opposing Plant or Zombie enemies in various mini-games.

The map for Backyard Battleground is divided into three equal sections for the Plants, Zombies, and a neutral zone where the two can do battle. A base for the Plants and the Zombies is set on each side of the map. This is where players will find character customization, along with the ability to jump into single and multiplayer game modes.

The center of the Backyard Battleground hosts the Flag of Power. Raising this flag will set off waves of enemies to battle either alone or with up to three friends. It’s a good practice setup for players who are just getting started with the game and aren’t ready to jump into multiplayer yet. It’s also a chance to test new characters that have been unlocked.

The Backyard Battleground also holds a shooting range called the “Crazy Targets Range,” along with other appropriately crazy mini-games. Players will run through a target range which keeps track of time and scores to compare on a leaderboard against friends and the rest of the world.

The release to EA Access and Origin Access also gives players a chance to try out the new Solo Ops mode in Plants Vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 for the first time. This mode allows players to select up to four characters to swap between during solo play to try out different character combos. It’s also a way to level up individual characters as they gain experience while being controlled in Solo Ops.

There is also the special missions given out by the likes of Davebot 3000 and Agent Rose to explore. These are accessible through portals on either side of the Backyard Battleground and were previously held back as a launch surprise for the game.

PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC owners will see Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 appear on their favorite platform on February 23, 2016.

EA Access is available to Xbox One owners via a $4.99 a month subscription or a $30 a year subscription. Meanwhile, Origin Access is only available as a $4.99 subscription. Both services come with a selection of around 15 free games to download, along with the ability to download trials ahead of a game’s release. A 10 percent discount on digital purchases of Electronic Arts titles and all DLC is also included as part of the service.

Neither EA Access nor Origin Access is available on the PlayStation 4.

Have you played the Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 EA Access or Origin Access trial? Sound off on what you think of the game so far below.

[Image via Plants vs Zombies]