We will admit that the thought of playing card games on a screen can appear a little weird at first. After all, the entire purpose of cards (unless you are a professional) is to sit down with friends and family and have a good time.

The numerous benefits of playing card games on a console become apparent really quickly though. For one, it is possible to play the game with people situated far away that cannot travel and play the game in person. Secondly, it is also possible to play the game with strangers online if the game supports multiplayer features.

Online card games also often have a competitive leaderboard or rank-based system that allows players to compete with the best players in the world. All of this has led to the entire genre enjoying a lot of popularity.

Here, we have taken a look at the card games available on Xbox and listed the 9 best card games for Xbox Series X / S.

UNO

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Genre:Card Game, Classic, Party Game
Developers:Ubisoft Chengdu
Release Date:August 15, 2016
Find at:Microsoft Store and Amazon
Multiplayer:Local multiplayer (2-2), Online multiplayer (2-4)

We begin our list with what is perhaps one of the most popular card games of all time. Almost anyone alive who does not live under a rock has at some point played or at least heard of UNO.

UBISOFT has bought that authentic UNO experience, officially licensed and all, to the Xbox. The fundamental purpose is simple: Players need to match the cards until they run out of them. The first player with an empty hand is the winner.

UNO can be played with the basic ruleset. However, players also have the choice of customizing the rules of the game and adding all sorts of new twists to the classic game. There are also aesthetical changes and themed cards that add a bit of novelty to the game.

Locally, UNO can only be played between two players. That is a shame, as it is a game that is ideally designed for four-player gameplay. Thankfully, the online multiplayer does support matches between four players.

Needless to say, you should expect the same levels of hysterical laughter when you place a “+4” card in UNO online as you would when you do it in real life.

Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales

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Genre:Card Game
Developers:CD PROJEKT SA
Release Date:December 3, 2018
Find at:Microsoft Store
Multiplayer:N/A
Average Playtime:27 hours

The developers behind The Witcher series have always had a predisposition to card-based games. Gwent was quite popular with a portion of the Witcher fanbase and widely considered to be one of the best card games on Xbox. Sadly, it was discontinued in 2019.

Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales takes a slightly different approach from Gwent. Rather than focus on card-based gameplay, the game is actually an RPG that has card battles.

If you enjoy card games that simulate battles but also want a game with a worthwhile storyline and certain RPG elements, Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales is perfect for you.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist

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Genre:Trading Card Game
Developers:Other Ocean Interactive
Release Date:July 29, 2015
Find at:Microsoft Store
Multiplayer:N/A
Average Playtime:19 hours

Yu-Gi-Oh! is one of the most famous card games of all time. Set in its own universe, there are many ways through which players can take part in the Yu-Gi-Oh! experience, including multiple anime series and physical cards that can be purchased.

This is not the only title from the series on our list of the best card games for Xbox, but it is considered to be the best overall experience by fans of the genre. Players can build their own custom deck and fight against characters from multiple eras of the Yu-Gi-Oh! timeline.

It is also possible for players to go online and test both their deck and skills against other players. However, you should keep in mind that the game no longer enjoys the player base that it once had. As such, finding matches can be quite difficult.

The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game

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Genre:Card Game, Strategy
Developers:Twin Sails Interactive
Release Date:November 5, 2019
Find at:Microsoft Store
Multiplayer:Online multiplayer (2)
Average Playtime:9 hours

Moving from one franchise that enjoys a large fanbase to another that enjoys an even larger fanbase, we have the Adventure Card Game set in The Lord of the Rings universe.

In many ways, it is similar to Hearthstone, one of the most famous competitive card games in the world. However, Adventure Card Game does seem to lack some of the depth that is found in Hearthstone, which makes it not ideal for competitive play.

Of course, that does not mean that this is not an amazing game. Especially for those who have read the books or watched the trilogy, this will be by far the ideal card game to play. There are a lot of tactics, and the game still has a sizable online player base.

