Seven Great Collectible Card Games to Play Online in 2022 - Article
by Craig S , posted on 24 February 2022 / 8,589 Views
The following was produced in cooperation with Assaf Cohen.
Over the last decade or so the realm of online trading and collectible card games has grown enormously, from the humble beginnings of basic ports to behemoths that earn publishers tens of millions of dollars a month. Whether you're looking for a game that's easy-to-learn and quick-to-play, or one that has more strategic depth, you should be able to find one to your tastes.
So many card games can now be played online, ranging from ever-present Japanese trading card properties like Yu-Gi-Oh! and Pokemon, to card game classics like Hearts and Poker, and of course card titles based on popular video game franchises like The Witcher and The Elder Scrolls. This article features some of the best ones to play in 2022.
Hearthstone
With over 100 million players to-date, Hearthstone is undoubtedly one of the biggest and most popular trading card games in the world. A free-to-play trading card game that utilises the lore from Blizzard's popular WarCraft IP, Hearthstone launched in 2014 and has managed to maintain popularity ever since.
That's mainly thanks to its ability to mix ease of accessiblity and a gentle learning curve with engrossing gameplay and strong levels of attention to detail.
Almost eight years since it first launched the game is still being updated, with new patches, features & modes, card sets, and events being added on a regular basis, so it's never too late to give it a shot, and since it's free-to-play you can dip your toes in the water without shelling out any money.
Pokemon Trading Card Game
From one of the biggest to the biggest, the Pokemon Trading Card Game you probably remember from your childhood is still going strong, with 34 billion cards having been sold in total and new expansion packs releasing roughly every quarter.
The original and perhaps the best, the Pokemon Trading Card Game allows you to collect both physical and digital Pokemon cards, with the latter being redeemable online and playable within Pokemon TCG Online. Online you can battle against the computer or friends, complete challenges for booster packs, take part in tournaments, and of course trade cards.
Magic: The Gathering Arena
Magic: The Gathering is probably the most acclaimed trading card series on the market, especially among card game veterans. There are a number of different versions of the game you can opt for, but Arena is probably the best option right now. It's a freemium game that mixes the base strategic strengths of Magic with the strong visuals and animations of more modern competitors to produce a compelling digital card game.
Like some of the other options on this list it's also being continuously updated, with extra modes, cards, and limited time events. So if you're looking for something a little more complex and strategic than titles like Hearthstone then Magic: The Gathering is the obvious next step.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel
Yu-Gi-Oh fans are a little spoilt for choice right now, with 2017's Duel Links still going strong, and now Master Duel joining it just last month. Both titles have strong communities and were highly rated by critics.
The most recent entry in the series, Master Duel is billed as the definitive digital version of the famous card game. It has a heavy focus on PvP play and grants players more than enough tools to obtain (thanks to generous rewards) and then customise their decks. This can make it a little overwhelming for newcomers though, so if you haven't played Yu-Gi-Oh before then Duel Links is a better starting point.
Legends of Runeterra
League of Legends developer Riot Games certainly hasn't been afraid of genre hopping, from MOBA to shooter to board game to anime. Legends of Runeterra, released in 2020, is the company's take on the collectible card game, and a very successful one at that.
It was inspired by Magic: The Gathering, but with the intention of making the genre more accessible to newcomers. It achieves that, while also using a generous free-to-play model that's based largely around cosmetics, rather than a pay-to-win system. It also leverages the League of Legends universe for many of its character designs, abilities, and effects.
Gwent: The Witcher Card Game
Gwent is unique among all these entries in that it's not only derived from another popular video game series (The Witcher), but is also playable within another game - The Witcher III: Wild Hunt. It proved an unexpected treat in The Witcher III and since being spun-off into its own full game it's gone from strength to strength.
This minigame-turned-major release is an excellent card game that has just enough depth to make it incredibly addictive without being off-putting to those who aren't already masters of the card game. And because it's based in and around The Witcher universe is has a wealth of lore to draw on and add to in its own right.
Eternal Card Game
The Elder Scrolls: Legends is no longer actively being worked on (although you can still play it), otherwise it might have been featured on this list. Instead we've decided to go with developer Dire Wolf Digital's follow-up: Eternal Card Game. This free-to-play card game is more generous than big rivals like Hearthstone (which it's visually quite similar to) and it also has more tactical complexity. All of that, combined with several modes of play, including single-player campaigns and ranked matchmaking, means it's well worth checking out.
