The best Tower Defense board games 🗼 2025

Players take on the role of monsters defending their hard-earned treasures from invading hordes of heroes. Each turn, players draw five cards to move, activate pieces, attack heroes, and manage their units. The goal is to survive three threat levels posed by the heroes while protecting the treasures in each room; if the main treasure is taken, the game ends in defeat, but successfully protecting the treasures leads to victory.

Players assume the roles of brave heroes tasked with saving their magical land. They create a unique character, equip themselves, and prepare for adventure while managing limited inventory space. Together, they explore a modular game board, battle dangerous monsters, and earn powerful rewards through teamwork and strategic preparation.

Players are members of the ELITE team on a mission to stop the invasion forces of an alien empire. They must quickly roll dice during two-minute real-time combat rounds against waves of terrifying enemies. The game continues in this fast-paced tactical sequence until the scenario is won or the aliens conquer Earth. This new edition features updated artwork, miniatures, card designs, weapons, ELITE members, enemies, and more.

Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game is a fully cooperative deck-building game that immerses players in the suspenseful and thrilling universe of the Alien movie series. The game features original art and gameplay mechanics that encourage teamwork and strategy.

Castle Panic is a cooperative, fantasy-themed board game where players unite to defend their castle against an onslaught of monsters from an encroaching forest. This family-friendly game combines elements of strategy and luck, requiring players to work together to survive the monster attack. The game is designed for 1 to 6 players, suitable for ages 10 and up, making it an accessible yet engaging experience for a wide range of players.

Players cooperate to defend their castle against monsters in a simplified version that promotes educational skills like recognizing colors and shapes and solving problems. Monsters follow a designated path toward the colorful castle, marked by specific colors and shapes. Players use cards featuring cute defenders that match these attributes to capture monsters and prevent the castle's destruction.

Beware! The tentacles of a terrible octopus break through the waves. All hands on deck—grab your swords, cannons, and artillery!

A cooperative strategy game for 1 to 6 players aged 10 and up, the Big Box edition includes the base game and all three expansions. Players work together to defend their castle against monsters attacking from the forest, sharing cards, attacking, and devising strategies to keep their towers intact. The game celebrates its tenth anniversary with this edition, which also features promotional game cards and an updated rulebook.

In 1914, the Ottoman Empire agreed to shelter the fleeing German battleship Goeben, renamed Yavuz, as World War I erupted in Europe. As players control the Young Turks, they try to sustain the empire amidst the chaos of war, fighting against British-led forces, Russian armies, and a Hashemite Arab revolt. Despite earlier victories, the Ottomans faced inevitable defeat by October 1918; can you lead them to success where history failed?

The battle for Castle Itter took place on May 5, 1945, near the Austrian village of Itter, during the final days of World War II. Players take on the role of troops defending the castle, aiming to withstand attacks until the SS deck is exhausted. Points are earned for each surviving defender while points are lost for any remaining SS counters on the board at the end of the game.

Last Bastion is a captivating cooperative board game that plunges players into a desperate struggle to defend the last stronghold of civilization against the monstrous hordes led by the Baleful Queen. Drawing on themes of heroism, sacrifice, and collective struggle, Last Bastion offers a thrilling and immersive gameplay experience where teamwork and strategy are essential to survival.

Set a Watch is a cooperative board game that immerses 1-4 players in a quest to defend the kingdom from an onslaught of sinister forces. As mighty adventurers, each with distinct abilities, players must work together to thwart the resurrection of the Unhallowed by defeating creatures at various summoning locations. The game combines strategic planning, dice management, and puzzle-solving, as players decide each round who will rest to regain strength and who will stand guard to confront the approaching monsters.

Players work together in a light strategic game to defend the U.S.S. Enterprise from enemy attacks. The game features mission cards with unique challenges inspired by the original Star Trek series, and character cards that allow players to take on the roles of icons like Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock.

The second edition of Tiny Epic Defenders offers an engaging cooperative experience for small groups, featuring new graphics, abilities, ITEMeeples, and fresh rules for more exciting gameplay. The land of Aughmoore is in ruins, plagued by darkness that destroys villages and affects all life, creating an urgent need for heroes to rise and unite. New gameplay mechanics include revised rules, new character abilities, and redesigned Epic Foes, enhancing balance and richness in the game.

Players control the brave defenders of a Soviet stronghold in Stalingrad, enduring relentless German assaults for nearly two months. The objective is to hold out until the arrival of a crucial unit tasked with storming a critical German position during the battle. The game's narrative revolves around the fortified house named after Yakov Pavlov, who led the initial defense against a German attack, symbolizing the extraordinary resilience of the Soviet forces.

