The short answer is no, the full premium Bloons TD games are not available for direct free download on Steam. However, read on and I‘ll explain the options for getting Bloons TD free or cheap on PC. This detailed guide will also overview the insanely fun and strategic gameplay that has made Bloons TD one of the most popular tower defense franchises with over 300 million downloads!
Getting Bloons TD Games Free or Cheap on PC
Let‘s first cover how to get the Bloons TD games on a PC for free or on the cheap:
- Play Bloons TD 1-4 free on web browser – The original entries can be played for free on Ninja Kiwi‘s website, no Steam needed! Relive the classics.
- Install mobile versions using emulator – Use BlueStacks to download the free or paid mobile Bloons TD apps on your PC.
- Wait for Steam free weekends – Occasionally there are free weekends for Bloons TD 5 and 6 on Steam, letting you play for free for a limited time.
- Watch for temporary giveaways – Services like Epic Games Store have temporarily given away free copies of Bloons TD. Keep an eye out!
- Buy on sale – Bloons TD 5 and 6 go on sale for as low as $5 on Steam. At 90% off, that‘s awesome value.
- Play Bloons TD Battles free on Steam – This is the only main series Bloons TD game with a free version available on Steam.
Now let‘s dive deeper into the gameplay and features that have made Bloons TD such a wildly addictive franchise.
Bloons TD Gameplay Overview
Bloons TD combines tower defense, strategy, and action with fun cartoon graphics and monkeys. Here‘s an overview of how these wildly popular games work:
The goal is to build different types of monkey towers so they can pop (destroy) endless waves of bloons before the bloons reach the end of the path. Bloons start out easy but quickly ramp up in health and speed.
You earn money for each bloon popped to build more towers. Towers like dart monkeys, boomerang throwers, bomb shooters, ice monkeys, glue gunners, snipers, buccaneers, aces and more each have different powers. Upgrading them is key.
Some of the toughest bloon types include lightning-fast DDTs, gigantic MOABs, and the massive ZOMG. Their awesome names match their power.
Special hero monkeys like Quincy, Gwendolin and Ben provide bonuses. Game modes like Deflation and CHIMPS pose new challenges.
With tons of content, deep strategy, and multiplayer co-op, it‘s easy to see why gamers can‘t stop playing. Now let‘s explore all the key features in more detail.
Huge Variety of Awesome Monkey Towers
A major aspect that gives Bloons TD tons of replayability is the wide variety of monkey towers you can use to pop bloons. Here are some of the most popular:
- Dart Monkey – The basic shooter that rapidly fires darts. Great early game and ultra-cheap.
- Boomerang Monkey – Deadly accurate boomerangs slice through bloons and come back for more.
- Bomb Tower – Drops explosive bombs that blast nearby bloons with area damage.
- Ice Monkey – Freezes bloons solid, stopping them in their tracks.
- Glue Gunner – Shoots sticky glue that dramatically slows down bloons.
- Sniper Monkey – Picks off tough bloons from long range with precision.
- Ninja Monkey – Throws shurikens in all directions and sabotages bloons.
- Alchemist – Buffs nearby monkeys for extra power with chemicals.
- Druid – Summons vines, thorns, and storms for natural mayhem.
With upgrades, each tower type brings unique tactics to the battlefield. Where you place them is critical to pop every last bloon.
According to the Steam charts, the Alchemist‘s buffing power makes it the most popular tower by usage, followed by the versatile Ninja Monkey.
Devious Bloon Types
Don‘t let their cute appearances fool you – these bloons rapidly evolve into lethal forces of destruction:
- Red Bloon – The first bloon type – pops in one hit.
- Blue Bloon – Takes 2 hits to pop.
- Green Bloon – Resists sharp damage, takes 3 hits.
- Yellow Bloon – Zips along the track, speeding up when hit.
- Pink Bloon – Pops into 2 smaller bloons.
- Black Bloon – Immune to explosions.
- White Bloon – Can only take frost damage.
- Zebra Bloon – Black and white stripes make it a double threat.
- Lead Bloon – Heavy armor absorbs 10 hits.
- Rainbow Bloon – Has camo, black, zebra and lead properties combined.
- Ceramic Bloon – 10x stronger than a rainbow!
- MOAB – Massive Mother of All Bloons blimp with huge health.
- BFB – Brutal Fortified Blimp – even tougher than MOABs!
- DDT – Camo, fast, and almost impervious to damage.
- ZOMG – Zeppelin of Mighty Gargantuaness! Toughest of them all.
The relentless bloon onslaught will annihilate all but the savviest monkey commanders. How far can you get?
