Today’s gaming industry is jam-packed with a wide variety of engaging games for gamers to dive into, but one of the few gaming genres that have been with us from the very beginning, and even today, gamers enjoy this genre with full gusto, is Tower Defense Games.
Tower Defense Games are a kind of sub-genre belonging to the Strategy Games category. Still, instead of extensively planning the layout of their cities or settlements and engaging in territorial warfare like seen in traditional strategy games, Tower Defense Games are centered around only one core gameplay mechanic.
In these games, players need to focus on only one or two strategy gameplay elements, i.e., Defending their central home towers or bases from waves of incoming enemies by strategically placing defensive structures in between them and their bases to prevent them from advancing and overwhelming them.
Although the modern Tower Defense titles released in the last five years are graphically superior and come with numerous gameplay elements and mechanics as compared to games that came before, there is no denying the fact that amidst all the fanfare around Soulslikes and Open-World games, Tower Defense Games provide gamers with uncomplicated fun that they can even play on any device of their choice.
Speaking of devices capable of running Tower Defense Games, although there are a few exceptions, the majority of these types of games are not demanding at all and can be booted up and enjoyed by gamers on not only their beefy PS5s or high-end gaming PCs but also on their tried and tested last generation desktops and trusty handheld devices like Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck, to enjoy countless hours of fun.
So today, in this post, we’ll be taking a look at some of the best Tower Defense Games on the market that players can look to sink countless hours if they are searching for games where they do not need to learn any complicated combat maneuvers or follow a particular storyline.
Best Tower Defense Games Content List
1) Sanctum 2
| Developer(s) | Coffee Stain Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Coffee Stain Publishing |
| Release Date | 15 May 2013 |
| Platform(s) | PC, Linux, OS X, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 |
Sanctum 2 is a first-person shooter, tower defense, action-adventure hybrid game that takes on an alien planet named Loek-III, set sometime in the future, where players take on the role of one of four core Guardians in the game as they look to counter and protect their bases’ oxygen producing cores from the persistent attacks of the local alien lifeforms known as the Lumes.
Since this game is a mix between a tower defense game and a first-person shooter game, players will be pleased to know that they can play an active part in repelling the enemies by fighting the numerous enemies themselves in classic first-person shooter combat segments.
Moreover, players can implement more advanced contraptions and weaponry between waves, as and when they level up.
2) Dome Keeper
| Developer(s) | Bippinbits |
| Publisher(s) | Raw Fury |
| Release Date | 27 September 2022 |
| Platform(s) | PC, macOS, Linux |
Dome Keeper is a tower defense-roguelike hybrid game in which players take on the role of an intergalactic traveler stranded on an alien planet, who must not only protect his stranded spaceship from harm but must also go deeper into the game’s world to find an all-elusive artifact that will put an end to the alien threat for good.
In this game, players will defend their stranded spaceship against the constant barrage of alien lifeforms by using the spaceship’s upgradeable weapons systems.
Moreover, players must dig deeper into the soil below to find a powerful alien artifact, as well as lots of raw materials like iron, cobalt, and water, that they’ll be able to use on powerful upgrades that will help them not only travel faster but also defend against the aliens better too.
3) 2112TD: Tower Defense Survival
| Developer(s) | Refinery Games |
| Publisher(s) | Refinery Games |
| Release Date | 19 January 2023 |
| Platform(s) | PC, Android, iOS |
2112TD: Tower Defense Survival is an old-school, sci-fi, RTS tower defense game set a hundred years into the future where players take on the role of the commander of the Earth’s defense forces as they lay down their barricades and ready their weapons to repel the deadliest alien invasion in the history of mankind.
In this game, players will strategically place installments and deploy powerful weaponry to take out the seemingly endless hordes of enemies. As they take out enemies, players will be able to not only unlock new weapons and abilities but also research new types of equipment and machines to aid them in their fight against the aliens.
