Looking for castle defense games on mobile, where you hold the line against wave after wave of enemies? In Astrakeep, creatures of shadow march on the Kingdom of Astra along a path, and you station heroes on platforms so that none of them gets through. Between battles you strengthen your kingdom, then defend your own village against rivals and other players, even while you're offline. Astrakeep is free to play with optional in-app purchases, and it's coming soon to Android.
The idea: stop every wave before it breaks through
The tutorial puts it simply: enemies follow the path, and you tap a platform to place a hero there. Your heroes attack on their own; when a special attack is charged, you tap it at the bottom of the screen. And above all, don't let a single enemy slip past.
That's what makes castle defense satisfying: you don't aim every shot, you decide where your defenders stand and when to unleash their strongest moves. Battles play out in waves until the final one, and an Auto mode is there for levels you've already mastered.
Heroes instead of towers
In Astrakeep, your defenses are heroes, each with a job to do:
- Kael the Knight fights in melee and blocks ground enemies, perfect for holding a chokepoint;
- Lyra the Archer fires rapid shots;
- Orin the Mage deals area damage to packs of enemies;
- Nyx the Sorceress wields frost and her Blizzard;
- Tharok the Bombardier lobs bombs from very far away.
Pairing a blocker with ranged damage dealers is the backbone of any solid defense. You start with 6 platforms, then unlock a 7th and 8th by upgrading your Barracks. To dig deeper, read our page on tower defense games with heroes.
Bosses that test your defense
The campaign has 18 chapters of 5 levels, and every fifth level is a boss: the Shadow Titan, the Crystal Dragon, the Goblin King, the Lich, the Void Hydra and more. Their powers punish a lazy setup: summoning reinforcements, raising a shield, spinning webs, healing, teleporting, flying into a rage.
When your line breaks, the game points you the right way: upgrade your heroes or change their placement, then try again. To set up your first chapters well, follow our Astrakeep beginner's guide.
Strengthen your castle between battles
Every level you win pays out wood and stone, which you spend building your kingdom of floating islands. Several buildings directly make your defense stronger:
- the Crystal Tower, the heart of your kingdom, whose level caps every other building;
- the Rune Forge, which boosts damage for all heroes;
- the Barracks, which increases hero health and adds platforms;
- the Arcane Academy, which charges special attacks faster.
Heroes themselves level up to 40 and earn up to 5 stars, each star making them much more powerful.
Defending your own village
The castle you defend is also your own. AI-run rival villages can attack your kingdom, and the game alerts you with a Defend button. Other players can attack too.
On the Defense formation screen, you place heroes on your platforms, and they defend whenever a rival attacks, even if you're not logged in. Against other players, your 3 best heroes do the defending. After a raid, a 6-hour shield protects your village. Player attacks aren't played in real time; it's all explained on our page about tower defense PvP on mobile.
The other side of the walls
You can attack, too. The five rival villages defend themselves with archer, sorcery and frost towers, and it's up to you to bring them down with your troops, from the humble footman to the crystal colossus.
What about how your castle looks?
On the world map, your village can take the form of an Ice, Fire, Crystal, Shadow or Dawn Castle. These skins are purely cosmetic and have no effect in battle.
Castle defense built for your phone
Auto mode takes care of levels you've already mastered, construction keeps going while the game is closed, and notifications never bother you between 10 pm and 8 am. If playing on mobile is what matters most, see our page on tower defense games for mobile, and for the full picture, our roundup of free tower defense games.
Frequently asked questions
Is Astrakeep a castle defense game?
In spirit, yes: you defend the Kingdom of Astra against waves of enemies following a path by placing heroes on platforms. You also defend your own village against rivals and other players.
Do I build towers?
Your defenders are heroes, not towers. Towers (archer, sorcery, frost) guard the rival villages you attack.
Is my castle defended when I'm not playing?
Yes. Your heroes hold your defense formation even when you're offline, and a 6-hour shield protects you after a raid.
When can I play?
Astrakeep is coming soon to Android. It will be free to play, with optional in-app purchases.