Deep Upgrade System
All the towers can be upgraded to increase their pop power. There are often two upgrade paths to choose from with 5 tiers each.
For example, Dart Monkeys can either focus on sharper darts, extra range and camo detection, or triple/mega darts and critical hits. Finding the perfect upgrades is crucial.
Some of the most powerful Tier 5 upgrades that lead to epic destruction include:
- Crossbow Master – Shooting ultra-fast volleys of burning arrows.
- M.O.A.R Glaives – Boomerangs that devastate the entire map.
- Bloon Crush – MOAB Destroyer bombs stun blimps.
- Avatar of Wrath – Druid transformed into an unstoppable beast.
- Legend of the Night – Ninja to surpass the dark blade!
- BEZ – Boomerang throwing behemoth zeppelin.
With hundreds of possible combinations, the deep upgrade system provides tremendous replay value.
Special Mission Heroes
Hero units were first introduced in Bloons TD 6. These powerful monkeys have bonuses that give a huge boost to your defenses:
- Quincy – Rapid firing archer.
- Gwendolin – Pyromancer that roasts bloons.
- Striker Jones – Bombs away! Stuns MOABs.
- Obyn Greenfoot – Druid that boosts magic monkeys.
- Captain Churchill – Tank commander with area damage.
- Benjamin – Hacker monkey earns extra cash.
- Adora – Warrior priestess sacrifices bloons for power.
Leveling up heroes unlocks potent activate abilities too. Most players agree Quincy and Ben are the most beginner-friendly heroes.
Competitive and Co-op Multiplayer
While you can play the Bloons TD games solo, they really shine in multiplayer mode:
- Co-op – Team up to battle through tougher maps and higher difficulties together. Coordinate your towers for maximum popping power.
- Competition – Bloons TD Battles pits you against another player in real-time head-to-head matches. Outwit your rival by sending bloons their way as you both build defenses and expand your economy. With weekly tournaments and ranked leagues, the competition is fierce!
Playing with friends takes the frantic bloon-popping action to another level!
Challenging Game Modes
Veteran monkey commanders looking for a true challenge can take on the expert game modes:
- Deflation – Start with tons of cash but no income for a huge early rush.
- Apopalypse – The bloons never stop coming!
- Reverse – Build your defense back to front starting near the exit.
- CHIMPS – The toughest – no Continues, Hearts, Income, Monkey Knowledge, Powers or Selling allowed!
These modes force you to flawlessly optimize your monkey tower strategies. They offer near endless replayability for those seeking the ultimate bloon conquering glory.
Addictive Progression and Unlocks
A great sense of progression keeps you pushing forward. There are tons of maps, starting from Beginner and going up to the fiendishly difficult Expert.
You earn XP to gain levels and unlock better towers, upgrades, powers, and bonus knowledge. Completing achievements and challenges also rewards you with cool skins, medallions and trophies for your profile.
With hundreds of hours of content, you‘ll always have a new goal on the horizon as you master this incredibly strategic series.
Satisfying Tower Defense Gameplay
At its core, the wildly engaging bloon popping action delivers some of the most satisfying strategic TD gameplay around. The addictive loop of earning money from popped bloons to build better defenses never gets old.
Carefully placing the monkey towers and upgrading them to counter each new bloon threat is extremely rewarding. Seeing your defenses shred through a deadly MOAB rush with perfect upgrades in the ideal spots will have you grinning from ear to ear.
Top Notch Presentation
While the Bloons TD series has humble beginnings as a web game, the graphics and presentation have improved massively over the years. The latest entries like Bloons TD 6 feature detailed 3D graphics, great music, and stylish visual effects as the bloons explode in a dazzling display.
Paired with the charming monkey animations and emotes, the polish really shines through. Small touches like celebrating levels adds to the charm.
Conclusion
While the premium Bloons TD games aren‘t directly free on Steam, I hope this overview has helped explain the different options for getting them free or cheap on PC. And the gameplay details show exactly why this series is so incredibly fun and addictive.
With clever TD strategy, hundreds of maps, deep upgrade trees, and competitive multiplayer, it‘s easy to see why Bloons TD remains one of the top tower defense franchises more than a decade later. The amount of content and options is staggering.
If you love strategy games, give the free web or mobile versions a try first. I‘m sure you‘ll be popping bloons and building monkey towers faster than a pink bloon on steroids!
And if you want the polished premium experiences of Bloons TD 5 and 6, grab them on sale. They are absolutely worth every penny. Let me know which monkey towers and upgrades are your favorites! I‘m partial to a max level Sun Avatar surrounded by 4-2 Alchemists myself. Happy bloon popping!