4) X-Morph: Defense
| Developer(s) | EXOR Studios |
| Publisher(s) | EXOR Studios |
| Release Date | 30 August 2017 |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC |
X-Morph: Defense is a hybrid game that brings together top-down shooter mechanics with tower defense elements. Instead of controlling humans like in most tower defense games, players in this game will act as invading alien forces in their attempt to colonize Earth.
In this game, players must go up against the best units and weaponry that humans can throw at them, including large mechs, to survive the onslaught and colonize places by building harvesters.
Humans will plan assaults on the various harvesters placed by the players, and it will be up to them to defend them by using advanced weapons and systems like artillery towers, laser traps, flamethrowers, etc.
5) Creeper World 4
| Developer(s) | Knuckle Cracker |
| Publisher(s) | Knuckle Cracker |
| Release Date | 3 December 2020 |
| Platform(s) | PC |
Creeper World 4 is a unique take on the tower defense formulae. In this game, players must defend their colonies from a water-like, fluid enemy known as the Creeper, as it tries to overwhelm everything in its path.
The Creeper is a highly versatile enemy, so players will first have to build defenses to slow its progress and then attack it using powerful land, air, and orbital weapons to stop it once and for all. As they progress in the game, players will unlock more structures, weapons, and abilities that will further assist them in destroying the advancing Creeper threat.
6) Kingdom Rush Vengeance: Tower Defense
| Developer(s) | Ironhide Game Studio |
| Publisher(s) | Ironhide Game Studio |
| Release Date | 15 October 2020 |
| Platform(s) | PC, iOS, Mac Operating Systems |
Kingdom Rush Vengeance: Tower Defense is a top-down, tower defense game set in a fantasy land where players take on the role of an evil wizard named Vaz’an, as he goes on a quest to claim the kingdom’s crown for his own.
On their journey, players will engage with various powerful bosses who will throw everything at the player to try and defeat them, so players will have to rely on their very own battalion of creatures that include, but are not limited to, zombies, Dark knights, Orcs, goblins, etc.
Moreover, players will also have access to powerful heroes of their own they’ll be able to call upon into battle, whom players can also look to upgrade to be more efficient in battle.
7) Plant Vs Zombies GOTY Edition
| Developer(s) | PopCap Games |
| Publisher(s) | PopCap Games |
| Release Date | 5 May 2009 |
| Platform(s) | PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, macOS, iOS/iPadOS, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, DSiWare, Android, Windows Phone/Windows 10 Mobile, Blackberry Tablet OS, Blackberry 10 |
Plants Vs Zombies GOTY Edition is a classic tower defense game set in a garden where hordes of zombies are approaching to invade their homes, it is now up to the players to try and repel their invasion by using the various varieties of plants planted in the garden.
In this game, players will utilize a variety of different plants to prevent the zombies from invading their homes like peashooters, cherry bombs, and many more. Like all good tower defense games, players must keep track of the zombies and promptly place plants to hinder their approach.
Occasionally, hurdles like a swimming pool, foggy weather, and nighttime will add to the player’s challenge, bringing new gameplay mechanics to the fore that they’ll have to masterfully navigate through.
Also Read: Interested in playing this game? Check out our in-depth Plant Vs Zombies Tier List to get to know which are the best plants to use against the undead hordes in the game.
8) Bloons TD Battles 2
| Developer(s) | Ninja Kiwi |
| Publisher(s) | Ninja Kiwi |
| Release Date | 30 November 2021 |
| Platform(s) | GeForce Now, Android, PC, iOS, Mac Operating Systems |
Bloons TD Battles 2 is a head-to-head, PvP-based, tower defense game that pits opposing players against each other in relentless one-on-one tower defense matches across different arenas, to see who is the ultimate tower defender.
In this game, players will select a Hero of their choosing and lay out various elements to destroy their opponent’s attacking forces, such as setting deadly traps and blockades, deploying troops, and using various types of weaponry.
