Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
- #20 MARVEL SNAP
- #19 Across the Obelisk
- #18 Stacklands
- #17 Inscryption
- #16 I Was A Teenage Exocolonist
- #15 Alina of the Arena
- #14 Marvel Snap
- #13 Teppen
- #12 Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel
- #11 Magic The Gathering Online
- #10 Infinity Wars
- #9 Urban Rivals
- #8 Card City Nights
- #7 Hearthstone
- #6 The Elder Scrolls: Legends
- #5 Eternal
- #4 Gwent
- #3 Slay The Spire
- #2 Shadowverse CCG
- #1 Griftlands
There’s plenty of CCGs out on the market today and most of them can be acquired completely for free. From the highly addicting Hearthstone: Heroes to Warcraft to the new beta releases of Eternal, there’s bound to be a CCG out there that you’ll want to give a download. We’ve compiled our personal favorite CCGs to enjoy right now. Take a look at our picks down below and let us know what your current favorite CCG is by leaving a comment! It’s also worth noting that this particular article is not ranked in any specific order.
#20 MARVEL SNAP
Platform: PC
Release Date: August 22, 2023
Do you feel up to the task of playing a very different kind of card game? Marvel Snap isn’t just a card game set in the Marvel universe. It dares you to play the game on multiple levels of a battlefield to get the victory! You’ll build your deck from cards focused on characters, items, famous Marvel locations, and more! Then, once you have your deck ready, you’ll battle players online to see who can get the battlefield to do what they want. Utilize special abilities and effects to power up your characters while hindering your foe! Then, if you feel confident, make bets about how confident you are in victory! Just remember, if you go too far, you’ll “SNAP!”
#19 Across the Obelisk
Platform: PC
Release Date: April 8, 2021
If you’re looking for a cooperative RPG deckbuilding game, then check out Across The Obelisk. In this game, players take the role of a hero as they venture through the dangerous world to uncover the truth behind the obelisk and the whereabouts of the kingdom’s princess. As you progress through the town, you’ll take on new quests, meet interesting characters, and of course, fight off monsters through a series of strategic card battles. While you can control just your character and party through this grand adventure, the game does offer online co-op support. Most players even recommend checking this game out if you enjoy another heavy-hitting card battle game, Slay the Spire.
#18 Stacklands
Platform: PC
Release Date: April 8, 2022
Stacklands is a new take on a survival gameplay experience. In this game, you’re tasked with managing a village. You’ll need to feed your villagers, further expand your home, craft gear, build structures, and fight off whatever threats that might pop up. The twist is that you’re doing all this as a card battle game. You’ll drop cards onto a field to complete these objectives. For instance, dropping a villager card onto a berry bush card will allow the villager to deliver berry cards as a means for food. It’s a simple game but one that can easily pull you in for hours on end.
#17 Inscryption
Platform: PC PS4 Xbox One PS5 XSX|S Switch
Release Date: 2021
Inscryption mixes together a few different gameplay elements together for a thrilling experience. It’s part card game, puzzle solving, with horror attributes scattered throughout. We won’t spoil anything here for you to uncover. But you’re taking the role of a man trapped in some strange cabin deep into the wilderness. The only means you have to escape is by completing a card game. As you progress through the game, you’ll unlock more cards that can be used to attack opponents or defend from their devastating blows. Will you be able to solve the mystery behind this cabin and free yourself from an untimely doom?
#16 I Was A Teenage Exocolonist
Platform: PC PS4 PS5 Switch
Release Date: August 25, 2022
I Was A Teenage Exocolonist is a life simulation game with some deckbuilding elements attached. This game puts players into the role of a young teenager living in humanity’s first extrasolar space colony. However, while the scenery changed, life still has its usual obstacles. It’s up to you on how to live life. Go to school, create relationships, make discoveries, and explore this newfound world. Your choices will affect not only your life but the lives of your friends and even the colony. What makes this game a bit unique is that you’re also building a deck. Your actions will be determined by the cards you’ve collected and played. Playing these cards will give you an edge in overcoming certain challenges to navigating the choppy waters of potential relationships. Best of all, we know this game has multiple endings, so even if you reach the credits, you can go back and replay the game making different choices to see how the story wraps up.
