Card battling games are often beloved by many gamers who enjoy fairly straightforward and relaxing gameplay mechanics, or an element of collecting different cards and building decks to go up against your opponents. If you’re looking for some new card collecting and battling games to try out on PC, we’ve rounded up 10 of the most suitable titles that are likely to take your interest.
Hearthstone
Hearthstone is a great choice if you’re looking for a new digital card-battling game to play. Not only is this title free to play and available on both PC and mobile, enabling you to play even on the go, but there are multiple variants of the game to keep you entertained.
Classic Hearthstone involves collecting cards, building decks, and battling other players. Battlegrounds is an auto chess card battling game where eight players duke it out for the number one spot by building an active bench from card options that are randomly generated each turn, and Mercenaries enables players to collect mercenaries and build an active party, leveling them up through progressive quests.
Pokemon TCGO
If you’re a massive fan of collecting and playing with Pokemon cards IRL, then you’ll surely love Pokemon Trading Card Game Online. Hell, even if you’re not into the physical cards but you enjoy Pokemon, then you’ll be likely to gain enjoyment from this title. Pokemon TCGO is free to download and play and operates the same as the physical card game, just in digital format.
Furthermore, if you do like to buy physical Pokemon card packs, you can use the code cards inside these packs to unlock a digital pack of the same variant in Pokemon TCGO. You can build your deck, complete matches against player CPUs, or other online players, earn coins to buy more packs through gameplay, trade cards with other users, and stay up to date with all of the latest expansion packs.
Marvel Snap
Marvel Snap is a great choice for several reasons. Firstly, and most obviously, it is adapted from a much-beloved franchise, giving everyone a chance to embrace their favorite heroes and villains through collection and gameplay. Secondly, matches of Marvel Snap only last an average of 3 minutes, meaning that the game is relatively simple, easy to pick up, and fast-paced.
Because of this, you can get a very decent amount of matches played within a relatively short period, especially in comparison to other titles. On top of this, Marvel Snap is free to play, and even has a mobile option to play on the go.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel
Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel is a free-to-play digital adaptation of the Yu-Gi-Oh Trading Card Game and is just one of many Yu-Gi-Oh game titles in existence. However, this title, in particular, stands out not just for being very accessible due to both being free and having a mobile version to play on the go, but also because it offers so many fun features. You can play solo matches to learn mechanics and unlock new cards to power your deck, or go up against other players in one of several different multiplayer duel options.
You can also earn points through dueling to spend on digital card packs to further your collection and give you more options for refining your decks with new monsters, spells, and traps, which keeps playing in repetition feel that much more worth it. Lastly, Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel also tends to have in-game events, enabling you to double down on rewards from time to time.
Slay the Spire
Slay the Spire is a single-player deckbuilding game that combines everything players love about roguelikes and card-battling titles. With hundreds of different cards to obtain, deck building in Slay the Spire is nothing less than a joy, enabling you to establish strategy through the synergy of your cards. You’re also in charge of your decisions in Slay the Spire, with the Spire changing through each journey.
As the player, you get to decide which paths you take and make decisions that may lead to discovering bosses, relics, or new cards to further improve your deck. You can even participate in a custom mode, which enables you to select from many different gameplay modifiers, enabling a unique experience.
Monster Train
Monster Train is a strategic roguelike deckbuilding game in which you can choose different routes, each location offering you various benefits. From upgrading cards, recruiting units, and upgrading your champion, there is plenty to do as you work your way through Monster Train.
With several different clans, there are many different primary and secondary combinations you can select to form your deck and create unique synergies. With this amount of content in the game, there is enough to keep you entertained for numerous hours, as there’s just so much you’ll find yourself wanting to try out along the way.
Inscryption
Inscryption is a game that blends elements of escape rooms and roguelike deck builders with a dark, horror-like aesthetic. However, Inscryption does not just focus on these core deckbuilding and horror elements alone but also contains a narrative that will keep players on their toes by throwing twists and turns at their faces around every corner. Devoted fans seem to preach that to get the best experience from Inscryption, players should head into the game as blind as possible, so we’ll leave the information at that.
Magic: The Gathering Arena
If you’re a fan of the Magic: The Gathering Trading Card game, then Magic: The Gathering Arena may be the perfect digital card game for you, as this form of the game enables you to play for free against your friends without the need for digging out your physical cards.
Magic: The Gathering Arena has also been set up with new players in mind, meaning there’s no experience with Magic needed to jump in and start having fun — you can simply play and learn the game as you go, thanks to well-structured tutorials. Once you’ve got the hang of things and are starting to feel confident, you can even enter in-game tournaments to try your hand at winning some prizes or participate in in-game events.
Legends of Runeterra
Look, a few months ago people were complaining that Legends of Runeterra was well headed toward the grave, but as of recently, Riot has confirmed this is far from the truth, which is all the more reason to give this one a try. Players will be able to collect cards featuring elements and characters from the world of Runeterra, known through the MOBA game, League of Legends, and the animated series, Arcane.
Players can choose to embark on solo adventures by facing off against AI or turn to battle others in PvP matches. LoR is fairly well-balanced and surprisingly generous to players who want an entirely free-to-play experience, in comparison to other titles that may favor paid ‘meta’ cards or decks.
Many players have shared that within a year of playing without spending a single cent, they have gained access to any card that they want, which creates feelings that the time you invest in the game is very rewarding. If you’re looking for a card game referencing a very unique and lovable universe that also carries some of the most fair monetization on the market, Legends of Runeterra is worth a shot.
The Elder Scrolls: Legends
The Elder Scrolls: Legends is a free-to-play card game revolving around the beloved Elder Scrolls franchise. Unfortunately, there’s both good news and bad news when it comes to considering this title for your next card-battling game go-to. We’ll break the bad news first: The Elder Scrolls: Legends has unfortunately not received any updates in around 2 years, with much of the playerbase accepting that the game has pretty much been abandoned and left in the dust.
However, the good news is that it is still one hundred percent playable, and people still have nothing bad to say about the game — other than they wish it would receive a revival of sorts. This was reason enough to make it in as the final entry of the list, as seeing people talk so passionately about a game that isn’t necessarily receiving the attention it once had is quite a rare thing.
Going off recommendations from players who have put hundreds of hours into the title, you’re likely to still have an absolute blast picking this one up — just be warned: dedicated fans have stated that although the game is thoroughly enjoyable, the lack of attention from devs means that it is not worth forking out on microtransactions to give yourself a head start or advantage.