The best part about this game is that everything happens in real-time and can be viewed in a split-screen format, so players will always be aware of how efficiently their attack and defense are performing simultaneously and can make adjustments whenever needed.
9) Thronefall
| Developer(s) | Grizzly Games |
| Publisher(s) | Grizzly Games |
| Release Date | 2 August 2023 |
| Platform(s) | PC |
Thronefall is a minimalistic, top-down, tower-defense strategy game set in the medieval era where players will take on a king’s role and build their kingdom from scratch, all while trying to defend it against the nightly attacks of rival kingdoms and bandits.
This game follows the extremely popular day-night cycle gameplay mechanics, where players will develop and fortify their kingdoms during the day by laying down the foundations of their defense using various tools at their disposal like watchtowers, barricades, walls, traps, etc., and come evenings, they’ll need to defend their kingdoms from the oncoming invading forces.
10) Dota 2
| Developer(s) | Valve |
| Publisher(s) | Valve |
| Release Date | 9 July 2013 |
| Platform(s) | PC, Linux, OS X |
Dota 2 is a free-to-play, top-down, 5v5, team-based tower defense game set in a fantasy land where the sole objective for a team is to navigate through the selected arena’s treacherous map and destroy the opposing team’s large magical tower located near their starting points, known as ‘Ancient’.
In this game, each player will control a ‘hero’ character with their unique strengths and drawbacks that players will have to familiarize themselves with if they wish to make a notable impact on the game.
During their playthroughs, players will engage in high-octane team-based action sequences with the opposing teams. Still, to make the encounters more favorable, players can purchase special items from the game’s in-game store at the start of every round to amplify their existing abilities or give them new ones to use.
11) They Are Billions
| Developer(s) | Numantian Games |
| Publisher(s) | Numantian Games |
| Release Date | 18 June 2019 |
| Platform(s) | PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One |
They Are Billions is a real-time strategy, base-simulation, tower-defense game set on a post-apocalyptic planet that has been completely overrun by flesh-eating zombies, leaving humanity on the brink of extinction. It is now up to the players to return to the unforgiving world and establish a foothold on their beloved plant again by building and defending their numerous colonies from the constant threat of the undead.
In essence, this game is a colony-builder with active tower defense elements where players will first have to build their colonies, train troops, and research upgrades and technologies like training powerful units, building blockades and watchtowers, etc., to ensure their colonies are capable enough to withstand the subsequent zombie onslaughts.
12) Bad North: Jotunn Edition
| Developer(s) | Plausible Concept |
| Publisher(s) | Raw Fury |
| Release Date | 16 November 2018 |
| Platform(s) | PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, iOS, Android |
Bad North: Jotunn Edition is a unique tower-defense game in which players are tasked with protecting various small islands from invading Viking warriors by using the military troops at their disposal and their fine understanding of tactical warfare.
The game adopts a procedurally generated island creation system where each island the players occupy and are tasked to protect, is unique in both shape and size, so players cannot use a one-size-fits-all approach to repel the attacks of the Vikings on different islands instead, they must come up with new solutions and strategies for every new encounter.
Moreover, as they successfully repel attacks, players will be able to unlock various upgrades that will assist them in their efforts to thwart the invaders by enhancing their troops’ overall capabilities and combat effectiveness.
13) Dungeon Of The ENDLESS
| Developer(s) | Amplitude Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Amplitude Studios, SEGA |
| Release Date | 27 October 2014 |
| Platform(s) | PC, OS X, iOS, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Android |
Dungeon of the Endless is a hybrid between a dungeon-crawler and a tower defense game in which players must traverse through endless underground dungeons, fight various alien foes, and collect resources, all while also trying to defend their crashed spaceship’s generator from getting destroyed by hostile forces in the process.
In this game, players will need to form a team of trusted characters, each equipped with their own unique skills and abilities that they’ll be able to utilize while exploring the endless dungeons. Additionally, each dungeon that players do manage to explore has a chance of containing strange structures that they can look to power up to receive rare technologies that they can use in their fight against alien foes.
