13 Best Tower Defense Games
Tower defense games have a bit of everything that I like — some strategy, some base building (sometimes) and lots of challenges. I first fell in love with this genre while, ironically, playing other games that had tower defense elements. For example, SpellForce (which I talk a lot about here).
And since then, I’ve sought this out repeatedly through other games. And in case you’re interested as well, I’ve rounded up the best of the best tower defense games so you can enjoy them too (in no particular order). Save your time searching, and dive straight into one of these!
Bloons TD 6
Bloons TD 6 has got to be one of the best tower defense games ever made. It looks like it’s made for kids at a first glance (because, you know, our brains are apparently wired to think “colors=kid stuff”), but don’t let that fool you. This is a surprisingly deep and extremely fun game that has tons of content.
The premise is generally simple — prevent balloons from reaching their destination by using strategically placed towers and some very skilled monkeys. But there are so many maps, so many monkey characters and so much to do that you won’t get bored soon.
You can play it on your phone (Android and iOS), Windows, Xbox, etc. so whatever your preferred device, you’re covered. It’s also not expensive at all — in fact, it can be free on mobile with a Netflix subscription, and it’s often only a dollar or two on Steam.
Kingdom Rush (The Series)
This is another series that perhaps looks cartoonish, but will certainly give you enough challenge and content to play for months (if not years, if you’re so inclined). There are six games total, and everyone has their own favorite (mine would be Origins), so you can’t really go wrong here.
The art is beautiful, the heroes are amazing, there are difficult maps, different types of towers, and all sorts of things you can do. If you like tower defense and still haven’t tried Kingdom Rush, go for it!
You can play it on practically anything (even Switch), and it’s free on mobile, often on discount in other play stores, so you can frequently get the game (or the series) for only a few dollars.
Defense Grid 1 & 2
These ones are a bit older, and with a grittier aesthetic, you could say, but they still look pretty good and play even better. They’re also fan favorites, if that helps.
Each map will require a different strategy, which makes it always feel different and fresh, like you’re not stuck in that same gameplay loop. And there are tons of maps, so you won’t have any issues there. Plus, with all the DLCs, I guarantee you won’t run out of things to do soon.
It’s a Windows/Xbox/Mac game only, so don’t expect a mobile port (well, not anytime soon anyway), but it’s really cheap, even as a whole bundle — you can usually find it under $5.
Tower Madness 2
Tower Madness 2 is not talked about enough, but it’s a pretty solid choice if you like tower defense games. It’s free on Google Play as well, so it costs nothing but a little time to give it a try and decide for yourself. What I can tell you, though, is that it’s really fun.
You protect a bunch of sheep against an alien invasion, which is a zany concept but it works overall. There are plenty of maps, unique enemies and towers, plus some campaigns, so you’ll always have something to do.
Dungeon Warfare 1 & 2
This is a twisted version of D&D, where your job as a master is to prevent the adventurers from getting too far. It’s challenging, fun, done in pixel art that’s both nostalgic and really lightweight for most devices.
There’s tons of content too — maps, enemies, towers, even difficulty levels — and considering the fact that there are three of these games (which all cost pennies), you’ll have plenty to do if you end up liking it.
Creeper World
Creeper world is another series with plenty of games to enjoy. If I had to recommend one, it would be Creeper World 3 (even over 4 which looks more polished and it’s 3D) just because it feels more fun to play and has great campaigns, but if you tend to enjoy more modern-looking games, 4 is also great.
These games are generally cheap, but you can only get them on Windows, so go to a different game if that’s an issue.
Emberward
It may look all silly and goofy with its tetris-like mechanic, but Emberward is definitely one of the more fun tower defense games to play out there. Now, it’s still in early access so keep that in mind, but also know that you can download a demo and give it a go for free.
There are different types of unlockable characters, numerous towers, relics, and even runes which you can add to your tetris blocks to make them stronger. So there are creative mechanics at play and Emberward can only get better (hopefully!) since the devs are still working on it.
Orcs Must Die! 3
Orcs Must Die! 3 is the most popular installment in this series, and for a good reason (though I’d say the rest of the series is also pretty good). It puts you in third person perspective right in the middle of it all, and your job is to defend your castle against, well, orcs.
There’s a bit of storyline, since this continues the story from part 2, but you don’t really need to play the other games to enjoy it. The scale is more massive than in other games too. You can play around with traps, war machines, weapons, and all sorts of things. So while it’s a bit more expensive than others on this list, it’s really worth it.
Plants vs. Zombies
Morally, I couldn’t do this list without mentioning PvZ. It’s just not ethical. But all jokes aside, if you want something fun and simple that does the job but doesn’t require too much thinking (or at least at first), you’ll have fun with Plants vs. Zombies. I recently tested it for my laptop games article, and loved it.
And you know it’s really cheap, you should know what you’re getting into, so it’s a no-brainer if you want a tower defense that’s both familiar and fun.
Sanctum 2
Sanctum is quite a bit different but no less fun. It’s actually a first-person shooter with tower defense elements, but don’t let that deter you. You still get to place the towers and the traps, but once that’s done, you can jump into action yourself, in first person, and defend your Cores from aliens yourself.
You can play this game on Windows, Mac, Xbox, and possibly PlayStation, and it’s really cheap to get, so have at it if you’re interested.
Fieldrunners 2
Fieldrunners is kind of an underdog here, or I just don’t see it talked about enough, but either way, it’s a solid, fun tower defense game with a decent, colorful art style and familiar mechanics. Unlike with most of these, though, I wouldn’t strictly recommend playing the previous installment because it does get a little buggy and it may not be worth it (i.e. there are better options out there, my friend).
But if you want something fun, with long rounds, this is it.
Infinitode 2
If you want a real challenge, try Infinitode 2, where you’ll need to fight off endless (literally, look at the name of the game) waves of enemies. You get about 15 types of towers, numerous enemies, maps, stages, and even a map editor. Plus, you can unlock additional abilities.
This is another game I don’t see talked about enough, but it’s well worth your time. And it’s free, so what’s your excuse?
Gemcraft
The Gemcraft games are some of the most challenging in the genre, so get ready for that. And while most people would say to play Chasing Shadows first, I’d say unless you want to play both, just go for Frostborn Wrath immediately (it’s newer/arguably better). If you really want to play both, then you can play Chasing Shadows first just because it would be really hard to adjust to graphics and it will feel clunky after Frostborn Wrath.
But anyway, in Gemcraft, you create different gems and then embed them in your towers to give them powers. It’s fast-paced and real-time, with hundreds of maps. And all that for usually under $5 (I’d wait for a discount, it happens very often).
