Tower Defense games were one of the first genres on mobile to really capture the mobile gaming audience. The biggest reason is because the games almost exclusively feature simple tap controls. Thus, the controls are extremely well suited for touch screens. They’re not quite the draw they used to be, but we’ve seen some excellent titles come out over the last couple of years. Here are the best tower defense games for Android.
Get pumped up with the best action games on Android!
Like strategy? Here are the best overall strategy games on Android!
Bloons TD 5
Price: $2.99 with in-app purchases
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Bloons TD 5 is a tower defense game with a cartoon element and our readers tore us a new one when we didn’t put this on the list the first time around. It’s a fun little game that adheres to most of the core mechanics of most tower defense games. You’ll have 21 towers with a variety of upgrade options, over 50 levels, 250 missions, special stuff, and a whole lot more. The graphics aren’t too bad and the three different game modes will keep you playing for a good, long time.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Defenders: TD Origins
Price: Free with in-app purchases
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Defenders is another tower defense game with above average graphics. It also has a lot of stuff to do. This game is a hybrid of collectible card game and tower defense. You obtain towers, spells, etc by unlocking their cards. Each one can receive 25 upgrades. It sports a story line complete with boss fights as well as various challenge modes to keep things interesting. There is a lot of content here to keep you playing. You can also get a little extra out of it if you have a device rocking a Tegra processor. It's pretty good and it's been around for a while.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Defense Zone 3
Price: Free with in-app purchases
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Defense Zone 3 is the latest of a popular series of tower defense games. It features a lot of the mechanics from the prior two games along with some new stuff to freshen things up. It also features several difficulty modes, eight kinds of turrets, special battles, and support for 20 languages. The graphics are also pretty good. It's a freemium game and that's not necessarily ideal. However, it's still a pretty decent game.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Digfender
Price: Free with in-app purchases
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Digfender is a fun take on the tower defense genre. Each level gives you a basic map. You'll then have to dig your level out yourself and defend the path you dig. The game features 70 levels, a survival mode where you can challenge for leaderboard supremacy, achievements, and a variety of upgrades. It also boasts no pay walls or wait timers so you can play as much as you want. It's one of the most underrated tower defense games out there.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Dungeon Defense
Price: $0.99 with in-app purchases
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Dungeon Defense is another interesting tower defense title. It's similar to Plants vs Zombies. You'll have a field along with a left border. You place heroes on the border and they fight off bad guys who try to cross the field. It has a little more action and input from the player than most tower defense games. You can collect various weapons and upgrades to help make the defense easier. There are also achievements if that matters to you. It's a good little game, especially considering it was built by a single developer. $0.99 is also relatively inexpensive.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
See also:
The best Android adventure games
June 23, 2016
Element TD
Price: $2.99
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Element TD is a newer pay-once tower defense game in a genre that is quickly being overtaken by freemium titles. It features simple graphics and a fairly standard premise. There are maps, you lay down towers, and hope they can get the job done. There is an elemental mechanic where the elements you choose determine which towers you can lay down. That helps provide an extra layer of challenge. There are also 44 towers, 50 different bad guys, 30 achievements, and five difficulty settings. It's a solid overall game and it's worth a shot.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Infinitode
Price: Free with in-app purchases
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Infinitode is a minimal tower defense game with fairly simple graphics. The minimalism of the game allows you to build like a madman and boasts the ability to create 1000 towers at once. As you can imagine, the maps are gigantic and there's a map editor so you can have some fun. Every level is endless, there are global updates during games that change the situations, and more. The game is one of the more unique games we've seen. It's also great for those who love only the most chaotic tower defense games. It's free to download with in-app purchases. However, the developer states in the description that you should be able to unlock everything without buying anything.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Kingdom Rush games
Price: Varies with in-app purchases
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
