5 Of The Best Card Games On Android To Check Out In 2023

Over the years, Android mobile devices have become gaming powerhouses, and some games found on smartphones can rival their bigger brothers and sisters on consoles. Titles like "Fortnite" and "Genshin Impact" are fully playable on smartphones, showing just how much power can be packed into the little devices. 

There is a downside to those kinds of games, though: your battery will be drained quickly while playing them and you'll notice the device heating up rapidly. As a result, your playtime could be cut shorter than you'd like, or you'll be tethered to a wall outlet to charge while playing.

If you're looking for something a bit more relaxing to play than an action game – and something that doesn't sap your battery as fast — there's a wide selection of card games to check out. Yes, Android users have access to card game staples like "Solitaire" and "UNO!," but there's so much more in the genre if you just dig a little deeper.

"Slay the Spire," a roguelike deck-building game, is one of the best examples of an infinitely replayable game. To start, you pick between four different characters — The Ironclad, The Silent, The Defect, and The Watcher -– who each come with their own card pool to pick from. You climb floors and defeat enemies, each encounter giving you cards to add to your deck and power-ups to give you new abilities. There are three acts in total in a single run, each of them culminating with an end boss.

Losing all of your health results in a loss, and it means you'll have to start your entire journey over. A typical session varies from player to player in terms of how long it takes. If you like to strategize each and every move, a run can take upwards of an hour. Breezing through it all can cut the time in half, but you might make some crucial mistakes along the way. You'll unlock more cards on each character whether you win or lose, so there's still progress to be made even if you aren't slaying the titular spire each time.

It's a two-for-one here because it's two "Yu-Gi-Oh!" games. "Duel Links" is a game that was made specifically for mobile devices, but it also has a Steam release. It uses the speed duel format which caps your deck size at 30, and it has a much smaller board. This is designed to make games go quicker, and you get the added bonus of playing with characters from the anime who boast special skills to synergize with your deck.

For a traditional "Yu-Gi-Oh!" game, you'll want to check out "Master Duel." Nearly every card release in "Yu-Gi-Oh!'s" history makes an appearance here, and because of that, there are many, many decks you can make. The Android version of "Master Duel" doesn't run as well as its console and PC counterparts, but it's a fully playable experience even if it does get your phone or tablet a little hot. Both "Master Duel" and "Duel Links" are fully cross-play and cross-save, so you can play on every platform and keep your progress.

What could go wrong with a blend of famous Marvel characters and quick, chaotic card battles? Not much, apparently, as "Marvel Snap" became a hit as soon as it was released. Boasting a wide roster of characters of everyone from Spider-Man and Wolverine to Squirrel Girl and Silver Surfer, there's a lot to enjoy here from Marvel fans and non-fans alike.

The thing that keeps people coming back for more is the fact games can be finished in a matter of minutes, and that you can keep on unlocking new cards with ease. The gimmick of "Marvel Snap" is Snapping before a game wraps up, and that indicates to your opponent that you believe you're going to win. If you do eventually win the match after Snapping, you'll rank up more. On the other hand, losing a match after you Snapped will cause you to drop further in rank than you otherwise would've. It's a fun addition to the game that'll always keep you on your toes.

With the runaway success of "The Witcher 3," it didn't take long for CD Projekt Red to dip back into the well for another installment in the series with "Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales." Instead of being a vast open-world RPG, it's a smaller-scale adventure that replaces real-time combat for card-based combat. More specifically, the combat is very similar to Gwent, the in-universe card game from "The Witcher" franchise. 

While you won't be put into the shoes of Geralt for this game, "Thronebreaker" is more than worth the time for players looking for a strong story as well as some cool card combat. If you're somebody who spent a lot of time playing Gwent in "The Witcher 3," you'll find a lot to love here. Android players do get to experience the opening of the game free of charge, but they will eventually hit a roadblock where they have to purchase the full game to continue. "Thronebreaker" features cross-save support with its console and PC counterparts, so you're able to swap freely between the two if you double dip on the game.

Despite closing in on a decade old, "Hearthstone" is still going strong and still consistently receives updates. "Hearthstone" takes your favorite "World of Warcraft" characters like Jaina Proodmoore and Thrall and converts them into card form. You don't have to be familiar with the "Warcraft" universe at all to hop into the game, but it certainly helps to recognize the characters who pop up.

There are several different modes to experience whether it's a simple head-to-head battle, solo battles, or the Battlegrounds mode that pits you against seven other players in a race to be the last one standing. There is a lot to do in "Hearthstone," but it's hard to ignore how pricy the game can get when trying to build a competitive deck. It's quite easy to dump money into the game if you're chasing the meta, but if you're content with playing the game more casually, you can keep things relatively cheap.