10 Best Mobile TCG Games (Roguelikes, Casual & More)

Mobile TCG games are perfect for people who used to collect cards as children. That’s me, I used to do that. I still have my collection of Yu-Gi-Oh! cards and now I happily play with my kids. But mobile TCG games are the closest you can get to that if you don’t have anyone to play or trade with.

They’re great when you want to play a quick match and hop out without much commitment and there’s something so fun about deckbuilders (especially roguelike deckbuilders).

Well, if you enjoy mobile card games as much as I do, you might be on the lookout for a new one to dig into. And if you are, check out this list. Because whether you like single-players, ranked matches, roguelikes or just classic card games, there’ll be one in there for you. 

Slay The Spire

Slay the Spire is a single-player, deck-building roguelike that combines turn-based card battles with procedural map generation, meaning each run through the game is unique. You start each of the runs by choosing one of the four characters. Each of them has their own playstyle and a set of cards. 

The goal of this game is to climb a tower called “The Spire” — along the way, you’ll battle different enemies, collect new cards, relics and choose your path. Each battle gives you a chance to add a new card to your deck (and there are more than 350 cards to collect). 

Slay the Spire is a premium game (which means you’ll have to buy it), but on the plus side, you won’t have to suffer through ads or pop-up in-game purchases. 

Marvel Snap

Marvel Snap is a card game where you get to build a deck of 12 cards and each one represents a Marvel character. Matches are played over six turns, and the aim is to control two out of three randomly assigned locations on the board. 

The “Snap” part of the game name is a mechanic where you can double the stakes of a match. You can play against other players, challenge friends in private matches or do a bunch of matches against the same person. Plus, there are a bunch of events that give you all sorts of different rules. 

Marvel Snap is free, but there are in-game purchases (mostly cosmetics and the season pass). It’s not aggressive though, so you can still have fun. 

Balatro

Balatro is a single-player, poker-inspired roguelike deck builder where you aim to build high-scoring poker hands across a series of escalating rounds. But in addition to that, you also get new mechanics like the Joker cards which can change the gameplay. 

You start off with 52 cards and you can customize them between each run. There are all sorts of special cards, as I mentioned, and it makes the game unique and extra fun. 

You have to buy this game, though, but just like with Slay the Spire, it gives you freedom from the constant p2w mechanics and ads. Plus, it’s also available on most other platforms (like PS, PC, etc.), so you can transfer your progress elsewhere. It’s also fully available offline, so it’s a good game to take with you on trips or to play during commute.

Exploding Kittens

You’ve probably heard about Exploding Kittens, the real-life card game — but did you know you can also play it on your phone? Well, now you know you can. It’s not as strategic as some of the others on this list, but it’s fun anyway and a good way to pass the time. 

You can play with 2 to 5 other people and you all take turns drawing cards and hope to avoid the exploding kittens card. If you do end up drawing it, you are eliminated (unless you have a defuse card). There are a bunch of different cards that allow you to do different things like skip turns, attack others, etc. 

Exploding Kittens is not a free game, but as with all others, you can play ad-free. There are in-game purchases, but that’s mostly for cards or expansion decks, which are so worth it. 

Hearthstone

Hearthstone is one of those games you’ve likely seen often on your app store but never looked twice at. Well, if you want a mobile card game, this is one of the most popular options. It’s developed by Blizzard and set in the Warcraft universe. 

In Hearthstone, you fight against someone else using a deck of up to 30 cards. There are different game modes which determine which and how many cards you can use in a game. 

Hearthstone is free to play, and the matches are fun and quick enough that you can enjoy it any time, any place. 

Shadowverse

Shadowverse is a card game that combines strategy and narrative, and has a unique anime-style artwork. So, if you’re into JRPGs but you’d like a card game for your phone, check this one out. 

There are a bunch of different game modes, eight classes which give you different skills and mechanics, and three types of cards that you can use. 

This game is free to play and it’s also available on Steam, but be aware that the player base is not huge and is falling off, but there are still dedicated fans that create a nice community. 

Runeterra

Runeterra is another card game, this one developed by Riot and set in the League of Legends world. So, there’s tons of LoL lore, but also new mechanics and lots of strategy. 

To play it, you build a deck with cards that represent champions from different regions, and your goal is to reduce the opponents nexus to zero. It’s a turn-based real-time system, which makes it all the more fun. 

It’s a free game, and you know you can expect quality from Riot. Plus, if you already love LoL, or just the Arcane series, you might like this one. The player base is not as big as it used to be, but the community is still large enough that you’ll have plenty of opponents whenever you decide to play. 

Kards

Kards is unique in that it isn’t set in a fantasy world like most of these games are — instead, it’s set during WWII. Which is a choice, sure, but that’s why it’s special. 

The gameplay is a mix of traditional card games and strategy inspired by World War 2 tactics. The decks represent different countries involved in WWII (like the US, Germany, UK, etc.). And you can even send cards to the frontline — which just goes to show that Kards embraces its aesthetic fully. 

It’s one of the newer card games, so its player base is still increasing — the community is healthy and active. Plus, it’s not pay to win, and you can earn everything you need through regular playing. 

Dawncaster

Dawncaster is a premium, single-player card game. Which is truly great if you don’t want to wait for opponents to show up — you can do it all on your own. And the fact that you have to pay to play means there are no ads or microtransactions. 

This is all set in a realm of Umbris, where you are meant to find the lost hero called the Dawncaster. You can collect over 900 cards, all of which are handcrafted, and customize your deck to your heart’s content. Plus, it’s roguelike, so you can’t get bored with repetitive levels. 

Night of The Full Moon

Night of the Full Moon has such an interesting aesthetic — it’s witchy and Halloween-y, so if you like that, you might like this game. It’s another single-player roguelike, where the storyline is based on a darker version of Little Red Riding Hood. You play as Red and you take a journey through the forest to find out why your grandmother went missing. 

There are over 700 cards to build decks from and you use these decks to face off various enemies. 

You can get it for free in your app store (or on Steam, if you want to transfer your progress to PC). There are no in-app purchases, and you can unlock new storylines through DLCs.