Tower defense is an oft colorful and hectic subgenre of strategy games. It favors fast-paced combat and decision-making over a methodical turn-based approach. Tower defense tends to put you in the driver's seat of protecting a point of interest, which could be a tower or some kind of a base, but it can also be a backyard, a specific item, or even a person.
How you protect said point of interest is then up to you. You'll get access to plenty of tools and resources to help you with your task. Prepare to think on the fly because we've scoured the web for the best tower defense games on popular Android tablets in the list below.
1 2112TD: Tower Defense Survival
2112TD takes place in the not-too-distant future. Earth's colonies have been overrun by an alien species, and it's up to you to defend the remainder on the planet to prevent the extinction of mankind. Think of this tower defense game as your opportunity to relive the events of Starship Troopers.
Research and unlock new experimental technology to gain the upper hand over the invading alien forces. 2112TD features visuals akin to games like StarCraft which help immerse you in the game's semi-futuristic feel. It boasts a campaign mode with multiple difficulty levels to cater to players of different skill levels. In other words, no matter if you're a newbie or a veteran, you're likely to find a challenge in 2112TD, and at $1.99, it's a no-brainer.
2 Bad North: Jotunn Edition
Ruthless invaders are at your doorstep. They come by boat with the intention of making your island their own. Bad North isn't a game with a happy ending; it's a story about going out with a bang. In this rogue-lite with tower defense elements, you command a group of Viking warriors.
Each warrior has a set of unique abilities that make them ideal for countering a specific foe. And it's up to you to utilize these abilities at the right moment. The bright, pastel-colored environments of Bad North contrast with the brutal bloodbath left by the countless battles you'll fight.
Bring down as many foes as you can, and who knows; your subordinates might earn their spot in the sacred halls of Valhalla.
3 Bloons 6 TD
Bloons 6 goes for much more light-hearted and vibrant visuals. In this colorful tower defense game, you play as one of the title's cutesy monkeys. Each monkey protagonist offers a unique look, set of skills, and an upgrade tree, and it's up to you to utilize their abilities to the fullest to pop imposing enemy... balloons.
Partake in an exciting campaign mode for up to four players, check out community-created levels, or whip up your own. By collecting trophies, you unlock cosmetic items that enhance the visual experience, from character skins and animations to background music.
Bloons 6 offers a lot of content for its $6.99 price tag, especially considering all of the game's regular updates.
4 Dungeon of the Endless: Apogee
Picture this; you're a convicted felon being transported to a remote planet to serve out your sentence as a slave. For better or for worse, the space vessel you're on suffers an unexpected crash-landing.
In order to escape, you must restore power to its now malfunctioning compartments. However, creatures roaming the hallways of the stranded space vessel are here to ruin your day. They'll relentlessly attack any power source in sight, preventing your potential escape. These power sources essentially represent the game's version of a "tower."
Dungeon of the Endless combines elements of a rogue-lite, dungeon crawler, and tower defense. The Apogee edition comes with all DLC released to date for a one-off cost of $7.99. If you're subscribed to the Play Pass, you can also get it at no additional cost.
5 Dungeon Warfare 2
Dungeon Warfare 2 tasks you with defending your dungeon from invading enemies. You're provided with a plethora of tools and abilities to do so, from various contraptions to skills. Best of all, you can gradually make all of them more potent by allocating earned skill points.
Granted, your opposition becomes stronger as well. Dungeon Warfare 2 features over 30 enemies, and each one requires a different approach.
The game comes with over 60 handcrafted levels, and a near-endless supply of randomly generated ones. If you're ready to fork out $4.99, you'll get access to an extensive tower defense experience. And if you're a Play Pass subscriber, you get to try it all at no additional cost.
6 Frost & Flame: King of Avalon
Can you guess the inspiration behind Frost & Flame from the name alone? Dragons, frost-laden lands, stalwart castles, and a seemingly impregnable adversary in the ravenous The Unmelted. Yes, Frost & Flame takes obvious cues from the hit TV show Game of Thrones and the preceding books, but that's a good thing.
The world's setting lends itself well to a tower defense format where you must protect your castle from constant attacks and hatch dragons who'll hopefully aid you in combat later on. Frost & Flame also features interactive PvP combat where you can fight against, cooperate and trade with players around the globe.
7 Infinitode 2
Every tower defense revolves around one important aspect: win by not letting the enemies through your defenses. But with Infinitode 2, ironically, there's no winning. This abstract tower defense game sends endless waves of enemies at you, and your goal is to survive as long as possible.
But fret not, as it provides you with plenty of tools to do so. Infinitode 2 uses geometrical shapes to represent your units, and each one comes with its own set of properties and upgrade trees. You can also mine resources to create unique items and defeat enemies on your own terms.
While the game does come with in-app purchases, they're optional. There are no ads, and everything can be unlocked through progression.
8 Iron Marines Invasion RTS Game
Apparently, tower defense lends itself well to an alien invasion. Iron Marines Invasion combines the dire invasion scenario of 2112TD with the vibrant visuals of Bloons 6. But here, you assemble a team of various species to fend off the invading forces.
