HexTowerDefense vs Retro TD
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
HexTowerDefense
Engage in strategic tower defense on a hexagonal grid. Master placement, range, and timing across 50 campaign levels, daily challenges, and a community workshop. Enjoy a retro aesthetic with no energy timers and limited ads.
- Hexagonal grid placement
- 50 handcrafted campaign levels
- Daily challenges and endless mode
- Community Workshop for sharing layouts
- Eight tower types
- Retro neon aesthetic
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Place towers. Hold the line. HexTowerDefense is a minimalist tower defense game built around a hexagonal grid. Every placement decision matters — angles, range, and timing are yours to control. Three ways to play Campaign — 50 handcrafted levels with Normal, Hard, Veteran & Nightmare difficulty. Earn up to 3 stars per level. Challenges — Daily run, Endless mode, invisible enemies, and more. Complete daily challenges to earn Workshop Tokens. Sandbox — Build freely, experiment, validate your layout, then share it with the world through the Community Workshop. Community Workshop Browse boards submitted by other players, download and test them, rate your favorites, and submit your own for review. Eight tower types, endless possibilities Neon-on-black retro aesthetic. No energy timers. Limited ads.
Retro TD
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Build mazes. Watch creeps puzzle through. Hold the line. Retro TD is a hexagonal-arrow tower defense game. Place towers along the path, upgrade between waves, and survive against creeps that follow the arrows you've drawn. Tight, decision-heavy play — no filler, no grind. AI-GENERATED LEVELS Describe a shape — spiral, figure-8, knot, hourglass, twin loop — and the game generates a new level matching it. Each generation uses one credit; the Starter Pack includes 4, and you can top up when you want more. WHAT'S INSIDE • 30 hand-designed campaign levels, from gentle tutorial to boss-tier • Four tower types with directional aim-lock • A radial build menu that keeps your finger out of the action • Game Center high-wave leaderboards on every level • Reduced Motion option in Settings • Portrait, single-handed play IN-APP PURCHASES • Starter Pack ($2.99): unlocks levels 11–30 and includes 4 AI level credits • Credits 4-Pack ($1.99): four additional AI level credits SHARING Custom levels can be shared with friends by tapping an import link. Levels are filtered for objectionable content; long-press any received level to report it. No ads. No tracking. No account required.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Retro TD at every 3 days against HexTowerDefense's every 10 days. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. HexTowerDefense sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Retro TD sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
HexTowerDefense ships an update every 10 days, Retro TD every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | HexTowerDefense | Retro TD |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.5 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 106 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Maxime Hussenet | Doug Barrett |
In-app purchases
HexTowerDefense
- x2/x4 Speed$1.99
- Remove Ads$3.99
- Gotta Go Faster$4.99
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- All-in-One$4.99
Retro TD
- 4 AI Level Credits$1.99
- Starter Pack$2.99
Questions
Is HexTowerDefense free?
Is Retro TD free?
Do HexTowerDefense or Retro TD have ads?
Which is updated more often, HexTowerDefense or Retro TD?
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