Your main goal in Toy Soldiers is to defend your Toy Box, which represents your base.
The enemy will send waves of soldiers, tanks, planes, and other units to reach it.
If too many enemies manage to enter your Toy Box, you lose the match.
Your job is to stop them by building defenses, controlling units, and managing your resources wisely.

Each level is designed like a miniature diorama set during World War I.
Enemies follow predetermined paths from their base to your Toy Box.
Along those paths, you’ll see circular build points — these are the spots where you can place defensive towers.

Before starting the mission or during the first waves, take a moment to study the map.
Identify the main enemy routes and the most effective locations for your defenses.
A bit of planning at the start can make all the difference later on.

To stop the enemy, you must build towers on the available points across the map.
These towers cost money (called “Funds”), which you earn by destroying enemies or objects in the environment.

There are several types of towers, each serving a different purpose:

- Machine Guns are cheap and fire rapidly, perfect for wiping out infantry.
Place them near the beginning of enemy paths or where soldiers bunch up.

- Artillery Guns launch explosive shells that deal area damage.
They’re great against tanks and large groups but have slower firing speed.

- Anti-Aircraft (AA) Guns are vital for taking down planes and airships.
Place them on high ground or near your base for best results.

- Mortars fire in an arc, ideal for hitting enemies behind cover.

- Sniper Towers are precise, long-range weapons, useful for picking off lone targets that slip through.

Each tower can be upgraded up to three levels, increasing its range, damage, and rate of fire.
Upgrading a well-placed tower is usually better than building multiple weak ones.

One of Toy Soldiers’ most unique features is the ability to take direct control of any tower or vehicle.
To do this, approach a tower and press the interaction key (default: “E”).
You’ll switch from the overhead strategic view to a first-person perspective where you can aim and fire manually.

Controlling a unit manually gives you better precision and allows you to prioritize high-value targets.
For example, taking over a machine gun or an AA gun at the right moment can completely turn the tide of a wave.

When you’re done, press the exit key to return to the main view.
It’s smart to use manual control during critical moments, such as when heavy tanks or boss enemies appear.

Every enemy you destroy earns you some money.
You can also gain extra funds by blowing up objects around the map, like barrels or vehicles.
Use your funds to build new towers or upgrade existing ones.

Don’t spend all your money right away.
Keep a small reserve in case new threats appear or you need to build an emergency defense.
Always think one wave ahead — check what enemies are coming next and prepare the right defenses.

As you progress through the campaign, you’ll unlock special controllable vehicles like tanks, planes, and mobile mortars.
These units aren’t stationary like towers — you can drive or fly them freely around the battlefield.

Tanks are excellent against ground units and clusters of infantry, while planes are great for shooting down enemy aircraft or bombing ground targets.
However, remember that while you control a vehicle, the rest of your towers operate automatically — if you get distracted, your defenses may be overrun.

You’ll face a wide range of enemies.
At the start, most are light infantry that move quickly in groups — machine guns are perfect against them.
Later, you’ll encounter cavalry units, faster and tougher, as well as armored tanks that require artillery fire.
Air units like planes, zeppelins, and balloons demand strong AA defenses.
Every few waves, you’ll also face powerful boss enemies that take heavy firepower to defeat.

Before each wave, the game shows you a preview of the incoming enemies.
Use this information to adjust your defenses accordingly.

In the early missions, start by placing two or three machine guns near the start of the enemy path.
Once tanks begin to appear, add artillery on elevated positions to hit them from afar.
When air units show up, install AA guns near your base or on high ground.

It’s generally more efficient to upgrade one strong tower in a good location than to place several weak ones in bad spots.
And don’t forget to manually control key towers when waves become overwhelming.

- Replay earlier missions to practice and get familiar with unit types.

- Don’t build towers blindly — always check the enemy routes first.

- Use manual control on towers that require precision, such as artillery or AA guns.

- Keep moving the camera to watch all paths, not just one area.

- Destroy background objects for extra income.

- Save your heavy fire and special attacks for tough waves or bosses.

The campaign is divided into multiple stages, each with its own map and set of enemy waves.
Completing one mission unlocks the next, and sometimes new units or weapons.
You can also replay completed missions to improve your score or earn medals.

To succeed in Toy Soldiers, always defend your Toy Box, place towers strategically, and manage your resources carefully.
Upgrade strong defenses instead of spamming new ones, use manual control at the right moments, and adapt to every new wave of enemies.
With a bit of practice, you’ll quickly learn to balance strategy, timing, and action to dominate the battlefield.