Card games blend technology and tradition, offering innovative and exciting gaming experiences since ancient Greek times. Nowadays, you can enjoy popular card games online against players worldwide.
With so many options to choose from, it can be challenging to find the right game for you, as some games are complex and require a different skill set.
The following list includes 20 of the best card games on Steam, ranging from traditional CCGs to innovative RPGs and remarkable rogue-likes, all with card game elements to suit every taste.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel
| Genre | Card Game, Free-to-play, Strategy, Anime, PvP |
| Where to Buy? | Steam |
| Developer | Konami Digital Entertainment |
| Release Date | January 19, 2022 |
| Multiplayer? | Yes |
Yu-Gi-Oh! needs no introduction. Konami’s popular card game has been around for a long time and has earned its reputation as one of the most fun trading card games out there—not to mention one of the most addictive too.
On top of that, it also happens to be one of the biggest anime in existence, making it an even bigger deal. Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel is the newest game of the franchise, and it is free to play.
This is pretty much a traditional card game. Assemble a deck with your cards and your own tactical planning. You will constantly challenge your knowledge and strategic thinking by putting your deck to the test by dueling against other players in Multiplayer Mode.
The fun you get from games like this can be endless because the combination of cards is nearly infinite. So if you’re a fan of cards or are just looking for something fun to do with your friends, I recommend you take it for a spin. It’s absolutely worth it.
Yomi
| Genre | Strategy, Indie, Card Game |
| Where to Buy? | Steam |
| Developer | Sirlin Games |
| Release Date | May 9, 2015 |
| Multiplayer? | No |
Yomi is a fantastic card game that is both traditional and innovative. It is traditional in the sense that it is a deck-building PvP card game in which you use your deck to fight someone else’s deck in a turn-based fashion. But it’s innovative because it’s meant to simulate how fighting games work in many ways.
Sirlin Games define Yomi as a fighting game in card form. So you choose a character, practice combos, and you must read your opponent to increase your chances of winning. In fact, the game’s name, Yomi, is a Japanese word that means “knowing your adversary’s mind.”
Yomi’s gameplay uses simultaneous turns with a system that works a lot like rock-paper-scissors.
It is meant to capture the idea of acting on what you think the enemy is going to do next.
You even get to repeat cards in a way to condition your opponent to wrongly predict what comes next. It’s super fun, honestly, and one of the best Steam games for Mac.
The game has 10 players, 20 with the expansion, who have their own abilities, combos, and playstyles. There’s a learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, it does feel in many ways like what most fans of fighting games love about the genre, a battle of wits.
Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars
| Genre | Turn-Based, JRPG, Tabletop, Card Game |
| Where to Buy? | Steam |
| Developer | Square Enix |
| Release Date | October 29, 2021 |
| Multiplayer? | No |
Square Enix is the name behind some of the best JRPG games ever made. Their games tend to be high-quality, innovative art pieces with complex plots that get you hooked from the start.
Fortunately, they followed the same route when making their own card game. Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars is a JRPG that takes place in a world of swords and sorcery. The art style feels instantly like a medieval game by Square Enix, and the soundtrack is beyond beautiful.
The entire game unfolds in front of you via cards. You are guided through the world by a voice called The Gamemaster, which sometimes makes this game feel like a tabletop experience. This storytelling choice gives this game an atmosphere like no other title of the genre.
Unfortunately, there’s no multiplayer in this game, so this might not be the game for competitive players. However, maybe you just want to play some cards, not worry much about the adversary’s overpowered deck, and enjoy a good story. In that case, this is certainly the game for you.
Inscryption
| Genre | Card Game, Story Rich, Deckbuilding |
| Where to Buy? | Steam |
| Developer | Daniel Mullins Games |
| Release Date | October 19, 2021 |
| Multiplayer? | Np |
Inscryption is a deck-building card game with a dark twist. This unusual game is overflowing with original ideas combined with some old tropes to create a remarkable experience.
A standout feature of Inscryption is its use of so many different mechanics in one single package. It has many elements of escape rooms and the rogue-like genre.
The result is something quite original, as well as challenging. On top of all that, Inscryption is also beautiful and stylized. It has a really sinister and somber atmosphere, making it even more worth your time if you are into its aesthetics.
Inscryption is weird, and it might feel odd at first, but don’t let it prevent you from playing a good game. The fun mechanics and charming atmosphere will end up surprising you.
Fights in Tight Spaces
| Genre | Strategy, Action, Card Game, Turn-Based Tactics |
| Where to Buy? | Steam |
| Developer | Ground Shatter |
| Release Date | December 3, 2021 |
| Multiplayer? | No |
This single-player deck-building game is one of the most unusual card games on Steam. Fights in Tight Spaces is a critically acclaimed game in which you must defend yourself by using the space around you and playing the correct cards to succeed.
