Best Tower Defense Games on Steam 2025: Top 20 Ranked

1. Bloons TD 6

Best for: Almost everyone, from beginners to hardcore TD fans

Steam Store Page

If you ask "What's the most popular modern TD game on Steam?", the safe answer is Bloons TD 6. It looks cute and simple — colorful monkeys popping balloons — but underneath the cartoon skin is a very deep strategy game.

Why it's great:

• Huge variety of towers ("Monkeys") with multiple upgrade paths
• Tons of maps, difficulties, and special modes
• Co-op support, so you can defend together with friends
• Long-term progression, achievements, daily/weekly events

Bloons TD 6 is also one of the most "evergreen" TD games: Ninja Kiwi keeps updating it with new heroes, towers, and events, so it never feels dead or abandoned.

If you only pick one tower defense game on Steam to try, this is the most universally recommended starting point.

2. Kingdom Rush Series

Best for: Classic TD fans who like tight, handcrafted campaigns

Steam Store Page (First Game)

The Kingdom Rush series is basically the "comfort food" of tower defense. It has:

• Fixed paths
• Clearly-defined tower slots
• Heroes you can move around
• Charming cartoon fantasy style

What makes it stand out is the polish and pacing. Levels are carefully designed, difficulty ramps nicely, and every new tower/upgrade feels purposeful instead of bloated.

Key points:

• Great for learning TD fundamentals (range, focus fire, choke points, etc.)
• Short levels perfect for "one more stage before bed"
• Multiple difficulty modes and optional challenges

If you like this one, you can work through the entire series: Kingdom Rush, Frontiers, Origins, and Vengeance.

3. Mindustry

Best for: Players who like factory games, logistics, and "brain burn" strategy

Steam Store Page

Mindustry asks: what if tower defense met Factorio-style factory building?

Instead of just placing towers on pre-defined nodes, you:

• Build conveyor belts, drills, and production lines
• Manage resources and routing
• Supply ammunition and materials to your defenses
• Design entire layouts that keep your base running under pressure

This turns defense into a full systems-engineering puzzle. You're not just thinking, "Where do I put this tower?" but also, "How do I get enough resources here, in time, to keep everything running?"

Mindustry is ideal if you love tinkering, optimizing, and want a game you can sink hundreds of hours into.

4. Thronefall

Best for: Strategy/city-builder fans who want simple controls but meaningful decisions

Steam Store Page

Thronefall is a minimalist strategy game that behaves like a hybrid between tower defense, light city-builder, and wave-based survival.

You play as a tiny king on a horse, building a small kingdom by day and defending it by night. You don't micromanage hundreds of things; instead you choose what to build and upgrade, then fight alongside your defenses.

What makes it special:

• Simple, clean visuals but very readable
• Each map is a tight puzzle: where to put walls, towers, houses, etc.
• You can tweak difficulty and modifiers (for more risk/reward)
• Short runs, but with high replayability

5. This Isn't Just Tower Defense

Best for: Players who like BIG numbers, stacking power, and large-scale battles

Steam Store Page

The title is accurate: This Isn't Just Tower Defense leans into the "build absurdly strong defenses and watch the chaos" fantasy.

You still place towers and fend off waves, but the vibe is more:

• Stack and combine upgrades
• Unlock powerful synergies
• Fight increasingly massive waves and bosses

If you enjoy games where you start weak and slowly become a ridiculous overpowered god of defense, this one scratches that itch nicely.

6. Dome Keeper

Best for: Roguelike fans who want a compact, replayable, defense-oriented loop

Steam Store Page

Dome Keeper is a clever mashup of tower/base defense, roguelike runs, and dig-and-mine gameplay.

You live inside a dome on an alien world. The loop:

1. Between waves, you dig into the planet to mine resources
2. You run back, upgrade your dome, weapons, or utility tools
3. When the wave hits, you manually aim defenses to survive
4. Repeat, trying to go deeper and last longer each run

Why it's beloved:

• Tight, focused runs (great for shorter sessions)
• Lots of build variety and upgrade paths
• Atmospheric pixel art and audio
• High replay value without overwhelming complexity

7. Defense Grid: The Awakening

Best for: Classic PC strategy fans who want pure, carefully-balanced TD

Steam Store Page

Defense Grid is older than many games on this list, but it's still considered one of the gold standards of pure tower defense on PC.

Key strengths:

• Very clear, readable maps and enemy paths
• Carefully tuned difficulty; feels "fair but tough"
• Strong emphasis on tower placement and efficiency
• Great for learning how to think in terms of optimal paths and kill zones

There's no hero action, no resource factory, no roguelike layers — just pure TD design.

8. Dungeon Defenders II

Best for: Co-op lovers and players who want ARPG-style action + TD

Steam Store Page

Dungeon Defenders II is where tower defense meets action RPG:

• You place defenses before each wave
• You control a hero in third person
• You run, jump, fight, and use skills during waves
• Loot drops and gear progression matter a lot

It's especially fun in co-op, where each player can bring different heroes and work together to build defenses, then jump into the fight.

