Tower defense games have been a staple of the video game world for decades. Falling into the strategy genre, tower defense games represent fond memories for many gamers who grew up playing those types of games in school on websites like CoolMath Games or Miniclip. As time has gone on, the tower defense genre grew to be its own entity within strategy games, spawning numerous franchises and hundreds of games over the years.While the genre may not be one of the most prominent around, there are new tower defense games released all the time, some hailing from classic franchises that have hung around due to their superior replayability. While the general premise of most tower defense games remains similar, some titles have reworked the formula to give players something new to experience. Below we go through our picks for the best tower defense games you can easily play in 2025. This list is in no particular order, with easy availability on modern platforms being a factor in determining the entries. For a wider look at the genre, check out our picks for the best strategy games to play right now. Plants Vs. ZombiesDeveloper: PopCap GamesRelease Date: May 5, 2009Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, PC, iOS, AndroidLet's kick off the list with one of the most-played and -celebrated tower defense games of all time. It's a hit with children as well as adults and has truly stood the test of time. There are several iterations of Plants Vs. Zombies, but we're choosing to go with the original, which you can play on Steam with the GOTY Edition.Plants Vs. Zombies utilizes a variety of plants you can make use of to stop zombies from invading your garden. You're able to grow plants to use as defense tools, but the game requires on-the-go thinking to know which planets to grow at a given time, particularly considering you have limited space to grow them, and the order they're placed will impact which are attacked first. The games can zip by, so quick strategy is something you'll need to master. See on Apple Dungeon Defenders 2Developer: Chromatic GamesRelease Date: June 20, 2017Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, iOSInstead of the top-down view that is common within the genre, Dungeon Defenders 2 assumes a third-person POV. The core mechanics of a tower defense game are still in place, but there are also RPG elements at play that add more layers of depth and strategy. The first RPG element youll notice is the selection of character classes you can choose from. There are nearly 20 classes to pick from and each grants you different bonuses out in the field.As you eliminate enemies on one of the 10+ maps, you can pick up loot, level up your character, and even acquire some pets along the way. The loot you pick up is added to an inventory that looks straight out of an ARPG. You can then use the loot you acquire to buff up your attacks and defense. Dungeon Defenders has a plethora of weapons to use, including swords, bows, traps, and more, as well as a full gear section to fill out. Upgrading everything about your character is vital to your success, as the game features several bosses that are varied and need different strategies to defeat.You can play Dungeon Defenders 2, which is free-to-play, in co-op with friends or recruit a cast of NPCs to join you in your fight as you progress through the game's various game modes. See on Apple Bloons TD 6Developer: Ninja KiwiRelease Date: June 13, 2018Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, iOS, AndroidBloons TD 6 has been called the ultimate tower defense game by players in the community. It's an improvement upon years of Bloons TD games but still captures that compelling nature that so many of us experienced in the 2000s and 2010s. As with all Bloons TD games, you play as a monkey who's trying to pop balloons, which are the games form of enemy, before they reach the end of a battlefield. There are over 70 maps available to play and the developers are frequently adding more content, even in 2025.If you've never played a Bloons game before or it's been a while, it's difficult to state just how easy it is to get hooked. The simplicity of its premise draws you in and the hours of content available keep you coming back for more. Even with dozens of characters and Monkey Towers to power your defenses, you'd be surprised just how difficult popping balloons can be.Bloons TD 6 also offers quests that can be done outside of the normal gameplay loop. These give you some background stories to keep you interested and share some knowledge about the characters in the game. You can also play in up to four-player co-op. See on Apple Kingdom Rush VengeanceDeveloper: Ironhide Game StudioRelease Date: November 22, 2018Platforms: PC, iOS, AndroidKingdom Rush is a widely known franchise in the tower defense community, and Vengeance, the fourth entry in the series, is Kingdom Rush at its best. You have access to 20 types of towers with unique attacks and behaviors to aid the defense of your kingdom, which is being threatened by enemy empires and rulers. As you progress through the game, you'll unlock more towers and gain new abilities and powers to improve your defenses.In addition to the towers, you can deploy 15 different heroes that can be commanded to perform a wide variety of actions. Heroes can also be leveled up and given new abilities to make them stronger and more specialized in how they perform. Youll be able to equip Trinkets, which offer side bonuses, and other upgrades to aid you in defeating the 35+ kinds of enemies. Vengeances main enemies are the three Kings, though, which require meticulous strategy to defeat.Kingdom Rush Vengeance has hours of content to keep you busy, including several realms to explore, a compelling story, and over 30 levels. See on Fanatical Legion TD 2Developer: AutoAttack GamesRelease Date: November 20, 2017Platforms: PCIf you're looking for more replayability in a tower defense game or one that supports more co-op players, look no further than Legion TD 2. At its core, Legion TD 2 is another tower defense game where you build an army, defend your ruler, and try to defeat the enemy forces and boss. However, there are a variety of different systems at play that make every single fight unique. It supports up to eight-player co-op as well, so you and plenty of friends can join together.Legion TD 2 also features a ton of content, as the game can go on for as long as you want. No matter how many times you push the enemy back, they'll always keep coming. You can think of Legion TD 2 as a roguelite with tower defense mechanics.To halt the enemy time and time again, you have access to over 100 unique soldiers, each with specialized skills. You also have access to auras and spells that can help you offensively or defensively depending on how you play them. All of this culminates on a battlefield that features several gates where enemies can come out, requiring you to span across the level multiple times to ensure nothing gets through your defenses. See on Fanatical Orcs Must Die 3Developer: Robot EntertainmentRelease Date: July 14, 2020Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PCThe third core installment in the series is the most current and arguably the most popular, as it takes the strong points from the previous games and greatly improves upon them. Orcs Must Die 3 uses a third-person perspective to place you right in the action of your chosen character to dispose of every orc imaginable.The third-person perspective and directly controllable character is where Orcs Must Die 3 separates itself from many other tower defense games. With your character, you'll play through different scenarios that are set on a massive scale where you can send orcs flying in fantastic fashion. The flashiest way orcs can die is by getting trapped by War Machines you place. These are huge traps that can catch dozens of orcs at the same time. Youll also have access to dozens of other weapons and equipment, such as bows, rocket launchers, and swords, that can be equipped at any time by swapping through them at the bottom of your screen.Orcs Must Die 3 also features a storyline that picks up 20 years after the events of the second game. However, don't let that deter you from playing, as you don't need to play the previous two to enjoy the third. See on Fanatical Defense Grid: The AwakeningDeveloper: Hidden Path EntertainmentRelease Date: December 8, 2008Platforms: Xbox 360, PCDefense Grid: The Awakening might be one of the older entries on this list, but it's still one of the stronger games to come out of the tower defense genre in the last 20 years. There's a main storyline you can play through that will last you up to eight hours, but as with most games in the genre, there's much more replayability beyond that.When you start Defense Grid: The Awakening, you'll begin on some fairly easy levels that challenge your basic ability to set defenses. As you progress, you'll unlock new tower upgrades and types, with each tower having three distinct capability levels. The different towers all have strengths and weaknesses and some might be strong on one map while weak on another. Speaking of maps, there are 20 unique ones in Defense Grid: The Awakening, with more available through a paid map pack. The maps can spawn a total of 15 different enemies that become stronger the more you play.The enemy variation and the amount of them that come into play often make every round feel like its coming down right to the wire. While your towers might not get overwhelmed at the start of a round, stronger enemies in larger numbers show up as the round goes on and can overthrow your entire strategy.While Defense Grid: The Awakening is an older game, it still captures the magic of what a tower defense game is supposed to be. Pair that with graphics that look straight out of Halo and you have a game well worth checking out. See on Steam Bad NorthDeveloper: Raw FuryRelease Date: August 20, 2018Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, iOSBad North's visuals belie the tough tower defense game it is. It's a roguelite with minimalistic graphics that might turn some players away. However, once you get used to what's on your screen, you'll find an immensely brutal experience awaits you.The game puts you in charge of a small kingdom on an island that's being threatened by Vikings. You need to command your citizens to stop the Vikings by using the island's unique design and the tools at your disposal. Every island in Bad North is different and it's your job to determine the best way to use each one's design to your advantage. For example, one island could have a high cliff that you can use to throw cannonballs over the edge to stop invading Vikings while another sees enemies attack from multiple directions, forcing you to adapt.Aside from the islands, which are all procedurally generated, your citizens need you to position them correctly and give them the right defense tools. From there, they'll do the rest, engaging in combat themselves and emerging victorious if you set them up correctly. As you defeat more enemies, the islands youre placed on are harder to set up and the enemies are much smarter, making you strategize more and more. See on Fanatical Sanctum 2Developer: Coffee Stain StudiosRelease Date: May 15, 2013Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PCYou don't often think of the tower defense and first-person shooter genres merging, but that's exactly what Sanctum 2 does. The original Sanctum claims to be the first tower defense/FPS hybrid, but the sequel is the better game in almost every way.At the start of the game, you'll select from one of four characters, all of which have different strengths and weaknesses. From there, your job is to protect Cores from aliens with the sole goal of destroying them. To stop the aliens, you get to fully customize your character to become exactly the kind of defender you want them to be. Pick from different character perks and unlock new weapons and towers to stop the aliens at all costs.Your towers are the main line of defense against the aliens, and they can be configured in a way that slows down the enemy by slowing down the enemy. Your character helps to supplement the towers, which is where your chosen strengths and gear come into play. The first-person perspective really gives you a different feeling from the average tower defense game, especially if the enemy overwhelms your towers and youre left to fend off a horde of them.There's a selection of maps to play on as well as four player co-op, so you and three friends can take on the aliens together. See on Fanatical Isle of ArrowsDeveloper: GridpopRelease Date: September 8, 2022Platforms: PC, iOS, AndroidIsle of Arrows mixes the puzzle and tower defense genres into a seamless experience. Featuring a similar graphical style to Bad North, Isle of Arrows sees you build a massive fortress high in the sky, just above the clouds.The main gameplay loop in Isle of Arrows places you on a randomly generated map. The towers use a single-tile design and every tile is hand-placed by you. These affect how the enemy is stopped and attacked on their way across the map. The tiles you place are random, so there's quite a bit of luck involved in developing each tower. You could get lucky and place the exact tile you need while another tile might be ineffective and not conducive to your strategy.Isle of Arrows features endless replayability and the more you play, the more elements you unlock. It's a simple, luck-based tower defense game that also draws on the puzzle genre to figure out how to use tiles to your advantage. See on Apple GemCraft: Chasing ShadowsDeveloper: Game in a BottleRelease Date: Apr 30, 2015Platforms: PCThe GemCraft series has a reputation for being some of the more challenging tower defense games. The best game in the series is the second installment, Chasing Shadows. GemCraft places more of an emphasis on overall strategy compared to other games in the genre, as you need to be extremely purposeful in how you set up your defenses, otherwise you might not make it past the first couple of levels.Chasing Shadows sees you use gems that have different properties to stop an archdemon from destroying your world. You set up your gems across a map and as usual, enemies walk down a winding path to get to the other side. Along the way, your gems need to eliminate the enemies before too many cross to the other side.Sorting and upgrading the gems in GemCraft is easily the highlight of the game. You have access to a plethora of different options that make every encounter with enemies feel distinct. Beating more levels gives you access to new gems to craft. However, not all gems are useful depending on how a map is set up, so knowing your gems in and out is the key to success. See on Fanatical Dungeon Warfare 2Developer: ValsarRelease Date: Jul 6, 2018Platforms: PC, AndroidIf you've ever wondered what it was like to be on the other side of Dungeons & Dragons, Dungeon Warfare 2 gives you the opportunity. You get to be the master of a dungeon and stop adventurers and heroes from getting too far.There are 60 handcrafted levels to go through as well as Endless Mode, where the enemies never stop coming. The levels can be kitted out with various traps to stop adventurers in their tracks. You'll also unlock three skill trees, each with 11 skills, to upgrade your traps and other equipment. Speaking of upgrading, Dungeon Warfare 2 also has runes that can be used to give your defenses various bonuses. Youll unlock more runes the farther you go and these are the key to keeping your defenses in place over time.There are physics-based defense tools, environmental hazards, and even five separate boss fights to keep you engaged. See on Steam X-Morph DefenseDeveloper: Exor StudiosRelease Date: August 30, 2017Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PCX-Morph: Defense might be the most action-packed game on this list. It blends elements of a top-down shooter with the tower defense genre to create a thrilling experience.The game puts you in the shoes of aliens who are invading Earth, letting you play the villain. To help accomplish that goal, you have access to a wide range of alien towers that can be used to mow down human tanks trying to converge on your position. You can physically control an alien spaceship, which can be upgraded and is able to shoot at enemy tanks from above and cause some massive chaos on the map.The levels in X-Morph: Defense are fully destructible, which can completely alter how a map is laid out and where enemies go. You wont be the only one doing the destruction, though, as the humans can send out a massive robotic mech to threaten your chances of success. There's always action on the screen in X-Morph: Defense, but the game does a great job of not making it seem too overwhelming at any given point. If the enemies start to overtake an area, you can drive your spaceship back and regroup with the rest of your defenses. See on Steam The RiftbreakerDeveloper: Exor StudiosRelease Date: October 14, 2021Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PCThe Riftbreaker is designed by the same studio that created X-Morph: Defense, so you know it's also going to be filled to the brim with action. However, The Riftbreaker is a completely different experience from X-Morph or most other tower defense games for that matter.The game blends base-building with survival and ARPG elements as you fend off enemy forces on other worlds. You control a mech-suit that can be kitted out with plenty of weapons and upgrades that make you an unstoppable machine. You're free to traverse large levels to find new research for upgrades, which is where the ARPG elements come into play. You'll find waves of enemies wherever you go, but it's just you out there fighting them.However, in between all the fighting, you can construct a huge base that acts as your primary source of tower defense mechanics. The base you construct is meant to protect all the research and samples you've collected from the worlds you're visiting. Enemies will visit the base and you need to ensure it's well-defended to stop it from being overrun. See on Steam Over The Top Tower DefenseDeveloper: SMG StudioRelease Date: May 21, 2014Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC, AndroidThis is arguably the least well-known entry on the list, but it's quite distinct among tower defense games. Over The Top Tower Defense (OTTTD) sees you assume the role of a commander for a military unit that's charged with using dimensional rifts to blast through enemies and make some money.Your military consists of three soldiers who can be given one of seven different classes. The classes all have varying characteristics that make them an asset in one way or another. Some are more offense-oriented while others are meant to be used defensively. As your squad progresses, they'll unlock active abilities, passive skills, and be able to equip one of 30+ weapons and various armor. The soldiers can also place a dozen tower types to aid them in their defense.One of the best parts about OTTTD is the enemy variety you'll come across. There are dozens of unique enemies to fight and you'll need to implement new strategies to deal with new ones that pop up. The enemies are combinations of various creatures, giving each one a special look thats usually pretty horrifying.Overall, OTTTD is an underrated tower defense game that has some great qualities and plenty of replayability. See on Apple Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the GoddessDeveloper: CapcomRelease Date: July 19, 2024Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PCInspired by Japanese culture, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is a single-player game that takes place at two different times of day.Starting at dawn, your job is to purify villages all across a mountain by visiting different gates with the main character, Soh, and the Maiden of the mountain, Yoshiro. You purify the villages by performing a Kagura Dance in front of them. When night turns to day, an enemy known as the Seethe appears and tries to infiltrate the mountain. Fortunately, Soh has access to a wide array of sword attacks to fend off enemies.Of course, there are also tower defense elements at play as well. You can place villagers in specific positions and utilize their individual roles to help eliminate the Seethe. Battles with the enemy can change on a dime, though, so you have to use quite a bit of strategy to outlast the Seethe until dawn.The graphics in Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess are gorgeous, and Soh's sword attacks are beautiful and lethal. The game is well worth your time if you're looking for a newer tower defense game to play. See on Fanatical Defender's Quest: Valley of the ForgottenDeveloper: Level Up LabsRelease Date: October 30, 2012Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PCRounding out the list is Defender's Quest: Valley of the Forgotten, which looks like a more primitive tower defense game thanks to its graphics, but it has plenty of depth to it. The game prides itself on not wasting your time with repetitive battles or time sinks. Instead, you'll use the basic tower defense formula to progress through a story with individual characters.In lieu of traditional towers for defense, Valley of the Forgotten utilizes real characters. These characters can be placed around a map just like towers, but each one is able to earn XP and be equipped with different skills and gear. Customizing each character to perform specific jobs or fill a certain role is key in developing the strategy for every level. Each one can also be given strategic commands that dictate things like which enemies they prioritize, which is critical for stopping any from slipping past.Valley of the Forgotten also features an in-depth story that intertwines itself with the gameplay. Don't worry, though, as the story doesn't consider itself to be the main focus, so it's always quick and to the point. See on Steam