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That very well explains why they are as popular as ever. Since they offer a simple style of gameplay, they often don’t cost much — some are even free on Steam. That doesn’t mean those free games are of low quality or aren’t worth one’s time investment. The opposite is quite true as these free tower defense games are the best way to learn how to manage a chaotic situation.
Updated February 8, 2022 by Sid Natividad: With all the big upcoming games right now from well-known franchises, it can be rather dizzying remembering all the new mechanics and gameplay modes. Some players will want to take a step back and relax by letting towers do the killing for them. Thankfully, there’s no shortage of the best tower defense games.
More importantly, the best tower defense games on Steam are also some of the finest offerings in the genre. That’s great since these kinds of games are best played on a mouse and keyboard. Thus, we’ve decided to add even more of the best tower defense games on Steam as a good way to make the genre more accommodating.
15 Ninja Kiwi Archive
Release year: 2020 Steam All Reviews rating: Very Positive - 93% Download here
No, it’s not some kind of off-brand Fruit Ninja TD hybrid, but rather a collection of old games, hence the “archive” in the name. Moreover, these games are all from the highlight reel of the Adobe Flash era where tons of browser-based games were being made left and right.
Among these are some ingenious tower defense titles, though frankly, there are too many to mention. In any case, players will find something for everyone in this large and generous collection. Some of them even hold up well for today’s standard, which is a tall order for a cheap game from a bygone era.
14 Zombie Defense
Release year: 2018 Steam All Reviews rating: Very Positive - 83% Download here
If there was anything indie game companies have taught the industry recently, it’s that going hybrid on the genre produces good results. Zombie Defense is among those results as it’s part RTS and part tower defense, though the two genres don’t exactly stray off far from each other.
In any case, Zombie Defense lets players live out their dreams (or nightmares) of being a zombie apocalypse survivalist but from a top-down perspective. They’ll have to push back waves of zombies while also managing their base resources. There’s also a mobile version for those who want a more relaxed experience.
13 Sang-Froid - Tales Of Werewolves
Release year: 2013 Steam All Reviews rating: Very Positive - 87% Download here
Speaking of hybrids, Sang-Froid - Tales of Werewolves deserves a look, especially for fans of games like Left 4 Dead or the Warhammer Vermintide series. It’s a combination of action and tower defense where players are tasked with defending a farmstead from an onslaught of rabid wolves and werewolves.
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It has some interesting Van Helsing aesthetics with a modifiable crossbow included. Players not only get to rely on their skills but also their strategic management where they have to set up chokepoints and defensible areas to survive rabies waves.
12 The Defender: Farm And Castle
Release year: 2019 Steam All Reviews rating: Very Positive - 89% Download here
Going back to something simpler, The Defender: Farm and Castle is a callback to the days of browser-based games. The graphics are basic enough, which means it can run on almost all PC setups. The game is also easy to understand. Monsters are out to pillage the player’s castle and they must shore up the fortress’ defenses.
Players also mainly assume the role of a lone archer who can upgrade their tools to be more effective. The Defender: Farm and Castle only runs on a 2D perspective and gameplay, meaning those who are familiar with side scrollers should find plenty to like here.
11 FrankenStorm TD: Prologue
Release year: 2021 Steam All Reviews rating: Very Positive - 89% Download here
FrankenStorm TD: Prologue will surely attract fans of old horror literature and film as this game is all about being Dr. Frankenstein and defending Frankenstein castle from pesky villagers. As Dr. Frankenstein, players will have to craft clever mazes and lay traps on them to thwart off the interlopers.
During their downtimes, they can then focus on their research of bringing Frankenstein’s monster back to life. The cute and comedic art style along with the evolving gameplay ensures that there’s plenty to do and love in FrankenStorm TD: Prologue.
10 The Riftbreaker: Prologue
Release year: 2020 Steam All Reviews rating: Overwhelmingly Positive - 95% Download here
Anyone seeing this game here ought to just stop for a moment and open up Steam on a new tab to download the game right away. The Riftbreaker: Prologue is the best tower defense the industry has had in years. That’s because it doesn’t confine itself to one genre.
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It’s a mix of ARPG, strategy, and tower defense as players fight off hordes of aliens while mining some valuable resources. Coupled with the intense action allowed by the impressively jaw-dropping graphics, The Riftbreaker: Prologue is a complete package with the hardest price tag to beat.
9 Prime World: Defenders 2
Release year: 2018 Steam All Reviews rating: Mostly Positive - 79% Download here
Prime World: Defenders 2 is a worthy sequel to the original that does things even better— a rare feat for a tower defense game. Prime World: Defenders 2 pits players against an endless wave of creeps along with their tough bosses.
