Quick Facts
| Developer: | Cloth Cat Games |
| Publisher: | Curveball Games |
| Genre: | Horticultural Combat / Co-op Party Game |
| Platforms: | PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S (Nintendo Switch coming later) |
| Release Date: | Late 2026 (Very Soon!) |
| Featured Event: | Gamescom ’26 |
What do you get when you mix a relaxing harvest simulation with the fast-paced, high-stakes antics of a sports game? The answer is 100% cultivated chaos. Published by Curveball Games and developed by the Welsh talents at Cloth Cat Games—who are primarily known as an acclaimed game and animation studio—Planted! turns gardening into an extreme, arena-based battle. This background in animation shines through instantly in the game’s incredibly polished visual style, featuring expressive, lively characters and wonderfully goofy, smooth animations that make every split-second movement on screen look like a living cartoon.
The core gameplay loop is beautifully simple yet endlessly frantic: you must Sow, Grow, and Throw. Players stake out their plot of land, plant seeds, utilize fertilizers to grow colossal crops for massive points, and then launch their giant produce at dedicated goals—or directly into the faces of their rivals! To add to the chaos, you will be dodging automated potato-spud turrets, detonating weed bombs, and actively stealing crops from your opponents’ patches.
Hands-on Impressions: Cultivating Chaos on the Show Floor
During our exclusive Gamescom ’26 hands-on session, we got to test the chaotic multiplayer component, and we were blown away by how incredibly smooth and intuitive it feels. The game supports local couch co-op, online multiplayer, and full crossplay functionality across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S from day one (with the Nintendo Switch version arriving a bit down the road).
What particularly stood out for an indie title was its remarkably robust lobby and matchmaking system. Curveball Games has clearly thought of everything: setting up matches is seamless, joining friends across different platforms works flawlessly, and the game features highly customizable multiplayer bots with various difficulty levels. If you cannot find a full squad of four, these bots fill the gaps beautifully and provide a fantastic challenge for both casual players and seasoned party-game veterans.
We also got to experience the stunning map variety. At launch, the multiplayer mode will feature 8 highly unique Maps and Biomes, complete with their own distinct environmental hazards and mechanics—including dedicated 2v2 arenas. We had a blast tackling a dynamic 5-story construction level where players must race up a partially built skyscraper while dodging falling debris and managing their vegetable throwing lines!
A Dedicated Single-Player Story Mode
For players who prefer to pull on their gardening boots solo, Planted! features a fully handcrafted, narrative-driven Single-Player Story Campaign. This mode plunges you deep into the cutthroat, satirical world of competitive gardening. Interestingly, the developers confirmed that the story campaign is strictly Single-Player only. While some co-op fans might find this surprising, the team made this conscious design choice for crucial balancing reasons—ensuring that the custom-tailored level designs, puzzles, and boss fights feel incredibly rewarding and tightly balanced for a solo player.
The localization support is also highly impressive for an indie release, featuring full text translations in 10 different languages, including English, German, Spanish, and more, allowing players from all over the world to join the horticultural league without any language barriers.
The Verdict: The Next Party-Game King
With its cartoonish charm, solid multiplayer infrastructure, and accessible yet deeply tactical “Sow, Grow, and Throw” mechanics, Planted! has all the ingredients to become the next couch co-op king alongside genre giants like Overcooked!. It’s frantic, hilariously mean, and incredibly fun. The harvest season is officially close, with the release planned for late 2026 -but like soonish on PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, with a Switch release to follow shortly after. Don’t sleep on this one—it’s absolute gold!
Ready to stake your territory and start launching giant crops? Check out the hilarious official trailer for Planted! below:
