Summary
- Digital deck-builders like One Step From Eden offer dynamic action & an abundance of spell cards for varied strategies.
- Games like Slay The Spire feature unique playable characters with clear synergies & strategy diversity.
- Wildfrost stands out with unique playable factions, customizable cards, and a challenging combat system.
Deck-builders have been tremendously popular over the years, from classic tabletop games such as Dominion to the stand-out roguelike deck-builder, Slay The Spire. Naturally, these games feature a great deal of potential strategies to discover and execute, but some are better at this than others.
Most Complex Deck-Building Games
Deck-building games tend to vary in complexity, and these games are especially complex.
Some of the greatest digital deck-builders champion player agency and unique styles with an abundance of distinct cards and characters. However, the best of them often feature unique twists and interlocking mechanics that encourage players to carve their own path.
8 One Step From Eden
Dynamic Action & An Abundance Of Spell Cards
One Step From Eden
- Released
- March 26, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One
- Genre(s)
- Deckbuilding, Tower Defense
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
One Step From Eden is an action roguelike with a deck-building twist. This title features dynamic, fast-paced action that takes clear inspiration from Mega Man Battle Network. However, the variety of spell cards allows for a multitude of strategies.
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It's not just the cards that allow One Step From Eden to feel dynamic with its play-styles, though; the real-time combat is tremendously expressive, somehow feeling both strategic and skill-based in equal measure. Add to this the variety of playable characters, and One Step From Eden is a roguelike deck-builder that can be approached from many an angle.
7 Across The Obelisk
Party-Based Gameplay With Unique Decks & Customization
Across the Obelisk
- Released
- April 8, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
- Platform(s)
- PC
- Genre(s)
- Digital Card Game, Roguelike
Across The Obelisk is a roguelite deck-builder with a heavy emphasis on party-based combat and RPG elements. The game allows for a great deal of deck customization within each run, especially as players build their wealth. This allows for plenty of freedom when constructing a deck, allowing players to easily discover new synergies and styles.
Furthermore, the party-based nature of Across The Obelisk ensures variety, as each class has its own strengths and weaknesses. These classes each offer their own variety of styles, ensuring there's a viable option for all kinds of player.
6 Slay The Spire
Tremendously Unique Playable Characters With Clear Synergies
Slay the Spire
- Released
- January 23, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Mega Crit
- Platform(s)
- Android, iOS, PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- Genre(s)
- Roguelike, Deckbuilding
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
With its variety of playable characters, each with their own unique set of available cards, Slay The Spire is able to offer freedom in play-style from the very start. Furthermore, the pace and generosity with which Slay The Spire grants new cards ensures players are able to quickly establish a style with each new run.
What's more, Slay The Spire features a variety of relics that grant passive boons and can even be game-changing at times. These relics allow players to bolster their current style, or perhaps shift gears and experiment with something new. Overall, this results in a game that's abundant with diverse strategies and exciting synergies, encouraging all kinds of play-style.
5 Griftlands
A Unique Dual Combat System
Griftlands
- Released
- July 11, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Klei Entertainment
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Linux, Microsoft Windows, macOS
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Indie Games, Adventure, Strategy
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Combining classic roguelike deck-building with RPG elements and an emphasis on world-building, Griftlands is able to champion diverse play-styles in a multitude of ways. Multiple playable characters, each with their own distinctive personalities and styles, are a large part of this.
However, Griftlands also excels with its dual combat system, allowing players to tackle encounters in passive or aggressive ways. This additional choice and the variety of strategies within each system allows players to consistently express their own style throughout each run.
4 Monster Train
Tower Defense & Deck-Building Combined
Monster Train
- Released
- May 21, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
Monster Train is a roguelike deck-builder with a tower defense twist, tasking players with defending a train from waves of monsters. The dynamic nature of this battleground and the verticality of the playing field creates an expressive environment, bolstered further by a variety of potential synergies and builds.
This variety is facilitated by multiple playable factions and an abundance of unique cards. With plenty of minions to summon and spells to cast, Monster Train is a consistently fresh experience that's always encouraging unique strategies, elevated by an element of tactical positioning brought about by its tower defense structure.
3 Cobalt Core
Unique Characters & Dynamic Gameplay
Cobalt Core
- Released
- November 8, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Rocket Rat Games
- Platform(s)
- PC, Nintendo Switch
- Genre(s)
- Roguelike, Digital Card Game
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Cobalt Core is a cozy roguelike deck-builder that excels with its charming art-style and quirky characters, elevated by a tactical twist to its gameplay that adds a heap of depth to its gameplay. In the game, players battle enemy spaceships in turn-based dogfights, playing a variety of cards that represent their unique crew members.
Best Sci-Fi Deck-Builders
Players who love deck-builders with a sci-fi twist will love what the following games bring to the table.
These crew members are tremendously unique, and players can only bring three of a total of eight with them. This ensures players are able to express their own style right from the start, further elevated by a wide variety of cards and synergies. Furthermore, the moment-to-moment tactics of each encounter allow players to approach every combat from a variety of angles.
2 Wildfrost
Unique Playable Factions & Customizable Cards
Wildfrost
- Released
- April 12, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Deadpan Games, Gaziter
- Platform(s)
- Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Digital Card Game, Strategy, Roguelike
Wildfrost is a stylish and frequently challenging roguelike deck-builder with a unique combat system that borrows from the likes of Hearthstone. In the game, players summon companions to the battlefield and use a combination of spells and attacks to support them in combat. What keeps the game fresh, however, is its high level of customization and variety of factions.
Each playable faction in Wildfrost is wildly different, and this is supported by a set of intricate systems that champion diverse strategies; charms that buff or change the behavior of companions, relics that provide passive boons, and a generous helping of rewards between combat encounters ensures players are always able to craft a strategy that suits them.
1 Dune: Imperium
Deep Strategy With A Great Deal Of Variables
- Platform(s): PC, Xbox, Mobile
- Released: 2024
- Developer(s): Dire Wolf
- Genre: Board Game
Dune: Imperium, initially a tabletop game, is an excellent digital adaptation that brings with it the complexities and nuance of traditional board game mechanics. Most notably, Dune: Imperium combines classic deck-building gameplay with worker placement, resulting in a diverse arena of options and strategies.
This is bolstered further by the variety of leaders, each with their own unique strengths and weaknesses that excel with different strategies. The random elements at play, the unpredictability of the other players, and the variety of cards allow for many unique styles, resulting in a dynamic strategy game that's worth learning.
Every Dune Game, Ranked
While Dune has been around for a long time, there has only been a handful of Dune games released over the years.