Retro TD vs Wavefront
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
Wavefront
Engage in fast-paced tower defense across diverse worlds and challenging levels. Strategically place and upgrade towers, utilize spells, and defeat waves of monsters to protect your base. Compete on global leaderboards and unlock permanent upgrades.
- Strategic tower placement and upgrades
- 100 levels across 5 unique worlds
- Permanent armory upgrades
- Endless survival arena with leaderboards
- Spells and commander abilities
- Offline play
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Wavefront is a fast, colorful tower defense game. Line your towers along the path, upgrade them mid-battle, and hold every wave of monsters before they reach your base — across 5 worlds and 100 levels. Place smart, upgrade at the right moment, and read each wave. Easy to pick up, tuned for short sessions, deep enough to chase a 3-star run on every level. WHAT YOU DO Pick your loadout, place towers along the road, and upgrade them while the wave is still coming. Every level ends with a damage report telling you which weapon actually carried it — so your next loadout is a decision, not a guess. TOWERS • Gun, Rapid and Sniper for ground waves • Frost slows everything it hits • Cannon splashes damage across a group • Flak is the only thing that can touch flyers • Farm prints money instead of bullets • Laser exists for one job: bosses PROGRESSION THAT KEEPS GOING Earn gold in battle and spend it in the Armory on permanent upgrades. Max a weapon out and Mastery takes over — an uncapped track that keeps adding damage for as long as you keep investing. 5 WORLDS, 100 LEVELS Forest, Desert, Winter, City and Space, each with its own 25-strong monster roster: critters, vehicles, jetpack aliens, air bosses and ground bosses. Roads fork, cross and run in pairs, so the same tactics do not work everywhere. SURVIVE An endless hell arena. No level to clear — just how long you can hold, with your time on a global leaderboard. SPELLS AND COMMANDERS Call down a meteor, freeze the field, cash in mid-wave, or EMP the flyers. Pick a commander for a run-long bonus. ALSO • Play offline — no connection needed • Daily quests, achievements and a monster collection • 1-3 stars per level, feeding a global star leaderboard • Seven languages
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Retro TD at none against Wavefront's shown. Retro TD also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 weeks). Wavefront's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, 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. Retro TD sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Wavefront sells 11 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Retro TD ships an update every 3 days, Wavefront every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Retro TD | Wavefront |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 4.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 4 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 421 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Doug Barrett | SAMET VOLKAN CAVUSOGLU |
In-app purchases
Retro TD
- 4 AI Level Credits$1.99
- Starter Pack$2.99
Wavefront
- 150 Diamonds$1.99
- 10 Spell Refreshers$2.99
- Remove Ads$2.99
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- Vault Starter$4.99
- Costume Pack 1$4.99
- Costume Pack 2$4.99
- Golden Pass$6.99
- 800 Diamonds$8.99
- Vault Bundle$12.99
- Platinum Pass$14.99
- 1,800 Diamonds$17.99