There are over 200 cards that you can use to make your own deck in a way that you can express yourself and effectively beat up all the thugs surrounding you.
Fights in Tight Spaces combines deck-building with turn-based combat and makes it look fabulous due to its distinct visual style and cool animations.
Some people say that this title is a combination of card games and Into The Breach, which sounds pretty good, in my honest opinion.
Slay the Spire
| Genre | Roguelike, Card Game, Card Battler |
| Where to Buy? | Steam |
| Developer | Mega Crit Games |
| Release Date | January 23, 2019 |
| Multiplayer? | No |
Slay the Spire is a deck-building rogue-like dungeon crawler with turn-based combat. As you battle your way up The Spire, you’ll build your deck from the many cards in the game that you collect from defeated enemies.
Each run will be different as randomness has a chance to spawn in new cards for players to add to their arsenal. In addition, the game has three entirely different characters, each with unique abilities and card lists to enhance replayability further.
There might be a point when this game finally feels repetitive, but it will take a while for you to get there. If, by any chance, you end up getting tired of all that this game has to offer, don’t worry. The modding community on Steam has made new characters with entirely new cards, so you can enjoy Slay the Spire in another fresh way.
Gwent
| Genre | Free-to-play, Strategy, Card Game, PvP |
| Where to Buy? | Steam |
| Developer | CD PROJEKT RED |
| Release Date | May 19, 2020 |
| Multiplayer? | Yes |
Gwent is a free-to-play deck-building card game that falls under the more traditional side of the genre. There are many different factions that you can use to battle your way through ranked, casual and PvP matches.
By playing against other players, you earn resources that you can use to buy many things in the game, including new cards. Gwent is far more generous than its competition when it comes to monetization.
The depth of strategy available in Gwent means that it’s suitable for all skill levels – even those with no card-playing experience.
It might seem complex at first, and even a bit overwhelming, but it really isn’t once you get used to it. If you are curious, just give it a shot. The game is free, so there is no downside here whatsoever.
Faeria
| Genre | Card Game, Strategy, Indie |
| Where to Buy? | Steam |
| Developer | Abrakam Entertainment SA |
| Release Date | March 8, 2017 |
| Multiplayer? | Yes |
Faeria is a great card game with just about every feature you could want in a game of the genre. The gameplay is what you’d expect from a more traditional card game. In many ways, it’s similar to Blizzard’s Hearthstone or even Magic: The Gathering. Still, Faeria has certain characteristics that make it stand out from other games.
First off, the board is quite different. The summoned creatures can be controlled as if you were playing a tactical, turn-based RPG. That alone is entirely unique to Faeria since it turns positioning into an important aspect that must be considered at all turns. The last card game that had a similar approach to unit positioning, although not as deep, was Might & Magic: Duel of Champions.
While those features may not sound too groundbreaking on their own, they give Faeria an incredibly strategic element. There are endless strategies available for players to devise depending on their deck build and how they choose to set their cards on the board.
All those things combined make for one enjoyable card game that I highly recommend checking out for yourself!
The Elder Scrolls: Legends
| Genre | Free-to-play, Card Game, Strategy |
| Where to Buy? | Steam |
| Developer | Sparkypants Studios, LLC |
| Release Date | June 1, 2017 |
| Multiplayer? | Yes |
If you love the universe of The Elder Scrolls and traditional card games, The Elder Scrolls: Legends is definitely worth trying.
Besides being a PvP game, it also has an enjoyable and quite long, single-player story mode. You get to play by yourself, learn more about the world, and earn many cards, decks, and packs.
If you prefer the competitive side of CCGs, you can try playing online. Make your deck and test it against other players in ranked matches.
The cards are well-balanced, there’s no best pack, and you can enjoy a lot of the game without putting any money in it.
GriftLands
| Genre | Card Battler, Roguelike, Deckbuilding, 2D, RPG |
| Where to Buy? | Steam |
| Developer | Klei Entertainment |
| Release Date | June 2, 2021 |
| Multiplayer? | No |
Many games that try to copy different aspects of successful titles end up being a poorly put-together hot mess that appeals to no one in particular. Luckily, for Griftlands, that’s not what happened to it at all. If anything, this game managed to feel both familiar and fresh at the same time.
It combines turn-based RPG combat, deck building, a rogue-like loop, and social interactions into a game that is hard to fit into a single genre, but it’s a remarkable experience. Combat feels exciting and tense, making every decision you make carry weight.
This is a true hidden gem on Steam that reminds me a bit of Slay the Spire, but at the same time, it is entirely original. If you love card games or tactical turn-based combat, I can’t recommend picking it up enough.
