1
Squirrel's Pick Squirrel's PickThe best game on this page. If you only try one, try this. Closest Match Closest MatchThe most similar game to the anchor, by what players say.
Tower DefenseCity BuilderMinimalist
$8.44 ~13.9 hr median no co-op complexity: light 96.2% of 23k
The Squirrel's verdictBoth mix tower defense with economy management under wave pressure, but Thronefall trades Gnomes' roguelike run-based grind for a shorter, hand-built campaign of discrete levels with perks and mutators. Median playtime sits under 14 hours, so this suits players who want the same build-and-defend loop without Gnomes' endless replay curve.
Not for you if you want the deep run-to-run roguelike variety and long-term grind Gnomes offers rather than a compact set of levels.
2
Tower DefenseBase-BuildingRogue-like
$17.49 ~57.4 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 85.6% of 5k
The Squirrel's verdictTower Dominion's defining mechanic is a card-draw system that determines which towers become available each run — reviewers note it can hand you redundant options while withholding counters you need, making high-difficulty runs feel RNG-decided rather than strategy-decided. At a median of 57 hours, the scope matches Gnomes, but reviews describe difficulty that jumps from manageable to lethal without clear player-side causes.
Not for you if you want consistent difficulty scaling or long-term replay variety — reviews report enemy scaling spikes and that the game feels stale after an initial clear.
3
Hidden Gem Hidden GemLoved by the players who found it, but still under the radar.
AutomationTower DefenseBase-Building
$14.99 ~25.7 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 89.3% of 1k
The Squirrel's verdictTower Factory combines tower defense with resource-economy management like Gnomes, structuring runs as roguelite attempts you're expected to fail and restart. Unlike Gnomes' multiple viable strategies, tight build space and capped tower counts push most players toward one build order per map. Fits those who want fast, RTS-paced runs over open-ended tactical experimentation.
Not for you if you want the build variety and multiple viable strategies Gnomes offers rather than a fixed build order forced by tower caps and RNG-heavy maps
4
Hidden Gem Hidden GemLoved by the players who found it, but still under the radar.
Rogue-liteTower DefenseCard Game
$7.49 ~17.8 hr median no co-op 90.3% of 248
The Squirrel's verdictEndless waves and a layered research tree built over roguelike card choices give Mineral Defense more permanent progression to chase than Gnomes offers. Random map generation and card draws vary each run, and the research tree carries forward between attempts. Reviewers confirm late-game performance drops as enemy counts climb, and one notes a UI overhaul degraded usability after launch. Median playtime is 17.8 hours.
Not for you if you need the late game to run smoothly, since high enemy counts noticeably bog down performance as runs extend.
5
Hidden Gem Hidden GemLoved by the players who found it, but still under the radar.
No Creeps Were Harmed TD
PC
Tower DefenseSci-fiAutomation
$9.99 ~18.6 hr median co-op 89.2% of 492
The Squirrel's verdictA controllable player unit, configurable turret targeting, and co-op support are what separate No Creeps Were Harmed TD from most of the genre. Level-based rather than run-based, it sits closer to an advanced Defense Grid than to Gnomes' roguelike structure — reviewers highlight many viable tower roles and economic approaches per map, plus an active developer. Median playtime is 18.6 hours.
Not for you if you specifically want run-based restarts, class selection, or biome variation rather than level-based design.
6
Tower DefenseRTSCute
Cozy CozyLow-stress and wholesome — a game to unwind with.
$9.99 ~5.6 hr median no co-op 87.4% of 715
The Squirrel's verdictToy Shire keeps tower defense's core tension of revenue versus board control but drops the roguelike economy layer Gnomes builds around. It's level-based rather than run-based, no rerolling classes or biomes mid-session. Median playtime sits around 5.6 hours, closer to a tight campaign than Gnomes' endless daily-challenge grind. For players who want the genre without the meta-strategy layer.
Not for you if you came to Gnomes for the roguelike economy-building and class/biome variety across long runs rather than fixed level design.
7
TDS - Tower Defense Strategy
PCMacLinux
Tower DefenseRTS2.5D
$17.99 ~33.6 hr median co-op 81.1% of 366
The Squirrel's verdictBoth build tower defense around economy management and multiple viable strategies rather than fixed solutions. TDS adds vessels/characters with distinct tower options, per-map puzzles, and co-op play. Reviewers confirm real depth and replayability across many maps, but the UI is widely called confusing and animations slow, unlike the more streamlined feel Gnomes players expect.
Not for you if you have low tolerance for a cumbersome, widely-criticized UI and slow between-run animations getting in the way of the strategy.
8
Tower DefenseCartoonyRogue-lite
$11.99 ~20.4 hr median no co-op 79.6% of 695
The Squirrel's verdictHexguardian shares Gnomes' roguelite tower defense structure: random elements shape each run, economy and army growth compete for resources, and path control lets you plan defenses. If you liked Gnomes' balance of build variety and long-run optimization, this scratches the same itch, but multiple reviewers report late-run performance problems around wave 40 that Gnomes doesn't share.
Not for you if you plan to push runs past 40 waves, where reviewers report severe lag makes the game unplayable.