What genre is the original Plants vs. Zombies primarily classified as?

The original Plants vs. Zombies is primarily classified as a tower defense game.

Released in 2009 by PopCap Games, it has the defining structure of the genre: players place stationary defensive units, manage resources, and stop successive enemy waves from reaching a protected target. Here, plants occupy a lawn divided into lanes, while zombies advance toward the homeowner’s house.

The game adds personality to the formula through sun collection, plant cooldowns, lawnmowers, and zombies with distinct abilities. It is sometimes loosely called a strategy game, and that description is not wrong, but “tower defense” is the more precise and canonical genre label. The series later expanded into other genres, including third-person shooters such as Garden Warfare and a digital collectible card game, Plants vs. Zombies Heroes.