Bloons TD 5 vs Bloons TD 6: Which is the better game?

Tower defense games come in all shapes and sizes – some of them are focused on epic fantasy sagas, while others zone in on military or zombie themes. The tower defense series that I’ve been playing for the last 20 years, though, focuses on balloons and monkeys. Naturally.

Developed and published by Ninja Kiwi, the Bloons Tower Defense series is a legendary part of the tower defense world. Bloons TD 5 and Bloons TD 6 are both stellar games, but as someone with a frankly embarrassing amount of hours in both, one of them stands out as slightly better than the other. Here’s a rundown of Bloons TD 5 vs Bloons TD 6.

Both games have a solid variety of content

Bloons Tower Defense 5 came out initially in 2011 in its original Flash format, with further versions being released on iOS in 2012 then Steam in 2014. Despite its age, it still holds up as a polished and enjoyable game that can easily whittle away at your free time if you’re not paying attention.

Bloons Tower Defense 6 came out in 2018 on mobile and PC, and has had subsequent versions released ever since then, with the most recent release at the time of writing being a Nintendo Switch build. This came out on June 18, 2026.

Just like the game that came out before it, Bloons Tower Defense 6 is a colorful and engaging title that’s very easy to lose track of time with.

I’ve been playing Bloons games ever since the original Bloons Tower Defense came out as a free Flash game in 2007. I vividly remember playing the original on a clunky old laptop in the kitchen of my childhood home, and I credit it with getting me into other types of strategy games later in life, like Age of Empires.

Something that’s always impressed me with Bloons TD ever since the beginning is just how big the games are. The variety of maps, towers, and modes in both Bloons TD 5 and Bloons TD 6 is astounding, particularly in the case of the latter.

Bloons TD 5 does still get updated, much to the amazement of the Bloons community; a brand new map was released for the 12 year old game on August 11, 2026, giving players a brand new balloon-hunting ground to experiment with.

In comparison, though, Bloons TD 6 receives a lot more love and attention from its developers, which makes sense. The game is regularly being tweaked and honed, and new maps and Heroes or towers frequently make an appearance, alongside new ways to play outside of the standard modes.

There’s also a vibrant community and co-op aspect to Bloons TD 6. There are regular boss battle events, team-based challenges, and special map modifiers that make it rewarding to play through regularly. BTD5 does have live challenges still, but not to the same extent.

Bloons Tower Defense 5 is more challenging

I’ve spent an obscene amount of time with Bloons Tower Defense over the years, both on mobile and PC. Both Bloons TD 5 and Bloons TD 6 have their perks – in fact, I play them both obsessively still – but if you’re someone who craves a challenge with their tower defense games, the older title is your best bet.

Based on my playthroughs, Bloons TD 5 presents more of a challenge in its standard mode than the newest game in the series, particularly if you’re chasing the trickier achievements or the hard mode medals.

While you can breeze through easy and medium maps, for the most part, anything above this presents a decent challenge. I’d say this is due to how much autonomy BTD6 gives its players with Heroes and Monkey Knowledge; playing without these, even including Special Agents and Coin power-ups, feels like a debuff.

If you’re unfamiliar, Heroes are the BTD6 equivalent of Special Agents in BTD5, essentially, with Monkey Knowledge being an expanded version of the fifth game’s Coin power-up and purchasable enhancement system.

That’s not to say that Bloons Tower Defense 6 isn’t difficult, by any means. Completing a Hard mode Odyssey run – a gauntlet, with multiple maps – takes patience and preparation, some of the achievements and medals are brutal, and the boss rushes can be hard as well.

If challenges and rewarding achievements are top of your priority list, then I’d suggest opting for Bloons Tower Defense 5 above all else, though.

Both games are very satisfying to play as a completionist and achievement hunter, too. BTD5 has 135 Steam achievements, some of which are obscenely niche and time-consuming, and BTD6 has 156, some of which are just as maddening as the previous game’s offerings.

Looking at performance and visuals, both of the Bloons Tower Defense games in question look good and run smoothly, with no noticeable glitches, bugs, or visual quirks.

My set-up is rough, to put it mildly – a low-range PC, £80 laptop, and iPhone 13 Pro Max that’s been thrown down the stairs – and both games run perfectly on all three of these options. I’d recommend playing it on PC over mobile purely for the screen size, but that’s down to personal preference.

Interestingly, you can pick up Bloons Tower Defense 6 through both Apple Arcade and the Netflix games list. If you’re hoping to only purchase one game and already happen to subscribe to one of these services, you’ll have BTD6 available already at no extra cost.

It’s the game I’d recommend out of the two, as well. While Bloons Tower Defense 5 does still play beautifully and have a barrage of content to zip through, Bloons Tower Defense 6 offers a slightly smoother experience, has a wider variety of modes and content styles, and is still updated very regularly with new Heroes and maps.

FAQs

About The Author