While maybe not as glamourous as other genres, tower defense games have made their niche in the video game space. If you have an Xbox One, you’ll find these ten titles awaiting you.
#10 Bloons TD 5
Let’s start with Bloons TD 5, a tower defense game you can enjoy in multiple ways. The simple premise is that you’re in command of a bunch of monkeys who are determined to pop balloons that enter their space. It should be noted that these balloons are, at times, blimps and zeppelins, while at other times, they’re just simple things to pop.
You’ll need to set up your tower, outfit it with all manner of weaponry, and hire the best monkeys around to help get the job done.
The challenges in this game are numerous, so if you dive in, you’ll be playing it for a while.
#9 Defense Grid 2
Every sequel’s role is to advance what the previous title did. Defense Grid 2 does that by giving you more maps to battle on, options for setting up towers, and multiplayer modes galore.
Like in its predecessor, the game is about ensuring you have suitable towers in the right spots to stop what’s coming. There is also the Challenge Mode, where you’ll have hundreds of things to do.
Then, you can hop online and play against another player or get other players to join you as you defend your map. If you want a true tower defensive experience, get Defense Grid 2.
#8 X-Morph: Defense
X-Morph: Defense flips the script a bit regarding the gameplay you’ll be doing. Because while it is a tower defense game, it’s also a shooter title!
You are an X-Morph, an alien species which comes to the Earth to invade it. But, of course, what else would they do? Anyway, you’ll lead your forces against the resisting human race and build up defenses and weapons to help ensure the invasion’s success.
With the freedom of movement the game offers you, you’ll have more range to enact strategies, starve the enemy of their supplies, and more. So check this game out if you want a change-up in the genre.
#7 The Riftbreaker
Here’s another title with a twist on the standard tower defense gameplay. In The Riftbreaker, you are Ashley Nowak, a scientist and commando who goes through a portal with her mech suit to colonize a new world. Yep, she has to do it all on her own.
More specifically, she goes alone to set up another portal so others can come through. You’ll need to use the planet’s resources and her mech suit, Mr. Riggs, to construct a base and a portal.
But as you can guess, you’re not alone on the planet. So build defenses to fight off the native life so you can complete your mission!
#6 Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break
Tower defense games are usually insane because of the number of enemies you have to face or the weapons you use to defeat them. But Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break is a different kind of insane. Why? Because the titles put you in a tower defense scenario that is over-the-top, full of wacky characters, and the weapons you’ll use aren’t your typical stuff.
Once you make it through all that, you can dive into the level editor and create your own levels! Then, post them online and battle your friends or online rivals in them to see who’s better.
The game has multiple multiplayer modes, so dive into them for maximum fun!
#5 CastleStorm II
If you want another game where you can play as the heroes and the villains, we have CastleStorm II for you. In it, you’ll be a part of a kingdom being bloodied by two different factions. There are the heroic knights who wish to save the land and the undead who wish to consume it.
With two different campaigns, you’ll have multiple options on how you want to set up your empire and your defenses.
Use your options wisely, and command your forces on multiple levels, so nothing gets past you. Will you triumph? Or will you be destroyed? Jump in and find out!
#4 Dungeon Defenders II
When the land of Etheria is in danger, you must rise up to stop the threats that come your way. In Dungeon Defenders II, you’ll forget an alliance of fantasy characters and stave off monsters’ hordes on your own, with friends, and with incredible gadgets.
Up to four players can be in the game, and you’ll have a wide cast of classes to choose from to defend your castle. Some are physical fighters, and others have magic. No matter what you choose, work with your team to fight back against the enemy!
Plus, set up your tower’s defenses to lay waste to your foes without putting yourself in danger.
#3 Orcs Must Die! 3
The Orcs Must Die! franchise is a very beloved series by gamers. With each new entry, the series grows and expands. For example, Orcs Must Die! 3 takes things to new heights whether you play it alone or with a co-op partner.
For example, the game introduces “War Scenarios.” In them, you’ll face the largest orc horde you’ve ever seen and must use epic war machines to thin the herd and send them packing.
Plus, when you’re finished with the main campaign, there’s still plenty to do. There are weekly challenges within the game for you to ascend the leaderboard on. So if you loved the previous two titles, definitely get the third.
#2 They Are Billions
If you’re looking for a more overarching narrative game mixed with tower defense and strategy elements, They Are Billions is the one for you.
In this world, the zombies have taken over, and the human population is down to a few colonies of survivors. To try and take the world back, you’ll need to lead the mech-controlling resistance into the field and take back territory from the zombies.
With 48 missions to play, you’ll have over 60 hours of gameplay to enjoy. As you go through missions, you’ll upgrade the survivors with powerful technology so that they can withstand the hordes of zombies out there. Remember, every life lost is costly.
#1 Plants vs. Zombies
There is honestly no greater tower defense game than that of Plants vs. Zombies. We know that may sound insane, but the numbers don’t lie. The game has had multiple sequels, all of which have been hits, and to top it off, it went from 2D to 3D without missing a beat!
The game’s beauty is that the plants come in such variety that you can shape whole strategies around what they can and can’t do. The zombies are no slouches, and you’ll have to react on the fly to overcome obstacles.
The game is proof that you don’t need an “overwhelmingly complicated” idea to make a game shine. Just make a simple one and run with it.
