Tower defense — play free online

In tower defense the enemy walks a road you did not draw, and you decide what meets it: a tower at the corner, a slow on the straight, a heavier hit near the finish. Income comes from every kill, so the first wave teaches where to place before the second is your last.

Tower Defense Online is the one to start with: a plain set of waves on a three-dimensional map where both the road and the tower slots stay visible. Robot Tower Defense splits the towers into classes: assault, sniper, grenade and buff. Last Beacon keeps you at a single firing post whose towers have to be wired to a power grid, and Neon Rift Tower Defense fits one screen where every tower draws from one energy pool. Tank Defense 3D is closest to action, because you drive the tank yourself and shoot the waves coming at the base.

Against strategy games the difference is that the map is not yours: the route is set and every decision fits into what to build and where. Against arcade games, you may stop and think while the wave is walking, so speed matters but reflexes are not the whole story.