Highlights:

• Many heroes with unique abilities
• Lots of loot and build customization
• Good "social" game if you have friends who like ARPGs

9. Orcs Must Die! 3

Best for: Action-heavy players who love traps, combos, and orc-splattering chaos

Steam Store Page

Orcs Must Die! 3 is basically "tower defense meets third-person action/comedy." You:

• Place traps and towers along enemy routes
• Then actively fight enemies yourself as they charge in
• Chain traps together in creative ways for massive combos

Why it's awesome:

• The satisfaction of watching orcs fly into spikes, lava, grinders, etc.
• A huge variety of traps, weapons, and upgrades
• Supports co-op play
• Great "feel" and humor

Compared to Dungeon Defenders II, Orcs Must Die! 3 emphasizes trap synergy and crowd control more than loot and RPG stats.

10. The Perfect Tower 2

Best for: Casual players and progression addicts who like numbers and upgrades

Steam Store Page

The Perfect Tower 2 looks simple on the surface: a basic cubic tower shooting enemies. But underneath is a deep progression and upgrade system that makes it very addictive.

Key traits:

• Lots of incremental upgrades and systems
• Relaxing but satisfying gameplay loop
• Great "background game" to play while listening to music/podcasts
• Appeals to players who like idle/incremental games mixed with TD

11. Vampire Survivors

Best for: Action-roguelike fans who want bite-sized sessions with big payoffs

Steam Store Page

While not a traditional tower defense, Vampire Survivors shares the core loop: survive waves of enemies while becoming progressively more powerful. It's a "reverse TD" where YOU are the tower.

Why TD fans love it:

• Satisfying power curve from weak to godlike
• Simple controls, deep meta-progression
• Cheap price, massive content value
• Perfect for short 30-minute runs

12. Dungeon of the Endless

Best for: Roguelike fans who want turn-based TD with dungeon crawling

Steam Store Page

Dungeon of the Endless is a unique blend of roguelike dungeon exploration, tower defense, and team management. You guide a team of survivors through procedurally generated floors while building defenses.

Key features:

• Turn-based exploration meets real-time defense
• Resource management is critical
• Great pixel art and atmosphere
• Excellent co-op multiplayer

13. They Are Billions

Best for: RTS fans who want massive-scale zombie defense

Steam Store Page

They Are Billions combines real-time strategy with tower defense against hordes of zombies. Build colonies, manage resources, and construct walls and towers to survive waves of infected.

What makes it unique:

• Massive scale - thousands of zombies on screen
• Pausable real-time strategy
• High difficulty that rewards careful planning
• Steampunk aesthetic with detailed graphics

14. X-Morph: Defense

Best for: Action fans who want shooter + tower defense hybrid

Steam Store Page

X-Morph: Defense puts you in control of an alien invasion. Build mazes and towers while also piloting a powerful fighter craft to directly engage enemies.

Highlights:

• Destructible environments - reshape the battlefield
• Twin-stick shooter combat between waves
• Gorgeous graphics and effects
• Split-screen co-op available

15. Riftbreaker

Best for: Base-building fans who want action RPG + TD + survival

Steam Store Page

Riftbreaker combines base building, survival, and tower defense with action RPG combat. Build and defend bases on an alien planet while piloting a powerful mech suit.

Why it stands out:

• Beautiful visuals with massive enemy swarms
• Deep tech tree and base customization
• Satisfying mech combat alongside tower defense
• Exploration and resource gathering loop

16. Arknights: Endfield

Best for: Anime/gacha fans who want tactical TD with deep lore

Steam Store Page

Based on the popular mobile game, Arknights brings tactical tower defense to PC with gorgeous anime visuals and a compelling story. Deploy operators with unique skills to block enemy paths.

Key features:

• Deep tactical gameplay with operator positioning
• Stunning character designs and animations
• Rich worldbuilding and story
• Regular content updates and events

17. Shapez

Best for: Puzzle lovers who want factory-building with no combat stress

Steam Store Page

Shapez is a relaxing factory-building game where you create automated systems to produce increasingly complex shapes. While not traditional TD, the conveyor belt mechanics appeal to Mindustry fans.

Why TD fans enjoy it:

• Zen-like, stress-free gameplay
• Satisfying optimization puzzles
• No enemies, just pure building
• Great introduction to factory games

18. Creeper World 4

Best for: Unique TD fans who want to fight liquid enemies

Steam Store Page

Creeper World 4 features a unique enemy: the Creeper, a fluid-like substance that flows across the map. Build energy networks and weapons to push back the tide in this physics-based TD.

What makes it special:

• Enemies behave like actual fluids
• 3D terrain manipulation
• Massive map editor and community content
• Strategic energy management

19. Aegis Defenders

Best for: Platformer fans who want exploration + TD hybrid

Steam Store Page

Aegis Defenders blends 2D platforming exploration with tower defense battles. Explore ruins, find resources, then build defenses to protect ancient relics from waves of enemies.

Highlights:

• Beautiful pixel art graphics
• Two distinct gameplay phases
• Local co-op with different character abilities
• Engaging story and characters

20. Cursed Treasure 2

Best for: Classic TD purists who want polished browser-style gameplay

Steam Store Page

Cursed Treasure 2 is a polished classic tower defense where you play as the villain protecting cursed gems from heroes. It's simple, addictive, and perfectly executed.

Why it's a hidden gem:

• Pure, distilled tower defense gameplay
• Three distinct tower types with upgrades
• Night mode with different strategies
• Satisfying "Brilliant!" perfect run challenge