14) Dungeon Warfare 2
| Developer(s) | Valsar |
| Publisher(s) | Valsar |
| Release Date | 6 July 2018 |
| Platform(s) | Android, PC, macOS |
Dungeon Warfare 2 is a challenging hybrid between a tower defense game and a strategy game where players take on the role of a Dungeon Lord who must prevent greedy adventures and explorers from invading his secret lair.
In this game, players will look to utilize a wide variety of weapons, tools, and traps to prevent the various types of hostiles from passing through their dungeons. Moreover, among other useful mechanics in the game, thanks to a detailed skill tree, players can unlock and upgrade more vicious tools to annihilate their foes.
15) Infinitode 2 – Infinite Tower Defense
| Developer(s) | Prineside |
| Publisher(s) | Prineside |
| Release Date | 30 April 2021 |
| Platform(s) | Android, PC |
Infinitode 2 – Infinite Tower Defense is a unique take on the popular tower defense genre in which players take on the role of a volunteer in the Artificial Intelligence Training Program, who must not only protect the central tower of the program against the endless hordes of enemies but also discover new ways to find and mine more resources in the process as well.
During their playthrough, however, players will unlock a variety of different and unique towers, each equipped with unique skills and abilities that players can take advantage of when coming up against endless waves of enemies.
The game also comes equipped with an exhaustively elaborate skill tree much akin to Path of Exile, which players can use to unlock many skills and abilities to tailor their in-game experience exactly to their preferences.
16) Last Hope: Tower Defense
| Developer(s) | JE Software |
| Publisher(s) | JE Software |
| Release Date | 13 April 2016 |
| Platform(s) | PC, Android |
Last Hope: Tower Defense is a classic tower defense game set in a post-apocalyptic world where players must take part in humanity’s last stand for survival against vicious zombies, thieving raiders, and more.
Players will have access to various heroes and towers that they can utilize against the numerous hostiles in the game’s world, each with unique stats and perks that players must choose between according to their specific playstyles.
In this game, players will protect their bases and navigate through over 140+ different levels, with each level presenting them with unique challenges and exciting opportunities to not only overcome but to take advantage of as well. As far as tower variety is concerned, however, players can choose to blast their foes into pieces by using a mortar tower, electrocute them to a crisp using a Tesla Tower, pierce them using the Arrow Tower, and much more.
17) The Front
| Developer(s) | Samar Studio |
| Publisher(s) | Samar Studio |
| Release Date | 11 October 2023 |
| Platform(s) | PC |
Moving from classic tower defense games to slightly more expansive titles. The Front is an open-world, action-adventure, survival game containing major tower defense elements in which players take control of a resistance fighter sent back in time to a post-apocalyptic planet inhabited by enhanced mutants, mutated lifeforms, ruthless thugs and exiles, etc. Players must look to fight, craft, and defend their way to dominating the post-apocalyptic world by defeating the numerous evil factions controlling it.
The world of this game is huge, so apart from engaging with thugs and crafting their bases, players will also explore a sprawling open world, jam-packed with various points of interest to explore in the form of abandoned structures, caves, and much more. To help traverse the game’s world, players will also be able to craft and customize their vehicles using the game’s extensive vehicle crafting mechanics.
Coming to the game’s elaborate tower defense system, the base players build in this game will be attacked at regular intervals by various mutants and thugs, so players will have to utilize the various tools, weapons, and traps at their disposal to counter their efforts.
18) 7 Days To Die
| Developer(s) | The Fun Pimps |
| Publisher(s) | The Fun Pimps Entertainment |
| Release Date | 14 December 2013 |
| Platform(s) | Linux, PC, Mac OS X, PlayStation 4, Xbox One |
7 Days To Die is an open-world, survival horror game that combines the best aspects of first-person survival gameplay mechanics with elaborate tower defense mechanics, to give players the ultimate post-apocalyptic zombie survival game to play.
