10 indie games in this list, released 2013–2025, from developers such as Zen Studios, NeocoreGames, Bippinbits. Pick one to read our editorial note and jump to its store page.
These are editorial pages. The developers and publishers are not affiliated with The Gaming Nest unless explicitly stated.
CastleStorm is a genre mashup that combines tower defense, brawler-style fighting, and 2D physics-driven destruction. Its concept grew from the childhood fun of building toy castles and then smashing them, so defending your own stronghold and wrecking enemy walls go hand in hand. Hungarian developer Zen Studios created and self-published it in 2013; a Definitive Edition, a free-to-play mobile spin-off, a VR adaptation, and a 2020 sequel followed.
Deathtrap mixes tower defense with action RPG combat: a lone hero travels to a frontier realm inside an alternate dimension known as Ink to protect ancient strongholds from waves of invading monsters. Players set up traps, rotating blades, and other killing machines while fighting alongside them. Hungarian studio NeocoreGames released it in 2015, sharing its gothic setting with its Van Helsing games, and it carries a Metacritic score of 77.
Dome Keeper is a tower defense game from Bippinbits, a studio in Germany, published by Raw Fury and made with the Godot engine. You protect a glass dome from waves of alien attackers, then use the short gap between waves to dig for resources below. Those materials buy upgrades that strengthen your defences for the next assault. It launched on Windows, macOS and Linux in September 2022 to generally positive reviews.
Kingdom Rush 5: Alliance TD is a tower defense entry in the Kingdom Rush series, set in the fantasy land of Linirea. As in the series, players build and upgrade defensive towers to stop waves of monsters, and this chapter brings Linirea's warriors and the Dark Army together against a newly rising evil. It was developed by Ironhide Game Studio in Uruguay and released in July 2024 for Windows and macOS.
Kingdom Rush Origins is a tower defense game and the series' third main instalment. Players lead an elven nation against evil forces, building four kinds of defensive towers and upgrading them to cope with increasingly tough waves of enemies. It was developed by Ironhide Game Studio, based in Uruguay, first released on mobile in 2014, and arrived on Windows, macOS and Linux in October 2018.
Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break combines competitive tower defense with racing and fast arcade action, delivered with a strongly absurdist comic tone. It continues from Rock of Ages and Rock of Ages 2: Bigger & Boulder, and this entry adds tools that let players design and share their own levels. Chilean studio ACE Team developed it on Unreal Engine 4 with Giant Monkey Robot, and it launched in July 2020 on Windows and consoles.
Deepstone Rift is a tower defense game set in underground mines, where you dig for gold and minerals while defending your base from looting goblins. Towers range from miniguns and cannons to sawblades, and treasure chests grant power-ups for you, your dwarves and your defences. It entered early access in late 2025. It is the second game from Northend Games, an independent studio based in Baghdad, Iraq.
Defend The Cubes is a tower defense game that swaps fixed towers for deployable units. Enemies circle a central cube along paths that change, so each wave asks you to reconsider where and when to place defenders. The game aims to be easy to start but deep to master, and it was developed by Team0Studio, which is part of Steam's Games Made in KSA bundle of Saudi indie releases.
Northend Tower Defense is a real-time tower defense game with a World War II flavour in which you deploy soldiers and vehicles rather than only static towers. It has more than 20 units, 77 upgrades, passive powers and special abilities across several battlefields, plus a zombie mode with traps. It spent two years in early access before its full release in 2024. It is made by Northend Games, an independent studio in Baghdad, Iraq.
Kingdom Rush is a tower defense game from the Uruguayan studio Ironhide Game Studio, set in a medieval fantasy kingdom under attack. You place and upgrade towers along fixed roads to stop waves of monsters, earning gold with every defeated enemy. It is a polished, approachable classic of the tower defense genre and a good introduction to the Uruguayan games scene.