#15 Alina of the Arena
Platform: PC
Release Date: December 13, 2022
Alina of the Arena is part deckbuilding and part hex-based tactics. This game throws players into the role of a gladiator that must entertain a crowd by fighting off a swarm of other bloodthirsty beasts. Within the game, players will drop down into a hex-field level, where they’ll get to move around within the grid as they attempt to kill off the opposing targets. You’ll pull off different attacks, lunges, or guards using a series of cards from your deck. Meanwhile, to further enhance these attacks, you’ll want to manage your equipped gear which can further buff up your cards. If you’re after a new rogue-lite deck builder, you might get quite a bit of enjoyment here.
#14 Marvel Snap
Platform: PC
Release Date: October 18, 2022
One of the most popular games on the market right now, Marvel Snap, is a Marvel Comics fan’s dream where you can assemble a deck with your favorite characters and then put them to work to defeat your opponents.
You’ve never played a virtual card game like this! You’ll have to think across multiple combat zones and use both the terrain and your supports to your advantage to come out on top! Plus, if you’re lucky, you can double down on your advantage to make your opponent “snap!”
With so many characters to choose from, you’ll have no problem making a deck you can be proud of.
#13 Teppen
Teppen is a collectible card game from Capcom and as a result, the title features a wide plethora of characters owned by the company. Included in the mix is Mega Man, Street Fighter, Resident Evil, and Devil May Cry to name just a couple. This card game is all about going through matches relatively quick and one of the ways it accomplishes that is by not having any turns. Players can freely toss cards into action at any time, just as long as they have enough energy to cast the card.
As a result of having no turns, players are constantly working at the moment with there being less time to plan your moves. You’ll find yourself either tossing out cards to defend your hero character or attempting to maneuver a card in the right area to deliver some devastating blows to the enemy.
#12 Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel
It’s time to D-D-D-Duel! Yes, we just did the line, you’re welcome.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel is a free-to-play digital card game that welcomes you fully into the world of Yu-Gi-Oh and then sets you on a journey to prove you’re the best in the world with the deck that you have. You’ll face off against players of your skill level, and then through wins and losses you’ll improve your deck so that you can handle all that comes your way.
Will you be able to rise to the top of the Duelist ranks? What kind of deck will you build in order to be No.1? Jump in and find out!
#11 Magic The Gathering Online
I don’t plan on spending too much time on Magic The Gathering Online because Magic The Gathering is one card game that is known and played by an enormous amount of players offline as it is online. Honestly, it would be shocking to stumble upon a fan of trading card games that did not know or have already played Magic The Gathering.
If you’re a fan or someone that’s new into the franchise then you may want to hit up Magic The Gathering Online which is a video game adaptation of the card game where players can purchase virtual packs and battle against players online. Not only does the game play out similarly to the card game but it doesn’t forbid players from trading their cards to better complete a desired deck. There’s a whole in-game economy that allows players to trade cards, sealed packs, and even avatars.
#10 Infinity Wars
Infinity Wars is another popular trading card game that is a bit different from some of the others on this list. Gameplay is played out with players having the ability to partake in simultaneous turns which means that players can tweak their gameplay while opponents start their turn. Besides the gameplay element, Infinity Wars may be one of the more entertaining trading card video games available as the maps and cards are all animated. Similar to Magic The Gathering Online, Infinity Wars also features an economy within the game. Players are able to trade and sell their own cards which is always a nice feature to include in these trading and collectible based card games rather than forcing players to purchase in-game currency for new packs or select cards.
#9 Urban Rivals
Urban Rivals is a free-to-play trading card game that is featured both on PC and mobile platforms. Originally released back in 2006, Urban Rivals is still finding a massive amount of players competing online. This is a more cartoonish style card game that is easy to grasp and fun to play. Essentially the game features cards based off of real people or known fictional characters and all come packed with their own select abilities and clan factions. Each week developers add new cards into the game which constantly changes up how players strategize their deck builds, though only eight cards are contained within a deck build. Developers keep the game lighthearted and fun with short battles and entertaining cards so we suggest checking out Urban Rivals if you’re interested in trying out the trading card game genre.
