iRank90
StrategyTower Defense
SoloTacticalDarkCasualCozy
Steam👍 98%· 152KRAWG👍 93%· 733MC87IGDB80· 1
Year 2010Dev PopCap Games · Electronic ArtsPlaytime ~5hOn PC · PS · Xbox
Best Tower Defense Games
Ranking of the tower defense games sorted by iRank score — a 0-100 metric blending Steam, IGDB, OpenCritic, Metacritic reviews and the iRankGames community. Plants vs. Zombies, Bloons TD 6 and Stronghold HD (2012) lead the chart. Top-25 average iRank: 83/100. Total catalogued: 45 games.
Top 3
The best tower defense games game is Plants vs. Zombies (90.2/100). Close behind: Bloons TD 6 and Stronghold HD (2012).
Full ranking
45 games cataloguedRanked by iRank Score
iRank87
StrategyTower Defense
SoloMultiplayerCo-opOnlineTactical
Steam👍 97%· 386KRAWG👍 81%· 208
Year 2018Dev Ninja KiwiPlaytime ~8hOn PC · iOS · Android
iRank86
StrategyTower Defense
SoloMultiplayerTacticalNarrativeSandbox World
Steam👍 96%· 10KRAWG👍 82%· 310MC81
Year 2012Dev FireFly StudiosPlaytime ~3hOn PC · Apple Macintosh
iRank88
StrategyTower Defense
SoloMultiplayerTacticalMeleeSci-Fi
Year 1998Dev Blizzard EntertainmentOn PC · Mac
iRank85
StrategyTower Defense
SoloMultiplayerMeleeTacticalNarrative
Steam👍 90%· 9.2KRAWG👍 83%· 225MC85IGDB85· 4
Year 2007Dev Electronic Arts Los Angeles · Electronic ArtsPlaytime ~3hOn PC · Xbox
StrategyTower Defense
SoloMagicMeleeHardcoreNarrative
Steam👍 97%· 10KRAWG👍 88%· 92IGDB80· 1
Year 2013Dev Ironhide Game StudioPlaytime ~5hOn PC · iOS · Android
iRank83
StrategyTower Defense
MultiplayerNarrativeSandbox WorldOpen WorldMedieval
Steam👍 86%· 10KRAWG👍 79%· 23
Year 2023Dev FireFly StudiosPlaytime ~4hOn PC
iRank82
StrategyTower Defense
SoloMultiplayerCo-opCasualHardcore
Steam👍 88%· 17KRAWG👍 75%· 157
Year 2014Dev Dekovir EntertainmentPlaytime ~9hOn PC · Apple Macintosh
iRank80
StrategyTower Defense
SoloTacticalSci-FiIsometric
Steam👍 96%· 5.3KRAWG👍 59%· 106MC81IGDB86· 2
Year 2008Dev Hidden Path EntertainmentPlaytime ~4hOn PC · Xbox · Apple Macintosh
#10Stronghold
iRank91
StrategyTower Defense
SoloMultiplayerTacticalMeleeRanged
Steam👍 96%· 10K
Year 2001Dev Firefly Studios · Take-Two InteractiveOn PC · Mac
iRank97
StrategyTower Defense
Solo
Steam👍 97%· 966
Year 2016Dev Knuckle CrackerPlaytime ~4hOn PC · Apple Macintosh
iRank81
StrategyTower Defense
SoloCasualCozyFantasyHistorical
Steam👍 87%· 623MC79
Year 2013Dev Fire Hose GamesPlaytime ~3hOn PC · iOS
#13Sol Survivor
iRank85
StrategyTower Defense
SoloMultiplayerCo-opDarkProcedural
Steam👍 90%· 439MC75
Year 2010Dev Cadenza InteractivePlaytime ~5hOn PC
iRank90
StrategyTower Defense
SoloMultiplayerTacticalMeleeRanged
Steam👍 98%· 21KIGDB80· 1
Year 2002Dev Firefly Studios · Take-Two InteractiveOn PC
#15Rock of Ages
iRank78
StrategyTower Defense
OfflineSoloMultiplayerCo-opPvP
Steam👍 92%· 4.0KRAWG👍 66%· 209MC74IGDB75· 5
Year 2011Dev ACE Team · Atlus USAPlaytime ~2hOn PC · PS · Xbox
#16Thronefall
iRank88
StrategyTower Defense
SoloTacticalMeleeMedievalFantasy
Steam👍 96%· 23KRAWG👍 85%· 37OC86· 9
