Ranking the Best Indie Card Games of the Past Decade

Visiting the best online casino is a great way to access a huge range of traditional card games but what about the best indie card games?

Arguably the top indie card game of the last 10 years is Slay the Spire. Released in 2017 for Microsoft Windows and since for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Android, and iOS, Slay the Spire was named as the ‘Best Strategy Game of 2019’ by IGN and received multiple award nominations in both 2019 and 2020. This is a deck building card game and, as the name suggests, the aim is to slay the spire. You do this by constructing a deck of cards that allows you to win battles, defeat bosses, and climb the multiple floors of the spire. Cards are always being offered and the key to success is choosing the right cards, at the right time. Slay the Spire may take a few games to fully understand and win but it is highly addictive and one of the best indie card games of the past decade.

Continuing the theme of roguelike card battling games, Monster Train was released on Steam in 2020 and has become one of the most highly rated indie card games of all time. Monster Train is also available on Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and most recently, PlayStation 5. The tables are turned in this card game and you play as the monsters from hell, which has frozen over, and you are battling against the creatures from heaven. The battles take place on a multi-level train and immediately it draws comparisons to Slay the Spire. However, most gamers believe Monster Train to be more complex than Slay the Spire, which makes it difficult for inexperienced players. That is why it comes second in our ranking of the leading indie card games.

We go back almost 10 years for the next card game in our list and Hand of Fate was released in 2015 for Linux, macOS, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. The aim of this card game is to work through a series of dungeons and beat a final boss at the end of each dungeon. The dungeons differ with every play because they are generated by cards from customizable decks. The battles are one of the most exciting elements of Hand of Fate because instead of using cards, you battle against the boss in real time from a third-person perspective. The dealer plays a significant role in Hand of Fate and the storytelling is superb.

Some of the other best indie card games of the past decade include Inscryption, Dicey Dungeons, Guild of Dungeoneering: Ultimate Edition, and Steamworld Quest: Hand of Gilgamesh. Each of these games feature strong themes and have a notable card playing element.