Card games are among the oldestof game formats, starting with table card games like cribbage and eventually evolving into tabletop board games likeDominion. This evolution carried on into video games, with games such asSlay The Spirehelping to popularize the use of cards in video games.
Although rogue-like deck-builders are among the most popular digital card games, not all digital card games fit this description. Other card games take on the form ofdigital trading card gameslikeMarvel Snap, or digital adaptations of board games such asDune Imperium.
Marvel Snapis a digital card gameset in the Marvel universethat tasks players with contesting three separate locations, attempting to control at least two of them. These locations each have their own unique effects on the game, and can dramatically change the way each match plays out.
While some valid complaints have been made towardsMarvel Snap’shandling of balanceand live-service, the gameplay itself remains solid and consistent. Players build lean decks out of simple cards that each follow straightforward rules, and the game’s “snap” system injects an element of bluffing into the experience that spices up the gameplay.
Gloomhavenis a tremendously popularand impossibly largetabletop dungeon-crawler with a unique card-based combat system. Its digital counterpart removes much of the tedium, allowing the game’s card-based gameplay to shine.
Gloomhavenis a turn-based dungeon-crawler RPG with seventeenunique playable characters. Each card in the game has a top and bottom half that provides a different effect. On each turn, players pick the bottom and top of two cards. This makes not only the choice of which card to play, but how that card is played, an important strategic decision.
9Fights In Tight Spaces
High-Octane Turn-Based Tactics
This highly stylized turn-based tactics game tasks players with playing cards as they participate in brutal, close-quarters brawls.Fights In Tight Spacesfeatures deep gameplay that’s easy to learn but hard to master, made deeper by its variety of play-styles.
Fights In Tight Spacesaims to emulate the atmosphere of slickaction thrillers likeJohn Wick, mostly composed of fist-fights. The gameplay may be extremely combat focused and somewhat mechanically dense, butFights In Tight Spacesis a satisfying digital card game for fans of turn-based tactics.
This rogue-like deck-builder from Klei Entertainment, the minds behind games such asOxygen Not IncludedandDon’t Starve, is a mash-up of card-based combat and RPG mechanics. The game features a wonderful art style that keeps the tone of Klei’s other games, a unique dual-layered combat system, and an injection of RPG gameplay that helps it to stand out.
The combat ofGriftlandsallows players to fight violently, or negotiate. While the former plays out similarly to games such asSlay The Spire(albeit with, at times, more party members), the latter is a more unique system that has players managing an entirely different deck. Furthermore, since killing NPCs can have an effect on the game world, players are sometimes rewarded for negotiating instead.
7Cobalt Core
A Thematic Rogue-Like Deck-Builder
This cozy, science-fiction rogue-like features deck-building gameplay with a unique tactics twist. InCobalt Core, players take the helm of a spaceship, moving it on a single-axis to avoid enemy attacks and line up their shots.
Cobalt Coreis extremely thematic, featuring a well-written story and a charismatic cast of characters that each have their own unique set of cards. Each run, players must build a crew of three from this roster of distinct characters, making each run feel unique.
6Stacklands
A Card-Based Survival City-Builder
This unique combination of city-building, card game, and survival tasks players with stacking cards on top of each other to trigger unique interactions. Stack two wood cards, a stone card, and a villager card together, and the result is a house.
Stacklandsrevolves entirely around this simple yet creative mechanic. There’s plenty of satisfaction to be had in stacking the various cards, but players will also have to play strategically and efficiently to keep their villagers alive.
This strange combination of escape-room, card game, and horror is an immersive blend of ideas and mechanics.Inscryptionis best played with no prior knowledge of the game, as its ideas are so fresh that to detail them would spoil it.
Inscryption’scard game, which players will spend a lot of time playing, is highly strategic. The game features deck-building elements and a unique lane system that tasks players with strategically playing their various minion cards.
4Dune Imperium
A Deep, Digital Board Game
Set in the universe of Frank Herbert’s iconicDune, this digital adaptation of the strategic tabletop game features a combination of tactical deck-building and worker-placement mechanics.Dune Imperiummay look intimidating with its cluttered user interface and board-game aesthetic, but its mechanics are deeply satisfying.
The game’s card economy is also a matter of strategy. Players will often be torn between purchasing the cards they need and preventing their opponents from acquiring powerful cards. Furthermore,Dune Imperium’sskirmish system adds some risk and reward to the otherwise consistent gameplay.
This iconic combination of rogue-like and deck-builder tasks players with battling through a dungeon, playing cards, and creating powerful synergies.Slay The Spireis packed with satisfying card-based gameplay, plenty of unique cards and strategies, and a rogue-like relic system that helps encourage specific synergies.
Slay The Spirealso features several playable characters, each with their own unique set of cards, which helps add a great deal of replay value. While the idea of a rogue-like deck-builder is more common now,Slay The Spirestill remains a stand-out digital card game.
This Poker-themed rogue-like tasks players with playing optimized Poker hands and breaking the rules of the game with a set of unique Joker cards. These Jokers are at the heart ofBalatro’sgameplay, acting as powerful passive abilities that allow players to build powerful synergies.
Balatrois a remarkably stripped-back experience, with a clean UI and a straightforward gameplay loop. This makesBalatroone of the most accessible digital card games, and helps it to feel like a focused experience.Balatroalso offers plenty of replay value, featuring an Endless Mode, several difficulties, a variety of playable decks, and an abundance of Jokers.