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Like The Riftbreaker, Prime World also incorporates a hybrid tower defense gameplay. It’s also a CCG game where players have to grind for the cards they want in order to be more efficient at defending their base. It does come with its own caveat, being a free-to-play game as the monetization scheme can be quite aggressive.
8 Bloons Adventure Time TD
Release year: 2019 Steam All Reviews rating: Very Positive - 87% Download here
Who doesn’t love an Adventure Time tower defense? Well, scratch that. Any Adventure Time game is bound to be good thanks to its colorful style and locale that’s low-hanging fruit for a game world. In any case, a tower defense franchise called Bloons made a game out of it in their own tradition.
Players get to control Finn, Jake, and friends as they shore up the Candy Kingdom’s defenses so that evil balloons don’t get through. The best part is that they managed to bring in the cartoon’s original voice actors, making everything feel authentic and not forced.
7 Vectorio
Release year: 2021 (early access) Steam All Reviews rating: Overwhelmingly Positive (95%) Download here
The tower defense is such a deceptively simple yet engaging genre that even something with basic vector graphics is a highly-rated game. That would be the aptly-named Vectorio which is still in early access right now but is free for everyone to try.
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At first glance, it looks like Vectorio looks only a bit better than something like Tetris or Dwarf Fortress but it quickly turns players obsessed with its fluid and hypnotic base building and defense mechanics. Late-game, players might even build something that resembles a circuit board.
6 Guns UP!
Release year: 2018 Steam All Reviews rating: Mostly Positive - 71% Download here
Guns UP! is a literal wargame that’s a combination of both tower defense and strategy. Players control their own military bases where the end goal is to destroy the enemy base (usually another player’s). They do this by building up their economy and defenses as well as training their own troops.
Troop AI is thus more automated here and charges at the enemy base with little to no effort. The main activity is still strategic allocation of resources for an efficient base. Should players get the shorter end of the stick and end up as a defender, then they’ll understand why Guns UP! is a tower-defense game.
5 Guardian Chronicle
Release year: 2021 Steam All Reviews rating: Mixed - 64% Download here
Tower defense games needn’t be too grim or serious. Guardian Chronicle is the perfect example of this as the visuals alone can calm down a stressed player. They do need it in this game though as the meta in Guardian Chronicle is a competitive one.
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It’s also somewhat of a CCG since players need to work hard for specific Guardians that they can use on the battlefield to defend their base. Therein lies the free game’s monetization scheme which is a little too much for players.
4 Dungeon Defenders 2
Release year: 2017 Steam All Reviews rating: Mostly Positive - 76% Download here
Dungeon Defenders 2’s premise is pretty self-explanatory though a little too ironic as players usually raid dungeons in video games. In any case, it’s also a hero-based tower defense game where players pick their team of defenders against waves of enemies.
There’s also a multiplayer component here, meaning players get to show off their lineup as they stop the land of Etheria from an invasion. The visuals are also cute enough to draw in the most casual crowds, which works in tandem with the tower defense gameplay.
3 Bloons TD Battles
Release year: 2016 Steam All Reviews rating: Very Positive - 89% Download here
While there is an Adventure Time version of Bloons, the original Bloons TD Battles is still the best equivalent to modern Tetris battles. It also has a split-game mode where players can see the other’s progress as the two of them compete on who does better at defending their base against evil balloons.
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If that’s not the game mode players want, then they can test their mettle solo against the balloons. The gameplay and graphics are nearly identical to the Adventure Time variant but this has its own inherent lore to add more context to the balloon genocide.
2 Minion Masters
Release year: 2019 Steam All Reviews rating: Very Positive - 91% Download here
Minion Masters is one of the best tower defense and competitive games at the moment that will surely draw in players from all kinds of genres. Think of it like Rocket League had a love-child with MOBA games and CCGs. The arena is small enough to feel almost claustrophobic for the two players as they try to knock out each other’s nearby bases.
The graphics are also quite familiar as it almost resembles MOBA staples like League of Legendsand other low-polygon tower defense games around. As an added bonus, the CCG mechanic will keep the players occupied and yearning for more matches.
1 DOTA 2
Release year: 2013 Steam All Reviews rating: Very Positive - 83% Download here
Technically, DOTA 2 does count as a tower defense game due to how it’s structured and how its original version was made possible with tower defense elements. Just think of it as a reverse tower defense game where the players assume the role of the endless creep wave bosses as they try to destroy the enemy towers and base.
Should they lag behind and let the opposing team gain an advantage, then it becomes a full-blown tower defense for them, whichever way the wind blows. Either way, DOTA 2 is a solid MOBA/tower defense game with an established esports presence and a thriving elite community.
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