It also has a free demo available on Steam, so you’re out of excuses to skip this one.
The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game
| Genre | Card Battler, Card Game, Turn-Based |
| Where to Buy? | Steam |
| Developer | Twin Sails Interactive |
| Release Date | August 30, 2019 |
| Multiplayer? | Yes |
A cooperative card game based off of J.R.R Tolkien’s The Lord of The Rings books and movies, The Lord of The Rings: Adventure Card Game has you playing as one of several different heroes in order to make your way through Middle Earth to fight Sauron and its forces to save Middle Earth.
Playing online, you will see epic clashes of men and orcs fighting for dominance over many lands mentioned in Tolkien’s books. The feeling of overcoming your adversary with creatures and characters of the most important medieval fantasy of all time is something else.
This game is very much like the original physical release of The Lord of the Rings card game. Many cards keep the same art, and many of the rules are the same, but not everything is kept as it was. There were a few changes and updates, though, but it’s still enjoyable to fans of the tabletop version.
The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game has numerous decks and expansions. There’s plenty to keep you coming back again and again for more. The gameplay is simple enough to be an excellent game for beginners looking to get into card games but complex enough for experienced gamers to enjoy it.
Loop Hero
| Genre | Tactical, Card Game, Deckbuilding, Roguelike |
| Where to Buy? | Steam |
| Developer | Four Quarters |
| Release Date | March 5, 2021 |
| Multiplayer? | No |
The world was imprisoned in a timeless cycle of never-ending chaos, and you have to put an end to it. That’s the lore’s justification for the rogue-like elements of the game, but that works well enough.
In Loop Hero, the world is ending, and everybody is forgetting everything, from their lives to the world itself. You play as the lone hero who walks in loops and tries to remember all that once was.
By fighting, you earn cards that symbolize things that once existed, and you can use them to unlock your past self’s memories by placing them as tiles on the map. That way, you get boosts to your statuses and go even further in your loop — or run — to find out more about yourself and why you’re going through all of it.
The gameplay is simple yet challenging, with enough content for a satisfying playthrough. Sometimes it feels more like an idle game than an RPG, and the card game elements are few, but it’s still worth trying.
Banners of Ruin
| Genre | Roguelike, Card Game, Card Battler |
| Where to Buy? | Steam |
| Developer | Montebearo |
| Release Date | July 30, 2021 |
| Multiplayer? | No |
Banners of Ruin is a deck-building single-player card game in which you choose up to six characters to join your group and adventure in Dawn’s Point.
Each character has special skills that you can use by unlocking cards and adding them to your deck.
There are six different races — or in this case, species — each with their own unique abilities. After winning a battle, collect your prize and use the acquired items to become stronger.
The anthropomorphic characters combined with the gritty art style make Banners of Ruin look distinct from most fantasy games. If you like rogue-like deck-building games and you’re looking for something visually unusual, this is most likely the game for you.
Tainted Grail: Conquest
| Genre | Deckbuilding, Card Game, RPG |
| Where to Buy? | Steam |
| Developer | Questline |
| Release Date | May 27, 2021 |
| Multiplayer? | No |
This is yet another gritty-looking deck-building game, but now with RPG elements. The general ambiance of Tainted Grail: Conquest feels very similar to dark fantasy games such as Lords of the Fallen or even Dark Souls.
However, the game is on the list due to its turn-based combat, which is the card game portion of the Tainted Grail. Generally speaking, this title is a story-driven, single-player, rogue-like RPG with ever-changing maps.
Tainted Grail: Conquest has 9 classes, 460 cards, 340 passive skills, 50 masteries, and a bunch of other elements that can make the gameplay quite varied for a long time.
This game is clearly not for everyone. But if you are into deck-building RPGs with a gritty atmosphere, Awaken Realms Digital made a game that is tailored to your tastes, so give it a shot.
Eternal Card Game
| Genre | Free-to-play, Card Game, Card Battler, Strategy |
| Where to Buy? | Steam |
| Developer | Dire Wolf |
| Release Date | November 16, 2018 |
| Multiplayer? | Yes |
Eternal is a more traditional deck-building PvP card game. Aesthetically, it reminds me of Hearthstone or Legends of Runeterra.
Eternal has regular releases of cards, so the game always has something new going on. It was built to be a digital game without abusing the fact it is not a physical card game.
Eternal knows what it is and uses it without breaking the intended tabletop feeling that inherently comes with card games, and I love it for that.
The characters are fully voiced, the gameplay is fast-paced, and the game is generally easy to learn with an incredibly high skill ceiling.
