Choose Tower Wars
Choose Tower Wars if you want an Action game with Valve Anti-Cheat enabled. On Steam, it's currently about 20% cheaper on the Steam Store. Tower Wars launched in 2012.
Tower Wars vs DG2: Defense Grid 2
Tower Wars and DG2: Defense Grid 2 both land in Strategy, Indie on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Strategy, Indie on Steam. Tower Wars (2012) is 2 years older than DG2: Defense Grid 2 (2014). DG2: Defense Grid 2 scores higher on Steam reviews (85.7% positive) than Tower Wars (68.2% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose DG2: Defense Grid 2
Choose DG2: Defense Grid 2 if you want the Shared/Split Screen and Shared/Split Screen Co-op side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 85.7% positive across 1,787 reviews.
Both Tower Wars and DG2: Defense Grid 2 sit in Strategy and Indie on Steam and both list Multi-player, Steam Leaderboards, and Online PvP, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Tower Wars |  DG2: Defense Grid 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2012 | 2014 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Indie | Strategy, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Verified |
| Price | 7.99 USD | 9.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 68.2% positive (733 reviews) | 85.7% positive (1,787 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op |
| Developers | SuperVillain Studios | Hidden Path Entertainment |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie on Steam.
- Tower Wars (2012) is 2 years older than DG2: Defense Grid 2 (2014).
- DG2: Defense Grid 2 scores higher on Steam reviews (85.7% positive) than Tower Wars (68.2% positive).
- Tower Wars is currently ~20% cheaper on Steam than DG2: Defense Grid 2 (7.99 USD vs. 9.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Steam Deck: Tower Wars is Deck Playable, DG2: Defense Grid 2 is Deck Verified.
Tower Wars vs DG2: Defense Grid 2 — FAQ
- Which is better, Tower Wars or DG2: Defense Grid 2?
- On Steam reviews DG2: Defense Grid 2 scores higher (85.7% positive) than Tower Wars (68.2% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, DG2: Defense Grid 2 is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Tower Wars or DG2: Defense Grid 2 first?
- If you want chronology, Tower Wars (2012) came out before DG2: Defense Grid 2 (2014). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Tower Wars and DG2: Defense Grid 2 similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Indie on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Do both Tower Wars and DG2: Defense Grid 2 have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Tower Wars ships Online Co-op, Co-op; DG2: Defense Grid 2 ships Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op.