Desktop Tower Defense does not follow the generic Tower Defense game style. Unlike many other tower defense games, the path of the creeps themselves is not set; instead, the towers built determine the path of the creeps, who take the shortest path they can find to the exit. This allows for you to choose your own way of playing the game and it also allows for very interesting strategies.

Not only can you affect the path that the creeps follow, but you will also need to manage your finances and decide on whether it is more viable to build more turrets or upgrade your existing ones. Strategic placement of different turrets is key, since each turret has it's place and it's special ability.

The creeps come in waves at set intervals. Each wave of creeps has different characteristics, such as immunity to certain towers, extra resistance to certain towers, and the abilities to spawn new creeps, move faster than normal, or fly over the towers instead of following the maze. For each wave, the game rotates among the types of creeps.