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Creating a new card game is incredibly labor-intensive and expensive, but developing one as a video game is significantly less costly. That’s why there’s been a rise in card games available for consoles like the Nintendo Switch in recent years, with some of them being among the best there are.
10 Monster Train: First Class
Monster Train: First Class is a roguelike deck-builder that sees the player take control of the forces of evil, fighting against enemies who attempt to reach the end of the train. Players can use one of two types of cards, either to summon monsters or use special actions to put a stop to their opponents.
The game has solid combat mechanics and does a great job of putting players under pressure as they fight against wave after wave of enemies, allowing for hundreds of hours of entertainment.
9 Nowhere Prophet
Nowhere Prophet presents an interesting take on the roguelike deck-building genre, with players controlling a prophet who leads a group of people around a hostile planet. Players expand their deck, gather more followers, and equip new gear as they travel the planet Soma.
The aim of the game is for the prophet to eventually find a safe haven for his followers, but doing so isn’t straightforward and there are hours of content within that goal. Nowhere Prophet is visually-appealing and has a unique soundtrack, but the core game itself is also very well-made.
8 Slay The Spire
Slay The Spire is almost universally regarded by fans as one of the best deck-builders available, and for good reason. Thanks to the fact that it’s a roguelike game, Slay The Spire is incredibly addictive and has virtually endless replay value.
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As players keep attempting to climb the titular Spire, they unlock new cards and even new characters to use in future attempts. While all of this adds to the fun, the true genius of Slay The Spire lies in the combat mechanics and the events that players encounter on their journey.
7 Steamworld Quest: Hand Of Gilgamech
The Steamworld series has been quickly gaining popularity since the release of its debut game, Steamworld Tower Defense. In 2019 the series changed direction slightly with the release of Steamworld Quest: Hand Of Gilgamech, a deck-building game with some RPG elements.
As with the other games in the series, the steampunk setting makes for some fantastic visuals. Although Steamworld Quest: Hand Of Gilgamech is pretty light as far as RPGs go, it more than makes up for that with solid combat where players collect punch cards to direct the attacks of their robots.
6 Roguebook
Roguebook is a roguelike deck-builder that is closely linked to another card game developed by Abrakam, Faeria. That experience in developing card games really shines through, and fans of the genre may be familiar with how well their first release played.
Beginners playing Roguebookmight feel a little overwhelmed with how unforgiving the game can be from time to time but like most card games, it’s just a matter of learning how to work with the game mechanics. The initial choice of which heroes to use alone makes a huge difference in how best to approach each challenge.
5 Voice Of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars
Voice Of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars looks and feels very much like a tabletop RPG, but with almost everything in the game functioning through the use of cards. It’s actually one of the most underrated card games available, thanks largely to the deep story that players experience as they make their way through the game.
As an added bonus, if players find that they enjoy Voice Of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars then there’s plenty more where that came from. Square Enix has also published two follow-up games, The Forsaken Maiden and The Beasts Of Burden.
4 Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales
The Witcher 3 is one of the best-selling games of all time, and it remains one of the best third-party games available on Nintendo Switch too. One of the most interesting elements of The Witcher 3 was the in-universe card game that it introduced, Gwent.
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CD Projekt Red quickly realized how popular Gwent was among fans, and they developed standalone games for fans to continue enjoying the card game. Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales is the single-player version of Gwent that has a lengthy campaign to keep fans of the universe engaged.
3 Griftlands
Griftlands is a sci-fi role-playing card game developed by Klei Entertainment, the same company behind Don’t Starve and the ridiculously stressful management game Oxygen Not Included. Although the map stays the same in each run, Griftlands does have roguelike elements as the events and missions are all procedurally generated.
What sets Griftlands apart from other deck-builders is the fact that players are tasked with managing two decks at once. One deck of cards is used in combat, while a separate deck is used in negotiation.
2 Cardpocalypse
Cardpocalypse might seem more light-hearted than other modern card games available for Nintendo Switch, but it has surprisingly deep gameplay for players to enjoy. It’s a game about a 10-year-old moving to a new school and enjoying the card game “Mega Mutant Power Pets” before it gets banned and things take a turn.
What makes Cardpocalypse unique is the level of customization and the fact that virtually everything is constantly changing. Players can upgrade their cards using stickers and the rules of the game change depending on who’s in charge.
1 Monster Slayers
Players create a hero to take on hordes of enemies in Monster Slayers, with all the combat coming in the form of card battles. There are twelve different classes to choose from, and they influence what deck the player will build during their run.
Monster Slayers is a roguelike game where everything is randomly generated for players, and each run allows players to unlock new abilities for future use. This structure allows players to sink dozens of hours into the game before they ever come close to seeing everything.
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