We Love It's Guide to…
Move gnome defenders, grow crops for gold, and reshape procedural maps to hold off goblins in turn-based tower defense runs.
Released 04 Apr 2025
Move Gnome Towers
Maze Goblin Routes
Farm for Gold
Gnomes is a turn-based tower defense with deep roguelike progression, set in ever-expanding, procedurally generated biomes. Build, farm and defend your village as you push deeper into goblin-infested territory. Unlock powerful upgrades and craft your environment to survive the endless goblin horde
Developed by DYSTOPIAN · Published by DYSTOPIAN, Gamersky Games
You lead a village of gnomes defending its garden and buildings from goblin attacks. Survive successive nights and push through each biome toward a confrontation with the goblin king.
Between waves, reposition weapon-wielding gnomes and place buildings, crops, and other objects to protect your settlement. Gnomes can block paths, while obstacles and terrain shape the routes goblins take, letting you build mazes and attack lanes.
Crops and production buildings generate gold for defenses and a shop offering a changing selection of gnomes, relics, and other upgrades. Maps, enemy spawns, and available options vary between runs; guilds provide different starting kits, and after defeating the goblin king you can continue into increasingly difficult endless waves.
Players often enjoy the strategic path-building, movable gnome defenders, and the way crops and upgrades support different builds. Changing maps and shop selections give runs variety, while the short wave-based format makes it easy to try another strategy. Some reviews also praise the presentation and soundtrack. Criticism most often centers on shop randomness that can prompt restarts, the repeated work of repositioning units, and a difficulty curve or balance that can feel punishing later on.
Use your gnomes to defend your crops from the goblins on a map that expands every day. On your turn, position your gnomes, prepare your defenses and grow your economy. Test your strategy against endless, procedurally generated encounters and survive long enough to face the goblin king.
Every run in Gnomes is created one of a kind and using a carefully crafted combination of bespoke content and procedurally generated elements. Purchase randomly dealt upgrades and create strategic combinations to unlock your build’s potential. As you progress you gain access to more maps and guilds, each with unique gameplay and challenges.
Turn Based Tower Defense
On your turn, you can move your gnomes as often as you like. Use different combinations of relics and plant abilities to help them survive the night.
Relics, Crops and Upgrades
Each plant, relic, tool and building creates a different possible synergies. Manipulate your environment an and exploit the resources the map provides you. Grow your economy quickly, but don’t forget to defend it.
Diverse Procedurally-Generated Biomes
Distinct biomes with procedurally generated environment, map specific enemies, different hazards and resources. Every run is different.
Guilds with Unique Starts
Each guild stars a different type of gnome accompanied by their own starting economy and a game changing relic. Every guild has different strengths and weaknesses. Some will struggle where others thrive.
Endless Mode
Test your strategy against randomized waves of enemies that become exponentially more difficult every night. After you defeat the goblin king for the first time, you're given the option to continue your run until the goblins overwhelm you. How many nights can you survive?
| Platforms | Windows |
|---|---|
| Achievements | 69 |
| Age ratings |
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| Controller support | Xbox |
| Controller required | No |
| Demo | View demo on Steam |
| Website | Official website |
