Game Modes

Every map in Bloons TD 6 can be beaten in 14 different ways, and each one gives its own medal. You first choose a difficulty (Easy, Medium or Hard), then a mode inside that difficulty. Impoppable and CHIMPS sit at the end of the Hard menu and use a single life. This page lists every mode, how to unlock it, what it pays, and the order that makes the most sense when you are working toward a full medal set.

All BTD6 game modes at a glance

Easy modes (rounds 1 to 40, 200 lives)

• Standard: the normal game. Towers cost 15% less and the round 40 MOAB only has two thirds of its usual health.
• Primary Only: only Primary Monkeys (Dart Monkey, Boomerang Monkey, Bomb Shooter, Tack Shooter, Ice Monkey, Glue Gunner, Desperado) and your hero.
• Deflation: you start on round 31 with $20,000 and can never earn another dollar. Survive to round 60.

Medium modes (rounds 1 to 60, 150 lives)

• Standard: base prices, ends with the round 60 BFB.
• Military Only: only Sniper Monkey, Monkey Sub, Monkey Buccaneer, Monkey Ace, Heli Pilot, Mortar Monkey and Dartling Gunner, plus your hero.
• Apopalypse: randomized bloon waves with no break between rounds.
• Reverse: bloons enter at the exit, leave at the entrance, and each round sends its groups in reverse order.

Hard modes (rounds 3 to 80, 100 lives)

• Standard: prices about 8% above Medium, bloons move faster, ends with the round 80 ZOMG.
• Magic Monkeys Only: only Wizard Monkey, Super Monkey, Ninja Monkey, Alchemist, Druid and Mermonkey, plus your hero.
• Double HP MOABs: every MOAB-class bloon has twice its normal health.
• Half Cash: you start with $325 and every source of income is halved.
• Alternate Bloons Rounds: a completely different, much meaner round set with early camo, fortified blimps and dense rushes.

One-life modes (rounds 6 to 100)

• Impoppable: one life, no way to gain lives, prices 20% above Medium. Freeplay scaling starts after round 80 and the game ends with the round 100 BAD.
• CHIMPS: Impoppable's rounds with no Continues, no lost lives, no bonus Income, no Monkey Knowledge, no Powers and no Selling. It uses Hard prices, not Impoppable prices.

Each difficulty also has a Sandbox mode for testing strategies. Sandbox gives no medal and no rewards.

How to unlock every mode on a map

Modes unlock map by map, so beating Deflation on Monkey Meadow does nothing for Logs. The order is:

1. Easy Standard unlocks Primary Only and the Medium difficulty on that map.
2. Primary Only (together with Easy Standard) unlocks Deflation.
3. Medium Standard unlocks Military Only, Reverse and the Hard difficulty.
4. Military Only unlocks Apopalypse. Beating Reverse opens Medium Sandbox.
5. Hard Standard unlocks two branches: Magic Monkeys Only and Alternate Bloons Rounds.
6. Magic Monkeys Only unlocks Double HP MOABs, which unlocks Half Cash.
7. Alternate Bloons Rounds unlocks Impoppable, which unlocks CHIMPS.

The practical takeaway: you do not need Half Cash to reach CHIMPS. If your goal is a CHIMPS medal, the fastest route is Easy, Medium and Hard Standard, then ABR and Impoppable.

Medals, borders and rewards

Easy modes give bronze medals, Medium modes silver, Hard modes gold, and Impoppable its own medal. CHIMPS adds a small skull medal: red if you used Retry Last Round or quit to the menu at any point, black if you beat it in one clean run. Earning every Easy medal on a map gives it a bronze border, every Medium medal a silver border, and all medals a gold border. A black CHIMPS medal on top of everything else turns the map border black. See the Difficulties page for the full Black Border rules.

Every mode pays Monkey Money based on its difficulty and the map's difficulty. A first win pays the full amount, a repeat pays 20% of it:

• Easy modes: 75 on Beginner, 150 Intermediate, 225 Advanced, 300 Expert.
• Medium modes: 125, 250, 375, 500.
• Hard modes: 200, 400, 600, 800.
• Impoppable and CHIMPS: 300, 600, 900, 1,200 each.

So Deflation pays the same as Easy Standard, Apopalypse the same as Medium Standard, and so on. Hard sub-modes are the best Monkey Money per minute for most players, because ABR, Double HP MOABs and Magic Monkeys Only are each a separate first-time reward on top of Hard Standard.

What carries over between modes

Unless the mode says otherwise, you keep Monkey Knowledge, Powers, Insta Monkeys, selling and Continues. The exceptions are the ones that make modes interesting:

• Tower-restricted modes (Primary, Military, Magic) only let you place that class, but heroes are always allowed. Insta Monkeys of other classes are blocked too.
• Deflation blocks all income and Continues, but selling still refunds cash.
• Half Cash halves income from every source, including Cash Drop and Thrive.
• Impoppable removes extra lives, including the Mana Shield knowledge.
• CHIMPS removes everything in its name, plus Golden Bloons, Double Cash and other premium perks.

Beating round 100 in any game, including Impoppable and CHIMPS, also gives a free Insta Monkey. In the restricted modes the Insta comes from that mode's tower class.

Which mode should you play next?

A rough difficulty ladder for a new map, from easiest to hardest:

1. Easy Standard and Primary Only
2. Medium Standard and Reverse
3. Military Only and Apopalypse
4. Deflation (easy once you know a build, tricky on your first try)
5. Hard Standard and Magic Monkeys Only
6. Double HP MOABs
7. Alternate Bloons Rounds
8. Impoppable
9. Half Cash and CHIMPS

Half Cash and CHIMPS swap places depending on the map. Many players find Half Cash harder because you can sell and use Powers but simply never have enough money, while CHIMPS rewards a precise plan.

Two tips make the grind faster. First, play the restricted modes right after Standard on the same difficulty while the map is fresh in your head. Second, learn three or four reliable all-round builds (for example a Dart Monkey opening into Alchemist and Village support) and adapt them, instead of inventing a new strategy for every map. Our videos on the BTD6 Master YouTube channel cover map-by-map routes for most of these modes.

Frequently asked questions

How many game modes are there in BTD6?

There are 14 medal modes per map: three on Easy, four on Medium, five on Hard, plus Impoppable and CHIMPS. Each difficulty also has a Sandbox mode with no rewards.

What is the hardest game mode in BTD6?

CHIMPS is the official final test, but many players rate Half Cash as equally hard or harder on some maps because income is so tight.

Do I need to beat Half Cash to unlock CHIMPS?

No. CHIMPS is unlocked by Impoppable, which is unlocked by Alternate Bloons Rounds. Half Cash is on the other Hard branch after Magic Monkeys Only and Double HP MOABs.

Which game mode gives the most Monkey Money?

Impoppable and CHIMPS pay the most per win, up to 1,200 each on Expert maps. For steady farming, first-time wins on Hard sub-modes are usually the most efficient.

Can I use heroes in Primary, Military and Magic Only?

Yes. Every tower-restricted mode allows your selected hero alongside the permitted tower class.

Do Powers and Monkey Knowledge work in every mode?

They work in all modes except CHIMPS. Deflation and Half Cash still allow them, but anything that generates money is blocked or halved.