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Finding a fresh, chaotic multiplayer game that balances strategy with pure couch co-op mayhem is a constant challenge for gaming groups. Publisher Curveball Games and developer Cloth Cat Games are aiming to fill that void with Planted!, a newly announced cooperative party gardening game launching in 2026. The title will be available across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series consoles, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam. To ensure friend groups remain connected regardless of their hardware, the game will feature full cross-play support between PC and consoles.
Described as a mix between a harvest simulator and a sports game, Planted! drops players into arena battles where they must sow, grow, and throw produce to score points. The gameplay loop revolves around strategic resource management and active sabotage. Players can utilize fertilizer to cultivate massive crops for higher scores, deploy weed bombs, or simply steal offerings directly from their opponents. According to Curveball Games senior publishing manager Ed Gregory, the project immediately sold the publisher on its unique "horticultural combat" premise.
The game has been a passion project for the Cloth Cat Games team for the past five years, according to creative producer Ben Cawthorne. While the core focus is on multiplayer chaos - supporting up to four players both locally and online - the developers have also included a dedicated single-player campaign set within the cutthroat world of competitive gardening. For collectors, physical editions are confirmed for the PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch platforms.
Core Gameplay Features
- Something for Everyone: Play with up to four friends in cooperative chaos, or take to the gardens solo in the cutthroat world of horticultural combat.
- Grow into the Role: Learn the ropes, discover your favorite tactics, and adapt to become an unstoppable growing machine.
- Embrace the Chaos: Dodge spud turrets, detonate weed bombs, produce crops, and rack up the most points however possible to become champion.
- Sow, Grow, and Throw: Play across eight diverse environments, each featuring unique twists, turns, and environmental challenges.
- Play Your Way: Choose from a cast of unlikely characters, each bringing their own individual personality and style to the arena.
The Future of Couch Co-Op Chaos
The party game genre thrives on accessible mechanics paired with high-stakes sabotage, a formula popularized by massive hits like Overcooked and Party Animals. By blending farming simulation elements with arena combat, Planted! introduces a unique resource-management twist to the standard brawler format. The inclusion of full cross-play between PC and consoles is a critical strategic move, as multiplayer titles in 2026 live or die by their ability to bypass platform barriers.
Furthermore, the fact that this has been a five-year passion project for Cloth Cat Games suggests a level of polish and mechanical depth that could help it stand out in a crowded indie market. If the developers can successfully balance the strategic crop-growing mechanics with the fast-paced combat of dodging "spud turrets," Planted! has the potential to become a staple in the local and online multiplayer rotation when it officially launches.