#8 Card City Nights
Card City Nights is a very different from some of the other video games on this list as it takes the traditional trading card game style gameplay and mixes it within a quirky adventure game. While within the center of this game is based around a trading card game battle system, Card City Nights follows a story and adventure with a character hunting down legendary cards with intentions to win the cities upcoming and biggest card competition tournament. Because there are no in-application purchases available, players will be able to collect all of the different cards while progressing through the eight-hour campaign. As of right now, players can play Card City Nights through Steam, Apple iOS, and Google Android.
#7 Hearthstone
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft is easily one of the biggest if not the biggest CCG right now. The characters and races from the popular Warcraft franchise are all accounted for in this exciting card battling game. This is an easy to grasp CCG which allows players to purchase packs and craft cards centered on a specific hero card.
Each hero card has their own set of unique cards and abilities that seem well balanced against other hero cards. Outside of expansions and facing other players online, the game rewards players with in-game currency along with free card packs simply be completing daily quests.
#6 The Elder Scrolls: Legends
The Elder Scrolls franchise is massive and holds a deep lore. Much like Warcraft, The Elder Scrolls spawned off their own CCG known as The Elder Scrolls: Legends, where players can gather characters from the franchise. Overall, the game plays out like the much-beloved Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft where players can play cards and use them freely to attack other cards on the board.
Where the game differs is the fact that there are available options when playing cards. For instance, the game offers two-lane to lay down cards and depending on where the card is placed will determine if that card is in immediate danger. Furthermore, there are extra rules placed on when cards are picked up making it more of a challenge on when to strike against your enemy and when to hold off.
#5 Eternal
Eternal looks quite a bit like Hearthstone in terms of the game board and characters. This game plays out a bit like Magic The Gathering and Hearthstone as well. Likewise, this title was in beta for a good while so the gameplay had been tweaked from the developers taking in the players feedback. If you want to enjoy a CCG without sinking money into it for new cards and equipment then you’re going to really enjoy Eternal as well since the game rewards players quite often.
#4 Gwent
After being a hit bonus game to play in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, developers CD Projekt RED decided to develop a standalone title for the hit card game Gwent. Because of the popularity of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt there’s a good chance you already know the rules of Gwent. However, it doesn’t take much to fully understand the gameplay. There’s no mana system like some of the other digital card games and each turn a player has to play a card so this title ends up moving along a bit faster as well.
#3 Slay The Spire
Slay The Spire is an unique card game as it blends card battle with rougelike. In this title, players are on a journey to ascend a spire however, the journey is not an easy one. Monsters of all sorts stand in your way and the only way to defeat them is through the use of deck building. Collect cards and use them against the foes that you come across. This is a simple game to understand as well and if you’re not the biggest fan of CCG titles then this could be a great starter title to try out. You can enjoy this game on multiple consoles right now along with mobile smartphones.
#2 Shadowverse CCG
Shadowverse is a free-to-play digital collectible card video game which is available on iOS and Android worldwide while the PC platform remains to be slightly limited in markets. This particular card game seems to thrive more within Japan but it’s still widely available within other markets around the world. Much like Hearthstone, Shadowverse continues to receive new card packs regularly that add a new standard element to the battles you’ll endure. Likewise, starting out in the game, there is a campaign mode available to help players learn the overall rules of the game while earning basic card packs.
One component that the development studio hopes to drive home with Shadowverse CCG is that the game has less of an RNG issue and instead everyone has the ability to win games simply by being strategic and making the right judgment calls.
#1 Griftlands
From development studio Klei Entertainment is Griftlands. This is a roguelike, deck-building video game that has a similar structure as Slay the Spire. It’s a narrative-driven title that’s currently still in Early Access so you can expect some changes and tweaks while we wait for the full game to launch at some point in 2021. However, what makes this game a bit interesting is that there are two decks you’re building rather than one.
How the game is split up is that one deck is used for combat in which you can use various attacks or blocks against an enemy. However, the secondary deck is used for conversations. These cards are used to aid you in dialogue or convincing NPCs to give out information or to aid you. So far there are two playable characters and campaigns available with their own agenda which are Sal an adventurer looking for profit along with Rook an aging old spy. However, there is a third character and campaign in development which will likely come out in time for the full game release.