Eternal Deck Building is at least half of the fun. There are so many viable strategies and synergies to discover that you might spend a long time thinking about how to better use that one card that you really like.
It also has a very fleshed-out story mode, making this game fun for people who don’t like playing others online. This is a card game that has it all.
Vault of the Void
| Genre | Indie, Card Games, Deckbuilding, 2D |
| Where to Buy? | Steam |
| Developer | Spider Nest Games |
| Release Date | October 5, 2022 |
| Multiplayer? | No |
This is another game that I can’t help to compare to Hearthstone, at least aesthetically speaking. Probably because of how the cards look and behave on the board.
However, this game does not play like Hearthstone or other more traditional PvP card games at all. In fact, Vault of the Void is a single-player rogue-like card game developed by a single person.
The idea behind the game is to provide a low RNG experience in a rogue-like. Although it sounds weird, it’s brilliantly executed.
You build your deck as you go through the run, and you can see which enemies you will be fighting before a combat encounter, so you always know what is coming next when you take a path.
Neoverse
| Genre | Card Battler, Deckbuilding, Roguelike, JRPG |
| Where to Buy? | Steam |
| Developer | Tinogames Inc. |
| Release Date | February 19, 2020 |
| Multiplayer? | No |
If you liked Slay the Spire or wanted it to look more like an anime, this is the game you were looking for. I personally love the visual design of the game. Not because it’s anime-like but because it mixes futuristic and medieval elements. It makes no sense, but it looks great!
Neoverse is a rogue-like deck-building game that has three different characters, each with unique cards and abilities. Unfortunately, only one character is playable at first, so you have to play the game to unlock the other two. You also get to unlock different costumes for the characters.
On top of being completely different from one another, the characters also have a few different playstyles, so you get to experience the same class in refreshing ways.
This is undoubtedly a niche game. Not many games offer such an unusual combination of genres and aesthetic choices. So, if you enjoy deck-building, dungeon-crawling, or futuristic anime, you will probably like Neoverse.
Thea 2: The Shattering
| Genre | Strategy, RPG, Survival, Card Game |
| Where to Buy? | Steam |
| Developer | MuHa Games, Eerie Forest Studio |
| Release Date | May 13, 2019 |
| Multiplayer? | Yes |
Thea 2: The Shattering is a deck-building RPG based on Slavic myths. You play as a deity turned into a rat and is trying to return to its human form.
This game is really odd, but mostly because it feels a lot like a 4X strategy game, which makes Thea 2 one of the most interesting hybrid card games I’ve ever seen.
You can achieve your goal in many different ways. You can explore, conquer, and win by using diplomacy or slaying your foes.
The game also has a rich crafting system, town-building, and multiplayer co-op. It can be played in so many different ways that replaying it will most likely cause you to experience an entirely different path.
If you like games that grant you a lot of freedom to solve issues, you might like this game. If, on top of that, you also like card game battles, you will definitely like this game.
EndCycle VS
| Genre | Deckbuilding, Card Game, PvP |
| Where to Buy? | Steam |
| Developer | 12B3 |
| Release Date | April 21, 2022 |
| Multiplayer? | Yes |
EndCycle is another deck-building rogue-like game with grid combat. Although it has a single-player mode, it also has multiplayer modes. It can be played cooperatively and competitively, both locally and online. This title is a beautiful pixel game that I have discovered recently.
It might not be the greatest game out there, but it certainly has its niche. If you like retro-looking visuals and card rogue-like deck-building games, you’ll like this. It has over 4,000 attacks, countless card combinations, and all the charm that only pixel games have.
The plot is about two teenagers who find themselves in the middle of the biggest conflict the world has ever faced. Now, you have to break the cycle by learning from the past and fearlessly facing the future.
If you have ever played Mega Man Battle Network, you might find this game familiar. I know I did. However, this is a good thing since that was an awesome game. If you liked it, you should give EndCycle VS a shot.
Creatures of Aether
| Genre | Strategy, PvP, Card Game |
| Where to Buy? | Steam |
| Developer | Tako Boy Studios, Dan Fornace |
| Release Date | August 2, 2021 |
| Multiplayer? | Yes |
EndCycle VS looks charming and fun but is not a true card game. However, Creatures of Aether is. This title is a free-to-play deck-building traditional card game.
Creatures of Aether’s pixel art is beyond charming; it’s also fitting because this card game is based on the world of Rivals of Aether, a known platform fighter.
There’s a PvP mode and PvE dungeons where you can spend some time without worrying too much about putting your deck to the test in the ranked ladder.
Creatures of Aether was inspired by Triple Tried, but it does have its own innovations. There is a lot to learn at first, but it really isn’t intimidating. Once you’re familiar with the basics, this game is pure, card-based pixel joy.