The Kingdom Rush series is one of the most prolific and highly rated tower defense games on the list. It adheres strictly to the classic tower defense mechanics which has garnered it a tiny bit of vitriol from more serious gamers, but most people still really enjoy these titles. There are three total, including Kingdom Rush, Kingdom Rush Frontiers, and Kingdom Rush Origins. They all have similar mechanics with small upgrades throughout the series so you can’t go wrong either way. The first Kingdom Rush game is free with no in-app purchases which makes it a great jumping in point.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Myth Defense LF
Price: Free / $2.99 / $3.99
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Myth Defense is a family of pay-once tower defense games for those who dislike freemium. The basic mechanics are purely tower defense. It also adds things such as random maps, alchemy, and more. There are 18 maps in the campaign mode, two difficulty levels, 22 towers (along with three traps), 33 total levels, and support for multiple languages. You can also play both difficulties at once with each one having its own save file. There are two games in the series (Myth Defense LF and Myth Defense 2) and both them are relatively inexpensive. They're worth a shot.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Net Invaders
Price: Free
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Net Invaders is a tower defense game released by, if you can believe it, Cisco Systems. The game has you saving Cisco Security island from an imminent threat. Your job is to build towers and defend it from security threats. You'll be battling trojans, viruses, worms, and other types of malware. Each level has a star rating based on how well you did, but otherwise the game is pretty basic. It's also completely free to play with no in-app purchases and no advertisements. It updated in 2014 so it may not work very well with newer devices. Still, it's good
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
See also:
The best Strategy RPGs and Tactical RPGs on Android
July 14, 2016
Plants vs Zombies 1 and 2
Price: Free with in-app purchases
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
The Plants vs Zombies games are arguably the most casual gamer-friendly tower defense games on the list. It doesn’t look like your classic tower defense but the mechanics are there. You must defend against waves of enemies by planting weaponzied plants in your yard to obstruct their path. It's long been one of the most popular tower defense games. Additionally, it’s a fun game and it’s great for casual gamers. The developers have also been consistent with adding in new content for those who have reached the end of the game.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Tiny Guardians
Price: $3.99 with in-app purchases
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Tiny Guardians is a mix of an adventure game and a tower defense game. Your job is to play as a girl looking for her sorceress aunt who can also summon friends. You and those friends will defend yourselves from oncoming enemy onslaughts. There are 12 classes of characters that you can summon. Each one can get more powerful four times. It also includes 40 enemy types, boss fights, special events, various difficulties, and achievements. The in-app purchases are for cosmetic items like character skins. That means you'll have to beat the game on your own.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Tower Defense: Legends TD
Price: Free with in-app purchases
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Tower Defense: Legends is a fairly typical tower defense game. Bad guys march down the rows and you build towers to destroy them. The game includes 40 levels, a variety of towers and other units, heroes, boss fights, and even spells that you can cast. The graphics are clean and the in-app purchases aren't too bad. However, it is a freemium game which means it does have those pitfalls. It's a good basic, casual tower defense title for those looking for something simple.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Tower Madness 2
Price: Free / $2.99
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Tower Madness 2 is one of the more popular tower defense games that has held up very well over the years. It features aliens and you’ll be defending yourself from all sorts of creatures. It features a total of 70 levels, nine towers, over a dozen enemies to battle, and seven campaigns to play through. That means it has no shortage of content. There are also online multiplayer capabilities, Google Play Games services, and support for hardware controllers. It’s a lot of fun and free to download if you want to play a bit before you buy it.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Toy Defense: Fantasy Tower TD
Price: Free with in-app purchases
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Toy Defense: Fantasy Tower is the latest game in the Toy Defense franchise. Like its predecessors, this game is both one of the more popular and better tower defense games. It follows many of the mechanics and graphical cues that made it popular. It also includes 96 levels, ground and air troops, heroes, a variety of bad guys, boss battles, and a lot more. The game also includes achievements as well as weekly tournaments to help keep players engaged. Give it a shot!
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Related best app lists:
RPGs are also great for touch screen gaming, check out the best RPGs for Android
Check out the best Android games, ever
If we missed any great tower defense games for Android, tell us about them in the comments! To see our complete list of best app lists, click here.
