This Astrakeep guide covers everything you need to play well: your first days, the kingdom and its buildings, the heroes and their awakening, the campaign, troops and raids, and alliances. Each topic has its own detailed page; this one gives you the big picture and points you to the right answer. Astrakeep, Djoox Studio's hero strategy game, is playable in your browser and out on Android, on Google Play, free to play with optional in-app purchases; the iPhone version is coming soon.
Astrakeep in thirty seconds
Astrakeep takes place in the Kingdom of Astra, an archipelago of floating islands threatened by "shadow creatures". It's a hero strategy game where every battle is a siege: with an energy gauge and a hand of 4 cards (troops, spells and heroes), you send your army down one of three lanes to bring down the enemy's two towers, then its keep. A tower is worth 1 star, the keep 3. Since the October 16, 2026 update, Astrakeep has no tower defense anymore: the campaign, raids, the Ascension and battles against other players are all sieges.
The kingdom's Battle button opens PvP: you pick an opponent your own strength and besiege their village, and on Sundays the tournament arena offers instant battles with no troops lost. Battles involve no luck: the server replays and checks each one.
Every win brings loot (wood and stone) that you spend growing your kingdom. The kingdom in turn makes your heroes stronger: the Rune Forge boosts their damage, the Barracks raise their HP and train your troops, the Arcane Academy speeds up their special attacks. Alliances round out the game.
The whole game is one loop: besiege, collect, build, power up your heroes, then take on stronger kingdoms.
The seven pages of the guide
1. Getting started
Launching the game for the first time? The Astrakeep beginner guide walks through the tutorial with Orin, your advisor, then sets your priorities for the first days: daily quests, the daily chest, the login streak, protecting your game and choosing your player name. It also covers HD image, an option in the settings.
2. Islands and buildings
Four islands, ten buildings and one central rule: the Crystal Tower caps the level of everything else. The Astrakeep islands and buildings page explains what each building does, what to upgrade first, how the second builder works and how alliance help shortens construction.
3. Heroes
13 heroes, three rarities, stars and shards: the Astrakeep heroes guide covers each hero's role and special attack, summoning at the Summoning Altar with its guaranteed epic card, the four epics the campaign gives you, and how to get the four legendaries, including Jinhou the Monkey King and Varek the Ember Prince, who only come with their own pack in the shop.
4. Hero awakening
A hero at max level with 5 stars awakens. In sieges, an awakened power replaces their special attack and they boost nearby troops even more. The Astrakeep hero awakening guide covers all 13 awakened powers and how to get there.
5. The campaign
A hundred and forty-five levels across twenty-eight chapters, each level an enemy kingdom to besiege and each chapter ending with a boss guarding the keep: every chapter has five levels except "The Heart of the Star", which has ten. The story unfolds over six acts, which you can read back in the Chronicles of Astra, and closes with an ending you choose. The Astrakeep campaign page explains how a siege works, lists the chapters and bosses, gives tactics for lanes and the troop cycle, explains Automatic assault and what to do after a defeat, and introduces The Ascension of Astra, the floor-by-floor mode with seasons.
6. Troops and raids
The Barracks train four troops that beat each other in a cycle. The Astrakeep troops and raids guide covers the five rival villages, PvP and the tournament arena, the world map, scouting, rallies, revenge, shields, your defense, and the spells and ramparts used in sieges.
7. Alliances
Construction help, translated chat, ranks, what it takes to create your own, plus territories, wars and alliance bosses planned in the game: it's all on the Astrakeep alliances page.
Where to start, depending on how you play
- You're new to the game: read the beginner guide, then the heroes page. The first chapters work as a learning curve.
- You're stuck on a level: go to the campaign page (lanes, troop cycle, special attacks), then the buildings page to see what to upgrade.
- You like taking on other players: the troops and raids page explains PvP, the troop cycle and how to defend your village.
- You'd rather play in a group: the alliances page tells you how to pick one and what it does for you.
Astrakeep began as a tower defense game and left the genre on October 16, 2026. If you came for the heroes and the strategy, our guide to free strategy games on mobile walks through the main kinds of mobile strategy games and what sets them apart.
Free, with optional in-app purchases
Astrakeep is free, with optional in-app purchases. The game spells out its principles: "Gems never buy summons", and in the shop, "everything here has a fixed, visible price, with no random draws". Gems are for speed-ups and peace shields, and you also earn them by playing (quests, the daily chest, first wins). The monthly card, which gives gems and resources on every day you log in, will also be available as a monthly subscription wherever your phone's store offers it. Rewarded videos are optional: you choose whether to watch one in exchange for a bonus. Purchases are made in the apps: the web version is there to play for free.
Frequently asked questions
Is Astrakeep out yet?
Yes. Astrakeep is out on Android, on Google Play, free to play with optional in-app purchases, and you can also play Astrakeep online in your browser, on a phone or on a computer. The iPhone version is coming soon. A PC version is also in the works, with no date announced. This guide is updated whenever rules change.
How many heroes and levels does Astrakeep have?
There are 13 playable heroes (three rare; six epic, including Kiran the Star Whelp, given to you at the end of the tutorial; and four legendary, including Jinhou the Monkey King and Varek the Ember Prince) and a 145-level campaign spread over 28 chapters. Every chapter ends with a different boss. A hero levels up to 16, capped by the Crystal Tower, and earns up to 5 stars.
Do you have to pay to get the best heroes?
Epic heroes come from summoning with tokens you earn by playing (and four of them are also given to you by the campaign), and the legendaries Aurelion and Sylvara can be unlocked with 40 legendary fragments, earned one per daily chest you open; they're also sold in the shop at a fixed price. Jinhou and Varek, on the other hand, only come with their own pack in the shop. A bought legendary fights other players too, but, like every hero, it's capped by your Crystal Tower there.
Where can I ask a question about the game?
On the Astrakeep forum, where players and the team share tips and answer questions. To play, or to follow the launch of the iPhone version, head to the Astrakeep page.