Defense Grid: The Awakening
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Estimated FPS across quality settings and resolutions
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Defense Grid: The Awakening FPS by GPU
Estimated framerates for 14 reference GPUs · pick a resolution and quality
Full benchmark grid · 14 GPUs × 4 qualities × 3 resolutions
1080p performance
| GPU | low | medium | high | ultra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTX 5090 | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps |
| RTX 4090 | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps |
| RX 7900 XTX | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps |
| RTX 5080 | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps |
| RTX 4080 Super | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps |
| RTX 4070 Ti | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps |
| RTX 4070 | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps |
| RX 7800 XT | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps |
| RTX 3080 | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps |
| RTX 4060 Ti | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps |
| RTX 3070 | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 988 fps |
| RTX 4060 | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 892 fps |
| RTX 3060 | 999 fps | 999 fps | 941 fps | 765 fps |
| GTX 1660 Super | 999 fps | 853 fps | 682 fps | 554 fps |
1440p performance
| GPU | low | medium | high | ultra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTX 5090 | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps |
| RTX 4090 | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps |
| RX 7900 XTX | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps |
| RTX 5080 | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps |
| RTX 4080 Super | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps |
| RTX 4070 Ti | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps |
| RTX 4070 | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps |
| RX 7800 XT | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 884 fps |
| RTX 3080 | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 860 fps |
| RTX 4060 Ti | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 813 fps |
| RTX 3070 | 999 fps | 999 fps | 912 fps | 741 fps |
| RTX 4060 | 999 fps | 999 fps | 824 fps | 669 fps |
| RTX 3060 | 999 fps | 882 fps | 706 fps | 574 fps |
| GTX 1660 Super | 800 fps | 640 fps | 512 fps | 416 fps |
4K performance
| GPU | low | medium | high | ultra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTX 5090 | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps |
| RTX 4090 | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 994 fps |
| RX 7900 XTX | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 892 fps |
| RTX 5080 | 999 fps | 999 fps | 999 fps | 841 fps |
| RTX 4080 Super | 999 fps | 999 fps | 973 fps | 790 fps |
| RTX 4070 Ti | 999 fps | 961 fps | 769 fps | 625 fps |
| RTX 4070 | 999 fps | 824 fps | 659 fps | 535 fps |
| RX 7800 XT | 907 fps | 725 fps | 580 fps | 472 fps |
| RTX 3080 | 882 fps | 706 fps | 565 fps | 459 fps |
| RTX 4060 Ti | 833 fps | 667 fps | 533 fps | 433 fps |
| RTX 3070 | 760 fps | 608 fps | 486 fps | 395 fps |
| RTX 4060 | 686 fps | 549 fps | 439 fps | 357 fps |
| RTX 3060 | 588 fps | 471 fps | 376 fps | 306 fps |
| GTX 1660 Super | 426 fps | 341 fps | 273 fps | 222 fps |
Where to buy
Defense Grid: The Awakening
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$9.99
Minimum Hardware
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Genres
About
Defense Grid: The Awakening is a tower defense strategy game released in 2008 that puts you in control of defending Power Cores from waves of insectoid invaders. You'll construct and upgrade one of ten unique towers across fixed platforms, with each tower offering distinct advantages and disadvantages that require careful planning. The game's strategic depth comes from tower placement and resource management rather than reflexive action, making it accessible to players who enjoy puzzle-like challenges.
This indie title is extremely lightweight by modern standards, making it an excellent benchmark for older systems or integrated graphics. Even modest GPUs from the last decade will easily achieve 60+ FPS at maximum settings, and most integrated graphics can maintain smooth performance without issues. You'll find Defense Grid runs well on virtually any PC, so performance testing here focuses more on compatibility than demanding benchmark scenarios.
If you enjoy tower defense games with solid strategic gameplay, Defense Grid's 71/100 rating suggests a competent experience worth trying. The low hardware requirements mean there's virtually no barrier to entry, making it a great casual strategy game for any PC gamer's library.
Performance profile
December 2008 release. Defense Grid: The Awakening targets mid-2000s-to-early-2010s hardware — any modern entry-level GPU (GTX 1650 tier or newer integrated graphics) handles it at 1080p Ultra without breaking a sweat.
As a strategy title, Defense Grid: The Awakening is typically CPU-bound rather than GPU-bound — single-thread CPU performance dictates framerate during large-scale battles, end-game saves and late-game AI turns. A fast modern 6-core will help more than a GPU upgrade.
Extremely light — Defense Grid: The Awakening runs at 60 FPS 1080p on any integrated GPU (Intel Iris Xe, AMD Radeon Graphics) or a decade-old discrete card like the GTX 1050. A current-gen RTX 4060 pushes 4K Ultra without effort.