Players are thrust into the Soviet leadership during the collapse of socialism from 1985 to 1991, trying to steer the vast country towards democracy. This fast-paced, educational solitaire game features a system where "people" markers on five converging paths represent the political awakening of various regions, all culminating in Moscow, where a coup could erupt. Managing efforts carefully is crucial, and players must navigate risky decisions, balancing military and political strategies to avert disaster and achieve their goals.

Ghost Stories is a cooperative game in which the players protect the village from incarnations of the lord of hell – Wu-Feng – and his legions of ghosts before they haunt a town and recover the ashes that will allow him to return to life. Each Player represents a Taoist monk working together with the others to fight off waves of ghosts.

Defenders of the Realm is a cooperative fantasy board game that immerses players in a desperate struggle to protect Monarch City and its surrounding lands from a host of encroaching evils. Players take on the roles of the King's Champions, each with unique abilities, to fend off waves of orcs, dragons, undead, and demons.

Stone King is a campaign expansion that adds new units, scenarios, and rules, steering the combat in fresh directions. The campaign "The Stone King" is divided into eight hidden chapters, each building upon the last, with specific release conditions to fulfill before progressing. Players will consistently encounter two types of cards in each chapter: the story card, which reveals the world and narrative of Fantasy Defense, and the rules card, introducing new mechanisms and concepts to play with unlocked components. Once finished, players can return to the original game or start anew by mixing and matching elements.

Leviloff's Habsburg Eclipse is a solitaire game set during the siege states of World War I in Eastern Europe from 1914 to 1918. Players control the leadership of the Austro-Hungarian Empire while also managing the increasingly assertive German High Command. The game presents unique challenges as players strive to survive the Russian onslaught and conquer the Serbs, all while dealing with the diverse nationalities within the empire and external pressures.

For generations, the mines of Runedar have supplied dwarves with gold, but now only a handful remain to guard the fortress at the entrance of the exhausted mine. When they stumble upon a new vein of pure gold, they aim to escape to safety, only to find the fortress surrounded by orcs eager for their treasure. Players must defend the fortress against orcs, goblins, and trolls while constructing a tunnel to escape and secure their hard-earned gold in this cooperative game for 1-4 players.

Island Siege is a fast-paced game of expansion and colonization in the Caribbean. Players build fortifications along the coast to defend their colonists from attacks and collect points. Fortifications allow players to introduce colonists, who can then safely construct ships and buildings that provide abilities and points.

Your enemy's fortress has always been a thorn in your side, fueling a long-standing feud. It's time to settle things once and for all by destroying their stronghold while defending your own.

Players take on the roles of legendary creatures from folklore in this cooperative tower defense game. Deep within a remote area, they must defend their castle against a village that has decided to lay siege in order to eliminate their evil presence. Hunters and heroes from far and wide are drawn to the confrontation, each seeking to bring about the players' downfall.

Lead a charmed life at the top of your tower while enjoying the peace of your kingdom with your charming neighbors. However, a sudden threat emerges as terrifying skeletons invade, overwhelming your realm and turning even friendly neighbors against you.

Aughmoore lies in ruins. Evil has spread its darkness across the world, destroying villages and infecting all forms of life. Heroes are urgently needed; those who remain must unite and risk everything to preserve what little spirit is left.

Tiny Epic Defenders is a dynamic cooperative board game that builds upon the lore of Tiny Epic Kingdoms, plunging players into a fantasy world where unity and strategic defense are key to survival. Designed for 1-4 players and with a playtime of around 30 minutes, it offers a compact yet rich gaming experience filled with challenges and teamwork.

XenoShyft: Onslaught is a cooperative, strategic deck-building game set in a universe where players defend against waves of alien enemies. This intense game mixes elements of resource management, tactical combat, and base defense, challenging players to adapt and strategize together to survive the alien threat. By building a powerful deck of Troop, Equipment, and Item cards, players strengthen their defenses and combat the Hive's relentless attacks.

Postcards in the local drugstores advertised "Welcome to Fabulous Farmingdale," a campaign crafted by Mayor Hernandez. However, the reality is grim as a virus turns ordinary people into malevolent, zombie-like killers. As the undead, known as "Zeds," converge on the area, you must rally the townsfolk to fend them off, search for a cure, and protect as many survivors as possible. Time is of the essence.

Survive the horrors of Hive and venture into Genesis VII, a lush yet deadly swamp planet filled with a new ecosystem of terrors to conquer. XenoShyft: Dreadmire offers a fresh experience, playable as a standalone game or mixed with XenoShyft: Onslaught, featuring eight new troop types, 20 new item types, and over 40 terrifying new enemy types. The game combines classic deck-building and resource management with fast-paced combat and unique tower defense elements, where players build their decks to defend their base against incoming threats.