What we like about the game is that it also has a very engaging campaign. There is an intricate story weaved around the LOTR universe and players get to battle the forces of Sauron using their deck formed around three heroes of their choice. If you are looking for a great single-player card game, this is the one.

Hand of Fate 2

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Genre:Card Game, Adventure, RPG
Developers:Defiant Development
Release Date:November 30, 2017
Find at:Microsoft Store
Multiplayer:N/A
Average Playtime:21 hours

It is a shame that Hand of Fate isn’t more popular, as it has really unique concepts that would interest fans of both card and board games.

The game is a dungeon-crawler that is set in a living board game. As you would expect, the game borrows heavily from the Dungeons and Dragons universe. That said, it also has a lot of new ideas and a story that is almost completely different from that of D&D.

There is a deck of cards that you can use to determine where your adventure will take you next. Almost every single part of the game will feel unique and replayable, which more than makes up for there being no multiplayer.

Solitaire

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Genre:Card Game, Classic
Developers:Sanuk Games
Release Date:October 10, 2016
Find at:Microsoft Store
Multiplayer:N/A

There have been a lot of complicated and intricate card games on our list so far, but the next game on our list of the best card games for Xbox is as simple as it gets. It’s called Solitaire.

We believe it is a safe assumption to make that anyone reading this has played Solitaire before. In fact, anyone who has used a PC since the time of Windows XP will have at least tried the game once.

Solitaire brings that experience to the Xbox. There are no real bells and whistles here, nor do the developers try to innovate on the game in any way. You have the option of three game modes and four backgrounds. All you need to do now is to stack those guards where they belong.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel

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Genre:Trading Card Game
Developers:Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.
Release Date:January 18, 2022
Find at:Microsoft Store
Multiplayer:Online multiplayer
Average Playtime:24 hours

The second game from the acclaimed franchise on our list is Master Duel. Compared to Legacy of the Duelist, Master Duel is much more polished. It also has much better visuals and a lot of features not present in the previous entry.

However, the main area where the game lacks is the gameplay. Certain elements of the game have been changed to make it more fast-paced. This is a good thing if you are playing on a mobile, but it isn’t great for serious players that want to hone their craft and be as good at the game as they can be.

Still, there is a lot to like here. The cross-platform multiplayer means that it is very easy for players to find other players willing to play. However, the number of skillful players seems to be low on Master Duel, with many of the veterans preferring the previous game in the series.

Slay the Spire

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Genre:Card Game, RPG, Strategy, Roguelite
Developers:MegaCrit
Release Date:August 13, 2019
Find at:Microsoft Store and Amazon
Multiplayer:N/A
Average Playtime:11 hours

Just like the Hand of Fate series, Slay the Spire takes two concepts, combines them together, and creates something that is very fun to play.

Slay the Spire is a combination of roguelike games and deck-building card games. As the title suggests, the main goal in the game is to Slay the Spire. Before you can get to the Spire, there are a lot of other enemies that you need to take care of.

Not only do players need to understand how to make use of their cards in an efficient manner, but they also need to slowly upgrade their deck if they are to clear the harder levels. That said, the game is overall much easier than some of the other entries on this list. We think it would be the ideal card game for beginners to play.

Unfortunately, the game does not have any multiplayer component. While we understand that this is a story-driven game, it would have been great if players could face off and test their decks against each other.

Cards of the Dead

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Genre:Card Game
Developers:BOOMFIRE Games
Release Date:October 21, 2021
Find at:Microsoft Store
Multiplayer:N/A
Average Playtime:11 hours

Cards of the Dead is the last game on our list of the best card games for Xbox Series X / S. The game was created just as the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning to dwindle down, and the inspiration for the game has clearly been taken from the disease.

The story is that there has been an outbreak of an infection. The twist is that the infection causes people to turn into zombies (very original, we know). It is now up to you to stop the infection by playing the right cards and making it to the complex where the vaccine is stored.

There are a total of three independent stories within the game, all of which are connected with each other. While it is a single-player experience, it is still worth a try if you want to play a card game with a story that is extremely different from anything else we have seen in the genre.