Long gone are the days when trying to find a collectible card game (CCG) to play on your PC only presented you with a handful of choices – and not very good ones, might I add.
As one of the fastest-growing genres in the gaming industry, CCG games feature near limitless options to where you’ll never play the same game twice and are constantly releasing expansions and upgrades.
As the PC gaming field grows, we’re here to step in and tell you which of these incredibly addictive games are the best and have put together a list of our top 5 card games for PC.
Magic: The Gathering Arena
Top of this list is Magic: The Gathering Arena, which is the digital incarnation of arguably the best paper card game around. Arena supports both constructed deck and draft play.
With a constructed deck, you get to build your deck of cards from your library. This is great for beginners because they get access to base cards and pre-made decks, but as they play and win matches or complete quests, they can earn boosters which will allow them to customize and improve their decks.
With draft play, players are given several special booster packs to build their deck, and then try to win as many matches as possible with that deck. After 7 wins or 3 losses, the deck can be retired.
Players will get to keep all their drafted cards and earn rewards like additional booster packs and resources to build their library. Arena offers the same gameplay possibilities and formats as classic Magic, but with the added visuals and incredible animation that comes with the CCG genre.
This game offers veteran Magic players a comfortable and more convenient way to play their favorite game.
Duelyst
If you’re looking for a game that combines card battling with turn-based strategy, Duelyst fits the bill. Players have a tone of options for placement and to make strategic plays.
You can build a custom deck, and use them to summon units. There are six factions at play here, each with their unique characteristics that impact strategy and gameplay of each deck the player builds.
With 400 different card units, tactical possibilities are endless! Duelyst has four modes that you can choose from including practice, puzzle challenges, a ranked season ladder, and draft-style tournament mode, and the 16-bt presentation is superb!
Faeria
A top card game that plays more like a strategy game, Faeria is an exciting game that features the ability to build the board yourself. There are no simple plays or obvious, dull moments in this game.
You are set up opposite your opponent and on your turn you can either build two standard tiles or one special tile, heading straight for your foe or towards one of the magical Faeria wells, which contain resources.
With control of these magical elements, you can play higher cost cards. Your strategy can either focus on blocking your opponent from the magical resources or you can choose to directly attack and cause damage to them for an early win.
The best part is that this game is versatile when it comes to deck-building. Faeria encourages players to build their decks from the ground up using codexes.
These are a collection of 3 cards that work together. Keep picking up these codexes until you have a full deck. With lots of fun and options to choose from, you’ll never play the same game twice!
Slay the Spire
Slay the Spire is another deck-building game that challenges players to develop their strategy on the fly based on whatever cards they have, and what they can obtain during their quest up the spire tower.
Players will encounter a variety of obstacles, shopkeepers, campfires, and random choice situations that will challenge them before they meet the boss at the top of the spire. The goal is to get to the top, but if you die, you’ll notice that the tower changes.
You’ll never play the same game twice or encounter the same obstacles with each round. This allows you to experiment with different cards, stumble upon relics, and see what you can do to give your deck the upper hand.
This fast-paced game has it all: the moment you think you’re approaching triumph, it all comes crashing down when the boss throws you off the tower!
Completed and failed runs contribute points towards unlocking additional characters to choose from or relics and better cards to use with specific characters.
Slay the Spire also features a daily challenge where players are given one shot to get as high as they can to the spire, under a pre-determined set of conditions. Each player begins from the same starting point and encounters the same obstacles for a level playing field.
Hearthstone
The game that jumpstarted the CCG genre, Hearthstone is one of the most popular and most played games in the world. It features the simplicity and flow of a physical card game, making it easy to pick-up and understand without too much direction.
Using World of Warcraft source material, Hearthstone replicates the feel of a physical card game within the user interface. Players construct decks of 30 cards and select a hero with a unique power.
Heroes are divided into 9 classes, and each power represents that. The goal is to reduce your opponent’s hero’s health to zero and thereby destroy them, by using their mana crystals to play abilities or summon minions.
Different game modes are available, including casual and ranked matches, single-player adventures, and drafted arena battles.
There is a thriving competitive community for Hearthstone, and new content is released often through new cards and gameplay, featuring expansion packs or adventures that reward players with collectible cards.