City DefenseAbout › Games on real maps
Games on real maps: tower defense and strategy built on OpenStreetMap
Only a handful of games offer tower defense or defensive strategy on a real map of the world. In the browser there is City Defense (a 3D city with towers on real rooftops), MapsTD (2D on Google Maps), the multiplayer GEOFALL and the Human.Kapital prototype; on PC there is the paid Infection Free Zone. Here is how they compare as of 27 September 2026.
City Defense is free to play in your browser – no download, no sign-up. First mission: Brno, náměstí Svobody.
Play freeGames on real maps compared
| Game | Where you play | Map | What you do | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City Defense | browser | OpenStreetMap, 3D buildings with real heights; any place via the editor | wave-based tower defense: towers on rooftops, enemies in the streets, destructible buildings | free |
| MapsTD | browser | 2D on Google Maps, routes from OpenRouteService; search any place or pick one of 11 preset locations | classic tower defense along routes | free |
| GEOFALL | browser | 2D world map, player bases on real streets | multiplayer: defend your base, train units, join clans | free-to-play |
| Human.Kapital | browser (itch.io) | 2D, live OpenStreetMap data; any place on Earth | containment strategy: build a wall and sluices against a crowd of about two thousand agents | free, prototype |
| Infection Free Zone | Windows (Steam), Early Access since April 2024 | 3D from OpenStreetMap; any region of the world | build a settlement and defend it from the infected | paid |
| Zombie Tower Defense | Java application | maps from anywhere in the world | zombie tower defense | free; the original no longer runs, a fixed version is on GitHub |
What makes City Defense different
- A real 3D city with building heights. Roof height sets a tower's range, and the height of the surrounding buildings sets what it can see. Flat 2D map games don't have this layer.
- The city can be destroyed. Buildings have hit points and floors, they collapse, and their rubble buries streets – enemies then look for another way or slowly climb over the rubble.
- Enemies attack your buildings. Shooters, sappers and bosses bring down the buildings your towers stand on.
- Missions anywhere, no account. The editor proposes the defended area and spawn points, a bot test estimates the difficulty, and missions are shared as links.
- No download. It runs in the browser, and all the computation happens on the player's device.
When to pick another game
- Want to play with or against others? City Defense is single-player only – GEOFALL offers multiplayer.
- Want to build and manage a settlement with a story? Infection Free Zone is a deeper city-building strategy (paid, PC).
- Playing mostly on a phone? City Defense has its own touch controls (buttons at the bottom under your thumb, towers placed as a preview you confirm) and can be added to the home screen as an app.
How we compared
The list covers games that build their play area from a real map of the world and involve defense or tower defense. We used the games' official pages and the list of games on the OpenStreetMap wiki. Games that only imitate real places with hand-drawn levels, and location-based (GPS) games, are not included.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a tower defense game on a map of my own city?
Yes. In City Defense you can use the mission editor to set up a mission anywhere OpenStreetMap has streets and buildings mapped. The 2D game MapsTD also lets you pick any place.
Which games use OpenStreetMap data?
Of the games listed here: City Defense, Human.Kapital, Infection Free Zone and Zombie Tower Defense. The OpenStreetMap wiki keeps a longer list of games built on OSM.