During a presentation at MagicCon Minneapolis Wizards of the Coast confirmed that Magic: The Gathering Arena would be making its way to Steam on May 23rd, 2023. This comes as a big surprise given a recent investors meeting earlier this year suggested that Magic: The Gathering Arena was set to launch in fall 2023.
Magic: The Gathering Arena was initially released into early access on PC in 2018 via the website’s PC client. It later received both an Android and iOS version but this move to Steam could likely see the game’s overall player base increase dramatically allowing for even more players to experience the digital version of the widely popular card game.
The game itself is free-to-play on entry but players have the option to purchase in-game currency to get new blind bags unlocking new cards. In recent years Magic: The Gathering Arena has kept up quite well with the physical game’s new cards and in some circumstances, has even had them in the digital game before their official physical release.
If you’ve never played Magic: The Gathering before and are a little put off by the daunting task of acquainting yourself with a new card game Arena may be the best place to start as the game contains a number of tutorials to help you learn what tactics and playstyles best suit you. Given the game’s digital nature playing online also opens up your chances to play with as many people as you’d like. Whether you’d like to take on your friends or someone completely random in in-game tournaments it’s never been easier. The game also has a strong active Esports community so if you’ve dabbled in the physical card game and want to compete for different awards Arena can open up that avenue for you.
Needless to say, the accessibility to Magic: The Gathering through Magic: The Gathering Arena is a great starting point for any players looking to experiment with the world of Magic: The Gathering without committing any real big amounts of money to the physical cards themselves.
The game’s Steam description says Magic: The Gathering Arena “empowers you to discover your strategy, meet the planeswalkers, explore the multiverse, and battle friends around the world.” If you’re a fan of the physical game will you dive into Arena once it launches on Steam? If you’re a newcomer does Arena entice you to pick up the game?