Year 2023Dev GrizzlyGamesPlaytime ~3hOn PC · Apple Macintosh · Nintendo
iRank80
StrategyTower Defense
SoloSandbox WorldProceduralFantasyBase Building
Steam👍 88%· 7.7KRAWG👍 68%· 40
Year 2019Dev Raymond Doerr · SixtyGig GamesPlaytime ~3hOn PC · Apple Macintosh · Linux
iRank78
StrategyTower Defense
SoloTacticalMeleeSci-FiIsometric
Steam👍 94%· 3.0KRAWG👍 59%· 44MC75OC77· 10
Year 2013Dev Rocket Bear GamesPlaytime ~3hOn PC · Apple Macintosh
iRank78
StrategyTower Defense
SoloMeleeFantasyTop-Down
Steam👍 95%· 4.4KRAWG👍 58%· 39
Year 2015Dev Game in a Bottle · Armor GamesPlaytime ~5hOn PC
iRank79
StrategyTower Defense
SoloSci-FiBase Building
Steam👍 79%· 162
Year 2008Dev Oxeye Game StudioPlaytime ~2hOn PC · Apple Macintosh · Linux
More to consider
#21
82#22
76#23
75#24
76#25
75#26
74#27
73#28
70#29
70#30
70#31
58#32
58#33
66#34
65#35
60#36
66#37
64#38
63#39
46#40
55#41
60#42
58#43
61#44
46#45
49
Farm for your Life
Simulation · Puzzle
Unstoppable Gorg
Tower Defense
Clash of Clans
RTS · Tower Defense
Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time
RTS · Adventure
Clash Royale
RTS · Card Game
Anomaly: Warzone Earth
RTS · Tower Defense
iBomber Defense
Tower Defense · RTS
Unholy Heights
Simulation · RTS
Atom Zombie Smasher
Tower Defense · Sandbox
Revenge of the Titans
Tower Defense · RTS
Zombie Pirates
Tower Defense
Gratuitous Tank Battles
Simulation · Tower Defense
Fieldrunners
Tower Defense
Prime World: Defenders
Tower Defense · RPG
Castle Story
Simulation · Sandbox
AI War: Fleet Command
RTS · Simulation
Swords and Soldiers HD
RTS · Tower Defense
Gratuitous Space Battles
Simulation · Turn-Based Strategy
Defenders of Ardania
Tower Defense · RTS
Cubemen
Tower Defense · RTS
Dwarfs!?
Tower Defense · Simulation
iBomber Defense Pacific
Tower Defense · RTS
7 Days to Die
Survival · Simulation
Robowars
Tower Defense · RTS
Oil Rush
RTS · Tower Defense
Related rankings
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best tower defense game?
- According to the iRankGames ranking, Plants vs. Zombies (90.2/100) tops the list. Close behind are Bloons TD 6 and Stronghold HD (2012).
- How is this ranking calculated?
- Each game receives an iRank score (0-100) blending several weighted sources: Steam reviews, IGDB community + critic ratings, Metacritic, OpenCritic and the iRankGames community votes. The sort order additionally applies a Bayesian shrinkage adjustment: games with few reviews get pulled toward the genre average so small samples can't game the top of the chart.
- How many tower defense games are in this ranking?
- 45 games appear in this list (filtered by minimum popularity, excluding DLC, expansions and unclassified shovelware).
- What makes a good tower defense game?
- The highest-rated entries in this genre tend to share design coherent with subgenre conventions, tight controls, balanced challenge-and-reward loops, and an active player base that sustains their reception across multiple platforms. Examples in this ranking: Plants vs. Zombies, Bloons TD 6 and Stronghold HD (2012).