12 best card games for PC, console & mobile in 2023: Hearthstone, MtG Arena & more
There’s nothing quite like a card game, and the best card games on PC, console, and mobile recreate that feeling of outplaying an opponent or snatching victory from the jaws of defeat with the right card at the right time.
Card games run the gamut from recognisable franchises like Warcraft and Pokemon, to new universes like Slay the Spire, but all reward a keen mind with satisfying mechanics. Whether you’re playing on mobile, tablet, PC or console, there’s a CCG game for everyone - here are our picks for the best digital card games in 2023.
Best card games for PC, console & mobile in 2023
Hearthstone
Click to enlarge- Developer: Blizzard
- Release date: March 2014
- Platforms: PC, mobile
Arguably one of the driving forces behind the digital card game resurgence, Hearthstone is a juggernaut with hundreds of cards and thousands of possibilities for creative play.
The game is easy to learn, and while the constant addition of expansions can get a little expensive to keep up with, Hearthstone always offers things to do - whether it’s a new mode, the occasional single-player campaign, or just taking your deck of Warcraft-themed cards online to battle friends.
There’s even an auto-battler included. All these years on, Hearthstone continues to surprise us.
- Check out our exclusive reveal of some Hearthstone TITANS expansion cards
Pokemon TCG Live
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- Developer: The Pokemon Company
- Release date: April 2022
- Platforms: PC, mobile
From the craze of the nineties to an easy pick for the list of the best CCGs in 2023, Pokemon TCG Live has replaced Pokemon TCG Online - a solid effort that definitely needed an update.
Thankfully, Pokemon TCG Live offers a much flashier presentation and more comprehensive mobile experience. Pokemon TCG Live is a great way to learn the core TCG, but it’s also a fantastic game in its own right.
You can even redeem codes from TCG packs to add cards to your digital collection, too.
Slay the Spire
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- Developer: Mega Crit Games
- Release date: November 2017
- Platforms: PC, mobile, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, Nintendo Switch
Slay The Spire offers a simple concept, but one that’s so effective that it has inspired dozens of similar games - including titles on this very best card games list.
Players pick a character class and move through combat encounters using card-based attacks and abilities to reach the top of the titular Spire. Die, and you’ll head back to the start, but you’ll grow in power with every win.
Don’t let Slay The Spire’s simplistic visual stylings fool you, either - it’s fiendishly smart and just as addictive.
Monster Train
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- Developer: Shiny Shoe
- Release date: May 2020
- Platforms: PC, mobile, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, Nintendo Switch
Remember we mentioned Slay The Spire inspired a wave of rogue-lite card battlers? Monster Train proudly wears that influence on its demonic sleeve, but it takes things on the road - or more specifically, on the rails.
As the name suggests, Monster Train takes place on a railway vehicle barrelling toward Hell to keep its flames lit, under siege from heavenly enemies looking to finish the war once and for all.
Monster Train keeps the formula fresh with multi-tiered combat, with different enemies duking it out with your tribe’s chosen warriors, and picking the right composition for the job is just as important as the cards you draw.
Legends of Runeterra
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- Developer: Riot Games
- Release date: April 2020
- Platforms: PC, mobile
League of Legends needs no introduction, but Riot’s card-based spin-off Legends of Runeterra is so good it feels like more people should be talking about it.
Its unique mechanics include levelling up Champion cards, as well as a more conversational turn structure that lets players respond to an opponent’s play immediately.
There’s even a single-player, deckbuilding mode that lets you create decks way too powerful for normal play, and a generous free-to-play system that makes it easy to build plenty of decks to start with.
Magic: The Gathering: Arena
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- Developer: Wizards of the Coast
- Release date: September 2018
- Platforms: PC, mobile
If you’ve ever wanted to become a Planeswalker, there’s never been a better time. Magic: The Gathering: Arena is the best way to jump into the decades-old card game.
With a generous selection of starter decks, an excellent tutorial, and Draft options, there’s plenty to keep you busy - we’re just waiting for the popular Commander format to be added.
- Find out why now is a great time to play Magic the Gathering
Marvel Snap
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- Developer: Second Dinner
- Release date: October 2022
- Platforms: PC, mobile
Marvel Snap brings the iconic comic book license to a card-battler that’s over in six turns or less. Players place their cards to accrue power in three separate locations and need to claim two out of three to win.
It’s a simple concept, but Marvel Snap implores you to engage with different deck types through abilities that make sense when attached to its characters. Within minutes, you’ll be hooked, and looking up the best Marvel Snap decks of all different types.
Loop Hero
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- Developer: Four Quarters
- Release date: March 2021
- Platforms: PC, mobile, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, Nintendo Switch
Loop Hero takes place in a world where is nothing. In the void, players place tile cards to build a route which our hero wanders along. Creating the perfect loop requires obstacles to overcome to level up and earn loot, rest stops to recover, and much more.
Loop Hero takes time to reveal its elements, but it’s a trip worth taking - there really is nothing like it.
Inscryption
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- Developer: Daniel Mullins Games
- Release date: October 2021
- Platforms: PC, mobile, console
The less you know heading into Inscryption, the better, with the game’s card game shenanigans happening in a creepy cabin in the woods against a foe that switches personalities with creepy masks.
It harkens back to creepy old flash games from years ago, and evolves in unexpected ways - shedding its skin to become a different beast entirely.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel
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- Developer: Konami
- Release date: January 2022
- Platforms: PC, mobile, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, Nintendo Switch
There have been more story-focused Yu-Gi-Oh games for years, but Master Duel is the closest you’ll get to cracking open boosters and decks and playing a match against friends or new opponents.
That means there’s a huge collection of thousands of cards and almost endless combinations, but there are also tutorials that showcase specific cards and concepts.
Faeria
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- Developer: Abrakam Entertainment
- Release date: March 2017
- Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One
Faeria is a board game with a twist - as you play, you create the world around you. That makes it a little like Catan, as well as being a great card game in its own right.
You’ll generate forests, create lakes, and battle opponents amidst an ever-shifting world. There are no microtransactions, either, although there are optional DLC packs.
Faeria also offers a co-op campaign, a draft mode, and even a dedicated competitive scene.
Gwent: The Witcher Card Game
Click to enlarge- Developer: CD Projekt Red
- Release date: October 2018
- Platforms: PC, mobile, PS4, Xbox One
Gwent was secretly one of the best parts of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in a game full of brilliant things to do. The card game was so popular that CDPR spun it into its own title.
Sadly, it’ll no longer receive content come the end of 2023, but there’s still plenty to enjoy - and it’ll remain live past that point, too.
That's our list of the best card games. For more lists, be sure to check out our list of the best games like Skyrim.