You can select from a wide range of species, including Humanoids, and Frognauts, which could easily fit into a Battletoads game. Iron Marines Invasion features a galaxy for you to explore, collect resources from and defend from invading alien hordes. And best of all, Iron Marines Invasion costs only $2.99.
9 Kingdom Rush Origins TD Game
We're moving away from sci-fi and into fantasy. Developed by the same studio as Iron Marines Invasion, Kingdom Rush Origins is part of a lengthy tower defense series and serves as its origin story. Kingdom Rush Origins takes place in a mythical fantasy land where you play as elves and attempt to protect your kingdom.
Employ a variety of elves, including nimble archers and those that wield powerful magic. Kingdom Rush Origins features a galore of content, with multiple game modes -- such as Classic, Iron, and Heroic -- numerous legendary heroes, and a plethora of in-game achievements to keep you occupied.
Much like the Iron Marines Invasion, Kingdom Rush Origins will set you back $2.99, but it also comes included with the Play Pass subscription.
10 Last Hope TD - Tower Defense
Tower defense and zombies go together like bread and butter. Last Hope presents you with over 145 levels of varying difficulty where you must protect your home base from the invasion of zombie hordes. Choose from many heroes, each with their unique skill set, to retaliate against the seemingly endless swarm.
In addition to that, Last Hope includes a dozen of different turrets, each with a separate upgrade path and over 50 enemies for you to decimate. Last Hope is one of the few free-to-play titles on this list and could easily be a contender for the best zombie game on Android.
11 Mindustry
Don't let the simplistic visuals fool you because Mindustry is an engrossing tower defense game underneath. Mindustry revolves around the construction and subsequent defense of factories. These factories, along with lengthy conveyor belts, produce the resources and technology necessary to create your defenses.
But you'll not only fend off incoming enemy attacks and raids but also fight against frequent natural disasters, such as fire. Mindustry features two full campaigns set on two planets, co-op, PvP, and sandbox modes. Best of all, Mindustry is a free-to-play game with no in-app purchases.
12 Mini TD 2: Relax Tower Defense
Similar to Mindustry, there's nothing flashy about Mini TD 2's visuals. A bunch of blue squares fends off red squares as you construct defenses to make their job easier. Consequently, this design simplicity means that Mini TD 2 runs on virtually any device.
That's not to say the game's easy. Mini TD 2 takes you through 50 action-packed levels with varying difficulty, and you'll have to make the most of the game's upgrade system to successfully complete all of them. The game boasts a soft palette and a relaxing score, so you'll probably remain level-headed.
13 North Tower - Merge TD Defense
North Tower is yet another free-to-play tower defense game, and it's just as good as the premium titles. In North tower, you must protect your kingdom from a barrage of attacks and repel troops or even giant dragons and worms trying to invade your castle.
North Tower combines multiple gameplay mechanics that make it stand out from the crowd, such as tower defense. But there are also elements of an idle game with merge mechanics fueling North Tower's progression. Merging weapons of the same level creates more powerful versions, leading to a unique progression system. And being an idle game means that things happen in North Tower even while you're not logged into the game.
14 Plants vs Zombies 2
Plants vs Zombies 2 is a sequel to the tower defense oddity. Oddity in the most complimenting kind of way. This game mixes tower defense with backyard flora and flesh-consuming monstrosities, and somehow makes this amalgamation exceptionally enjoyable to play.
Plants vs Zombies 2 gives you over 100 plants to employ against the approaching hordes. And if that doesn't work with some of the beefier undead, you can always empower your towers with some fertilizer. Give it a go and you'll likely realize why Plants vs Zombies 2 has been on mobile for over 10 years and is still going strong with regular updates.
15 Tiny Guardians
Whether Tiny Guardians is the best tower defense game is up for debate. But it could definitely put up a fight for the title of the cutest. Furthermore, Tiny Guardians puts a unique spin on the traditional tower defense genre. That's because there are no towers in this game.
Instead, your goal is to protect a specific character in Lunilae as she traverses treacherous woods full of beasts, both contemporary and mythical. Tiny Guardians mixes tower defense with card collection, as each guardian is represented by a collectible card.
Tiny Guardians costs $3.99 and is also included in the Play Pass subscription. Even better, all in-app purchases are entirely cosmetic.
16 Wild Castle: Tower Defense TD
In Wild Castle, you build up the defenses of your own fortress. The game features over 60 heroes, each with their own unique abilities you can take advantage of. Goblins and the undead are only some of the enemies you'll face while fending off seemingly endless waves of them.
Take the battle to them by invading the castles of your enemies, or play with or against other players. In addition to a global leaderboard, Wild Castle receives special events and additional content with each update.
Tower defense games aren't always about defending towers
As ironic as it may sound, tower defense only implies the defense of something. It could be an island or a precious item, and, as showcased by Tiny Guardians, it can even be a person. This malleability helps tower defense games stand apart from other types of strategy games.
Is there an epic tower defense game that we missed? Let us know about it in the comments below so everyone can join the fun.