Protolife

Real-time tower defense where block patterns determine your weapons

Volcanic Giraffe · Released Jun 15, 2018

Reviews: Very Positive; 86% of 460
Recent reviews: Not enough recent
Players: 0; daily peak, Oct 29, 2026
Steam Deck: Verified
Last update on Steam: 2 months ago; Aug 1, 2026
Minimum PC: OpenGL 2.0 support; 2 GB RAM · 0.5 GB disk; Full requirements

What is Protolife?

A top-down strategy game about defending a human colony on Gagarin-5 from a spreading alien lifeform. Across a mission-based campaign, you directly control builders, dismantle and reposition fortifications, survive nighttime attacks, and reclaim infected ground.

For you if...

+you enjoy managing scarce resources across several battlefronts
+you want randomized missions and a custom tower editor

Not for you if...

−you expect traditional mouse controls in strategy games

What players say

86% of 460 reviews are positive

Players praise the hands-on strategy and the extra challenge of New Game+. Some note steep difficulty increases during the campaign. A recent Mac reviewer reports a research-screen glitch that prevents play.

Screenshots and trailer

Protolife system requirements

Minimum: OpenGL 2.0 support, 2 GB RAM, 0.5 GB of disk space.

As published by the developer.

Can my PC run Protolife?

Tell us your graphics card once and every game page will answer this for you.

Set up my PC →

Minimum

OS: Windows 7 or later
Processor: 2.7 GHz
Graphics: OpenGL 2.0 support, 256 MB VRAM
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Storage: 500 MB available space
Notes: Minimum resolution: 1280 x 720

Does Protolife have co-op or multiplayer?

No: single-player only, no multiplayer modes declared.

Single-player

Does Protolife run on Steam Deck?

Verified Yes, Verified by Valve: it works on Steam Deck out of the box.

All functionality is accessible with the default controller configuration
Shows Steam Deck controller icons
In-game text is legible on Steam Deck
Default graphics settings perform well on Steam Deck
External controllers are not supported for the primary player

PC version details

DRM: None declared on Steam
Controller: Full controller support
Platforms: Windows, macOS
Achievements: 29
Steam features: Workshop, Family Sharing, Trading cards
Languages: Text only: English, Russian.

Does Protolife use AI-generated content?

No AI-generated content is disclosed on the game's Steam page.

Self-reported by the developer under Steam rules: it covers AI content that ships in the game, not tools used to make it. Steam page checked on Oct 27, 2026. How to filter AI games on Steam