Tower Defense games

Play Tower Defense games for free online at Starbie

At Starbie, we have a big collection of free Tower Defense games. All of these games can be played directly via an internet browser window, no downloads required. Below, we’ve provided some more information about Tower Defense games, including how to play the game and a top 5 of the best Tower Defense adventures.

What are Tower Defense games

Tower Defense games, also known as TD games, are a genre of strategy games in which the player has to defend their base against waves of enemies marching along a winding path. These games were inspired by the 'defend-the-base' strategy games of the 1980s, such as Space Invaders and Atari Missile Command, in which the player must defend a base against a series of attacks. In later games from the 1990s, such as Rampart, the player could also allocate resources to maintaining and repairing defensive structures, and build structures that automatically attack the enemies. Tower Defense games became very popular online in the late 2000s, with well-known titles such as Bloons TD and Plants vs. Zombies (both are available on this page!).

How to play Tower Defense games

The player’s base can be a military base, a village, a home, or something else the player has to protect. The enemies come marching down the road. In order to stop them, the player must build a number of defensive structures that can inflict damage upon the enemy army. Often, the optimal placement of towers is essential to winning the game.

Set Up

Each level will consist of a long path with a beginning, where the enemy army enters the field, and an ending, where the player’s base is located. The path might be a single road or branch off into multiple paths. Along the path, there will be empty slots where the player can build towers.

Aim of the game

The aim is to use the available resources (usually points or coins) to build a series of defensive structures. Usually these are gun turrets, or towers where archers, knights, and mages lie in wait. The objective is to kill all of the passing enemies before they can reach the end of the path. Killing enemies will earn the player points, which can then be used to buy more towers or upgrade them.

Upgrading Towers

Each tower has special properties. The towers also have a specific range of fire. When an enemy steps within range, the tower will attack them. When they march out of range, the tower will become inactive. By tapping on the tower, the player can see the available upgrades. These upgrades will usually make the tower’s attacks more powerful and/or increase the tower’s range.

Traps and Heroes

Players can also build obstructions such as barriers or traps. These can slow the enemies down or inflict damage upon them. In some games, the player also controls a hero. The hero can move around the path and attack the enemies. The tower’s won’t harm the hero. Like the towers, the player can also upgrade the hero for added speed, power, and endurance.

Reinforcements

In some games, the player can also call for reinforcements, such as an airstrike, or a powerful storm to slow down and injure the enemy army. These reinforcement can usually only be used a limited amount of times, and will need time to recharge after use.

Top 5 Tower Defense games

For anyone who’s not sure where to start, here is a list of the Top 5 Tower Defense games recommended by our players: