How to play
Defend the Palace is a free fantasy tower defence game for desktop and mobile browsers. Protect the white-walled Palace from monsters arriving through northern caves and side forests. Survive forty rounds and defeat the ancient red dragon.
Build a defence that works together
You start with 150 gold. Select a tower and click a grass grid cell to build. Kills and cleared waves earn gold. Click a built tower to buy Super and Ultra upgrades. Each upgrade changes its appearance, weapon effect and strength.
| Tower | Best use | Targets |
|---|---|---|
| Arrow | Fast, reliable single-target damage | Ground + air |
| Cannon | Explosive damage against crowds; pierces most armor | Ground |
| Lightning | Chains through 2, 3 or 5 flying enemies as it upgrades | Air |
| Ice | Slows groups so other towers get more shots | Ground + air |
| Poison | Slows tough targets; venom ignores armor and does not stack | Ground + air |
Prepare for each round
The first round begins after 30 seconds. Later rounds arrive every 60 seconds. Use the send button or Space to bring the next round early. Flying creatures follow the roads, but Cannon cannot hit them. Mix damage towers with slowing towers instead of relying on one type.
Four bosses
- Round 10: the Ogre chieftain summons raiders.
- Round 20: the Stormwing sovereign shields nearby enemies.
- Round 30: the labyrinth king enrages below half health.
- Round 40: the ancient red dragon scorches and disables nearby towers.
The boss bar shows remaining health and a countdown before its ability fires. Enemies that reach the Palace keep attacking until your towers defeat them.
On your phone
Drag to move the battlefield. Choose a tower, tap an empty grass square to preview it, then tap the same square again or use Build here. Tap a built tower to upgrade or sell it. Map opens the minimap, and Pause opens sound and game controls. The game automatically pauses when you switch apps or lock your phone.
Install the game
Use the install option in the Chrome menu. The installed game opens in its own window with a Palace icon on your home screen. After the first successful online load, local play works offline. Sign-in, leaderboard and analytics need a connection. Updates wait until the current game is closed or you choose Update ready on the main menu.
Controls
Drag or use WASD / arrow keys to move the camera. Press 1–5 to choose towers, U to upgrade, Space to send the next round, and Escape to pause. Escape first cancels an active placement or camera action. Music and effects controls are in the pause menu.
The Palace Challenge
The first ten rounds introduce the enemy types. Pressure increases through rounds 11–20, and the final twenty demand upgraded towers, well-placed slowing effects and dedicated anti-air. The next-round panel shows the incoming enemy and a useful counter before it arrives. Early sending is optional: it brings danger sooner and gives no extra gold.
High scores
Play without an account. Your best completed run is kept on this device; the game does not save a run in progress. Optional ChatGPT sign-in enables the community leaderboard. Choose a public nickname before submitting. Community scores are browser-reported and checked for basic plausibility.
Scoring: 1,000 points per cleared round, 10 per defeated enemy, 50 per remaining Palace health, and a 50,000-point victory bonus.