Defense Grid 2 review

Defense Grid 2 is the classic choice for players who enjoy building mazes rather than filling fixed slots. Hidden Path Entertainment describes large, open-ended levels with multiple strategic solutions, and a story campaign across 21 dynamic maps that shift as you play. The Aftermath DLC adds five larger story missions. Beyond the campaign there are hundreds of challenge mode variants, online co-op and competitive multiplayer, plus Steam Workshop support and level creation tools. The Steam page lists full voice localization in Chinese, Korean, Spanish, English, French and German. It costs $9.99 on the US Steam store and runs on modest PCs with 3 GB of RAM and 2 GB of storage. Its 85% positive rating across 1,842 English Steam reviews is solid but trails the games ranked above it, and it is Windows only.

Who it is for

puzzle-minded players who like open maze-building maps

Price

$9.99 one-time purchase on Steam (US store).

Now is the perfect time to enter the grid. $9.99 Buy on Steam
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 11, 2026.

Key features

• Story campaign across 21 dynamic maps
• Aftermath DLC with five more story missions
• Hundreds of challenge mode variants
• Online co-op and player versus player
• Steam Workshop and level creation tools

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: $9.99 for a 21-map campaign
• Strength: Full voice localization in six languages, per the Steam page
• Strength: Supports online co-op, PvP and full controller support
• Weakness: 85% of 1,842 English Steam reviews are positive, below the top five
• Weakness: Windows only on Steam
• Weakness: Released in 2014

Key facts

• Developer: Hidden Path Entertainment
• Released on Steam: September 23, 2014
• Minimum RAM: 3 GB
• English Steam reviews: 85% positive of 1,842
• Metacritic (shown on Steam): 81

Where it ranks

Defense Grid 2 is No. 6 in our Best Tower Defense Games verdict.