The game takes place in the region of Navezgane, Arizona, an area populated by hordes of zombies as a result of a Nuclear explosion. The objective of the game is quite straightforward: players must survive for as long as possible in this hostile world, and to assist them in this endeavor, however, players must build a fortified base and equip it with all the best weapons, tools, and traps, to counter the seemingly unlimited undead threat.
As they progress in this game, players will unlock additional crafting recipes that will allow them to craft more advanced, deadlier defense systems to use against the undead hordes to make their bases appear more like impenetrable fortresses than anything else. Apart from defending their bases, players will also explore the game’s procedurally generated open world to scavenge for valuable resources.
19) Factorio
| Developer(s) | Wube Software |
| Publisher(s) | Wube Software |
| Release Date | 14 August 2020 |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo Switch, Linux, PC, Mac Operating Systems |
Factorio is a construction simulator in which players travel to an alien planet and are given the freedom to build the ultimate automated factory of their dreams using the various resources found and harvested from the planet itself. Players will start their gameplay sessions by manually harvesting and transporting resources from the planet, which will be later replaced by conveyor belts, mechanical arms, and even trains.
Apart from being a construction simulator, the game also has a simple yet effective tower defense mechanic in place which players will be required to use against the numerous alien lifeforms inhabiting the planet, who will understandably not be too thrilled to see their habitats being used for construction purposes.
20) Night Of The Dead
| Developer(s) | jacktostudios |
| Publisher(s) | jacktostudios |
| Release Date | 28 August 2020 |
| Platform(s) | PC |
Night of the Dead is a third-person, zombie-survival, action-adventure, tower-defense game set in an unnamed post-apocalyptic where players take on the role of a stranded survivor named Lucy. Players must build a durable base, fortify it, and try to survive the nightly waves of vicious zombies that are out to get them, all while trying to figure out the best way to escape the desolate city for good.
This survival game has two elements; the first one is the gathering and crafting process which takes place during the day, where players explore the surprisingly expansive post-apocalyptic open world available to them to collect valuable resources that they can later use to craft tools, weapons and traps to defend their bases.
The second phase occurs during the evenings when waves of zombie hordes attack the player’s base, and it is up to them to defend against them. As they successfully survive each wave, players will be able to unlock new recipes to develop more powerful weapons and traps.
21) Mindustry
| Developer(s) | AnukenDev |
| Publisher(s) | AnukenDev |
| Release Date | 27 September 2019 |
| Platform(s) | PC, iOS, Linux, Mac Operating Systems |
Mindustry is a factory management game containing real-time strategy and intense tower defense elements, where players must travel to an alien planet, scavenge for resources, build structures, and defend their ever-expanding factories against the relentless attacks of the local alien species.
In this game, the main objective of the players is to build a fully automated factory that will utilize the natural resources gathered on this alien planet and produce materials to be used to expand their factory. As they expand their exploitation of the planet, players will also need to install defensive installments to defend their factories from the aggressive local fauna who are more than determined to end the player’s operations for good.
On the surface, this game might look like a replica of Factorio or Satisfactory, and although it does follow a similar gameplay pattern, in our opinion, it does contain quite a few unique elements to be considered a game in its very own league.
22) Rogue Tower
| Developer(s) | Die of Death Games |
| Publisher(s) | Die of Death Games |
| Release Date | 28 January 2022 |
| Platform(s) | PC |
Rogue Tower is a challenging tower defense game with unique medieval aesthetics where players must defend their central tower from waves of incoming enemy units by strategically placing various types of defensive structures all across the game’s map.
As they keep expanding the ever-expanding paths, however, players will be required to make necessary defensive changes to match the enemy’s threat level and also the direction they’ll be coming from. Tower placement plays a big role in this game so players are advised to survey the game’s map thoroughly before placing their defensive structures for maximum effectiveness, both in terms of their overall range as well as their damage output.
