Card / Deckbuilder — Genre Overview

Browser card games split into two categories that rarely admit each other: digital adaptations of physical games (poker, hearts, solitaire, Uno) and original deckbuilders with roguelite progression. The former are well-served — Solitaire Story and Spider Solitaire have been optimised within an inch of their lives for tab play. The latter category is underserved in the browser specifically: most good deckbuilders (Slay the Spire, Balatro) live behind a paywall on Steam. The few that exist in browser are worth knowing.

Session Length

10–60 minutes typical.

Editorial Note

Minion Masters has a surprisingly deep metagame for a free browser title. It demands more from you than it initially lets on.

Key Titles

• Solitaire
• Hearthstone (browser)
• Minion Masters
• Exploding Kittens Online
• Gwent