# HIVE: Nest Defense — Grow. Deploy. Hold the Nest.

> Grow. Deploy. Hold the Nest. (iPhone/iPad app by Jonathan Rycx.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hive-nest-defense/id6811489617 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Jonathan Rycx](https://appshunter.io/developer/6776471796)
- Category: Games, Casual, Strategy
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Age rating: 12+
- Requires: iOS 15.0 · 179 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-09-25
- Data updated: 2026-10-26

## What is HIVE?

HIVE is a tactical tower defense game where you grow living towers, deploy troop cards and hold your Nest against waves of Lattice machines. Plan your defense on handcrafted lanes, adapt to every wave and turn the swarm into an unbreakable wall.

GROW LIVING TOWERS

Drag towers onto sockets along the lane and evolve them through three tiers. Acid Spitters shoot down aircraft, Frenzy Maws shred anything up close, Venom Pods slow whole packs and Burst Mortars flatten them from range. Nine tower types, each with its own role, range and tier 3 special.

DEPLOY YOUR TROOPS

Drag troop cards straight onto the battlefield. Send skitter swarms to harass the flanks, brute packs to crack shields, or summon beasts like the Pyre Wyrm, Storm Jelly and Basalt Golem. Brood energy refills over time, so every card is a decision.

BUILD YOUR BATTLE DECK

Pick six towers and four troop cards before each defense. Balance area control, single target, defense and utility, cover ground and air, and keep your hive capacity in check.

CONQUER THE CAMPAIGN

Fight across sectors of five defenses each, choose your route at every fork, and face a Fortress Commander at the end of each sector. Earn stars, claim sector relics and unlock new towers and troops as you go.

EVOLVE THE HIVE

Invest biomass in tower mastery and permanent research, unlock Nest skins and Nest defenses, and complete daily and weekly quests, milestones and challenges for extra rewards.

EVERY WAVE IS A PUZZLE

Call waves early for bonus biomass, speed up to 2x when the lane is locked down, and pinch to zoom and drag to scout the whole map. Aircraft, armored troops and commanders all demand a different answer.

Quick landscape sessions, responsive touch controls, striking science-fiction visuals and no required online account.

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Starter Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| 1,200 Cores | $3.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $9.99 | one-time |
| 2,600 Cores | $7.99 | one-time |
| 500 Cores | $1.99 | one-time |
| 5,500 Cores | $14.99 | one-time |


## Is HIVE safe?

Not enough ratings yet to assess HIVE.

## Is HIVE legit?

HIVE: Nest Defense appears legitimate, with a few gaps. The AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for HIVE is 65 out of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data.


## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.7 — 2026-10-21

What's New in 1.7: 

- Improved tower placement for fast taps and selections.
- Fixed interrupted touch gestures that could leave tower placement stuck.
- Improved battlefield panning, pinch-to-zoom transitions, and camera movement near map edges.
- Added new Home cards: suggested mastery upgrades when all items are unlocked, and an Endless challenge when every tower is maxed.

### 1.6 — 2026-10-20

NEW in HIVE 1.6

Explore distinct sector environments and the campaign map.
Discover refreshed Endless, Daily Threat, Replay and Test Range modes.
Unlock larger fortress-style Nests with customizable colors.
Updated tower designs, artwork and animated enemy legs.
Redesigned Codex with larger previews and clearer information.
Improved iPhone layouts and subtle UI animations.
Campaign difficulty and economy adjustments, clearer rewards and expanded French translations.

### 1.5 — 2026-10-19

HIVE has been rebuilt from the ground up as a tactical tower defense game. The swarm is now on the defensive.

NEW IN 1.5

Defend the Nest: hold your hive against waves of Lattice machines across handcrafted lanes.
Living towers: drag nine tower types onto sockets and evolve them through three tiers, each with its own role and tier 3 special.
Troop cards: drag squads and beasts straight onto the lane, powered by brood energy.
Battle Deck: choose six towers and four troops before every defense and balance your coverage of ground and air.
New campaign: sectors of five defenses, route choices at every fork, Fortress Commanders and sector relics.
The Lab: tower mastery, permanent research, Nest skins and Nest defenses.
Quests and awards: daily and weekly quests, milestones and challenges.
Daily Threat and Endless modes.
Redesigned interface in landscape, with HD art throughout.
New How to Play guide, including drag to place, pinch to zoom and drag to pan.
A brand new score and sound design.

Thank you for playing. Tell us what you think!

### 1.4 — 2026-10-15

HIVE 1.4

• Refreshed mobile UI with clearer buttons and improved iPhone spacing.
• Fixed troop cards overlapping the minimap and repositioned Evolve.
• Added fortress details, arena scenery, and ranged ground troops.
• Improved collection artwork, distinct relic designs, and season rewards.
• Redesigned the shop for easier browsing.
• Simplified pause, victory, and defeat screens.
• Fixed abandon-run confirmation overlap.
• Improved frame pacing, adaptive graphics, and swarm rendering.

### 1.3 — 2026-10-05

HIVE 1.3 — Sharper battles. Smoother control.

• More satisfying fortress destruction with cracks, collapsing structures, biomass bursts, sounds and haptics.
• Smoother swarm movement and a 45-degree battle view.
• Evolution choices and installed genes together in one screen.
• Redesigned Quick Assault with compact depth details, five playstyles and optional boosts.
• Clearer battle reports without stretching the result panel.
• Faster onboarding and more distinctive swarm tactics.
• Revised mutation balance and consistent combat across graphics settings.
• Adaptive visual quality and faster home loading.
• Improved save recovery and protection against duplicate rewards.

Various mobile layout and reliability fixes.

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## More apps by Jonathan Rycx

- [Neon Horde: Survivor](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/neon-horde-survivor/id6795381974)
- [STACK: Tower Builder](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stack-tower-builder/id6796613603)
- [FISSION: Signal Relay](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fission-signal-relay/id6797420982)
- [WRECKAGE: Survivor](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wreckage-survivor/id6803520418)
- [LUMEN: Chase the Light](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lumen-chase-the-light/id6803525246)

All apps by Jonathan Rycx: https://appshunter.io/developer/6776471796

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-10-26.*