Additionally, the game also offers players an exhaustively elaborate upgrade and skill tree which they can use to amplify the effectiveness of their existing defensive structures or unlock new ones. Upgrades are usually acquired by players either in the form of in-game draws or by purchasing them from the game’ dedicated skills tab.
23) Kingdom Two Crowns
| Developer(s) | Noio, Coatsink |
| Publisher(s) | Raw Fury |
| Release Date | 11 December 2018 |
| Platform(s) | PC, macOS, iOS, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Android |
Kingdom Two Crowns is a 2-D, side-scrolling game containing not only intricate resource and strategy management elements but also intense tower-defense gameplay mechanics. Players take on the role of a mounted Monarch in this game, who must protect his kingdom from vicious creatures known as the Greed.
Like Night of the Dead and other survival-tower defense games, this game also adopts the day-night cycle mechanics where players must expand and fortify their bases with powerful upgrades and fortifications during the day, and defend against the barrage of enemies during nighttime,
To survive against the constant threat of the evil creatures known as Greed, players will need to travel to nearby villages to hire recruits that they can equip with job-specific equipment to either defend the kingdom as archers, work at the farm as farmers to produce gold for the kingdom, or build defensive structures as skilled builders.
24) The Riftbreaker
| Developer(s) | EXOR Studios |
| Publisher(s) | EXOR Studios, Surefire Games |
| Release Date | 14 October 2021 |
| Platform(s) | PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S |
The Riftbreaker is a colony-building, action-adventure RTS with intense tower defense mechanics where players take on the role of a human scientist named Ashley, who embarks on a mission to a distant alien planet known as Galatea 37 to secure humanity’s continued existence.
In this game, players will traverse through Galatea’s map and harvest valuable resources that they can use to establish a well-functioning base. On their expeditions, however, players will be required to utilize Ashley’s specialized mech suit to battle the various hostile flora and fauna they’ll encounter.
Apart from harvesting resources, players will also engage in intense tower-defense activity while trying to defend their bases from aggressive local creatures. As players explore more of the planet and harvest more resources, players will be able to unlock more powerful weapons and defense systems that will help them defend against the various local threats better.
25) Orcs Must Die! 3
| Developer(s) | Robot Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) | Robot Entertainment |
| Release Date | 23 July 2021 |
| Platform(s) | PC, Google Stadia, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox One |
Orcs Must Die! 3 is an action-adventure, tower defense game set 20 years after the events that unfolded in Orc Must Die! 2 in which players play as two new mage apprentices who must take on the challenge of stopping the relentless Orc invasion by utilizing not only their own skills and abilities but also the various powerful tools, weapons, and traps at their disposal.
Each enemy wave in this game gets progressively more challenging as the game progresses, thanks to the new varieties of foes that are introduced to the arena, but players need not worry too much as they will earn their very own perks and upgrades too, that they can use to amplify the capabilities of their weapons, traps, and barricades.
Apart from the game’s traditional story mode, players can also indulge in other game modes like the War scenario mode and Endless mode. In the Endless mode, players will fight and defend against endless waves of Orcs, whereas in the War Scenario mode, players can set up their own customized battle encounters to be exactly to their liking.
Conclusion
And there you have it, guys! These are the best Tower Defense Games gamers can currently look to indulge in to enjoy non-stop action sequences. These titles are especially great for players who are interested only in playing the tower defense aspects of a game rather than going deeper and over-indulging in the other distracting elements like exploring the game’s open world, engaging in random combat encounters, doing prolonged story quests, etc.
It is worth pointing out that although all the games on this list are indeed Tower defense games, unlike older ones, which were strictly focused on players defending their bases against waves of enemies, some of these games do contain elements of other genres like colony builders and simulators, among several other things as well, but gamers will find more than enough Tower defense elements in these games to sink their teeth into.
Please keep coming back to this post from time to time whenever you are looking for a new Tower Defense Game to explore, as we’ll keep updating this post with more games belonging to this genre as and when they are available to the gaming community.
