Who doesn’t love a good tower defense game? The objective is relatively simple to understand. You have a base to defend, and you build towers in order to destroy waves of attackers.

Tower defense games were extremely popular on PCs and once they made the move to mobile devices, they were an instant hit. If you’ve been looking for the best tower defense games for the iPhone, you’ve come to the right spot.

5. Fieldrunner(Opens in a new window)
99 cents
This tower defense game is pretty basic, but Fieldrunner is a classic, having been released in 2008 for iOS only. Eventually it was released for other platforms like Android, HTML5, PSP, and a few others. Fieldrunner has only four maps, but there are more than 400 waves that you can encounter. Unlike other tower defense games, the towers can be placed anywhere, so the enemies are forced to walk wherever the player wishes. The visuals in the game are pretty cartoony, but in a good way. It’s a must for any tower defense fan.

4. Plants vs Zombies(Opens in a new window)
99 cents
Plants vs Zombies made its debut on PCs and Macs back in 2009. It later became available for iOS and Android in 2010 and 2011, respectively, and to rave reviews. Even though the game is a couple years old, it’s still one of the best tower defense games you can find. Zombies try to invade your home, and you have to set up a variety of plants that will slow down, confuse, or wear down the different types of zombies. There are different modes available like Adventure, Survival, Zen, plus 22 mini-games so the fun never stops.

3. TowerMadness(Opens in a new window)
$2.99
TowerMadness is a unique tower defense game. Aliens attempt to turn your sheep into scarves, which is pretty odd for an objective–but hey it works. During gameplay, you can view the arena from an aerial view or from first-person perspective, which puts you right in the middle of the action. With more than 100 maps and over 60 varied weapons and upgrades, there’s enough gameplay to keep you satisfied for a long time. But if you simply can’t get enough, there’s an endless mode, too. Another cool feature is the replays, in which you can play back your games, so you can learn new strategies or share with friends.

2. Sentinel 3: Homeworld(Opens in a new window)
$2.99
The first two Sentinel games were well-received and instantly became popular, so naturally, the third installment got the same reception. With a fourth installment on the way, Sentinel 3: Homeworld is what you need to play to prep for the next one. The sci-fi tower defense takes the battle to an alien planet, where you unleash your fury with a plethora of weaponry. The graphics for this app are out-of-this-world (see what I did there?) and within the campaign mode are 14 challenging maps that meet the needs of any TD fanatic.

1. Kingdom Rush(Opens in a new window)
99 cents
Kingdom Rush is set in medieval times, and it’s a more traditional tower defense game in the sense that there are only four towers to choose from, but a number of upgrades available for each one. It’s one of the more strategic tower defenses with its level variation and boss battles. There are a variety of enemies and you can earn over 50 achievements. Despite the fact that the graphics are cartoony, this tower defense is one of the best ones available on iOS.