Ever wondered how to develop a card game? Here are some insights into the process, the differences between traditional card games and CCG, and more.
Highlights:
- When we talk about card video games, it usually means one of two types — CCG or digitalized traditional card games;
- Card game development is an endeavor with high potential as card games have remained popular for centuries;
- Among the biggest challenges in card game design is balance, so it's better to entrust it to experienced game designers;
- AI and machine learning simplify the development, but needs to be done with attention to balance.
Card-based video games blend strategy, resource management, and sometimes luck, creating engaging and dynamic gameplay. That’s the secret behind their popularity, and that’s why so many people are interested in how to make a card game.
Before we begin, there’s one thing we need to mention: when talking about card video games, people usually mean one of two things — games that are digital versions of traditional card games (e.g., poker, solitaire) and games that are more like tabletop RPGs. The latter have characters, abilities, and so on, and can be adapted from said tabletop games, books, movies, or other games (e.g., Hearthstone).
At Mind Studios Games, we’ve been partaking in card game development for quite a while: we’ve built traditional card games as well as blockchain-based competitive ones. Our latest projects involve several traditional card game adaptations, although all of them are works-in-progress at the moment.
Drawing from that experience, we’d like to offer advice to anyone interested in the topic — and our services to those looking for a seasoned partner to bring forth their own card game idea.
Read on for insights, and get in touch with us for personal consultation or to discuss potential partnership 😎
Core mechanics of card games
The majority of card games are considered a subtype of turn-based games, and they can be both single-player (player vs. algorithm) and multiplayer (player vs. player, or PvP). The exceptions are the digital versions of traditional card games like Solitaire, Bingo, or Black-Jack — in these games, the player collects card combinations against the random factor, so to speak. We’ll talk a bit about these games as well, but let’s start with the bigger chunk.
Being turn-based, most card video games follow a structured turn order, and the system can be either real-time (players act simultaneously) or asynchronous (players respond to each other’s moves).
The turns commonly include:
- Draw phase, when the player draws new cards.
- Main phase, when players take actions, such as playing cards. In RPG style games, this might also include activating effects or attacking.
- End phase, when effects (if there are any) resolve, hands may be adjusted, and the turn passes to the opponent.
At the heart of any card game development is the way players interact with their decks. In a nutshell, there are three main interactive mechanics in this type of games:
- Drawing cards — typically occurring at the start of a turn or as a reward for specific actions.
- Shuffling cards — ensures randomness in card order, preventing predictable strategies and maintaining fairness.
- Discarding cards — an action that can be voluntary (as part of a cost or strategic decision) or mandatory (due to hand limits or other effects).
The variety of card games is great, and so is the range of possible winning conditions.
Traditional card games tend to utilize the deck-out mechanics, where the goal is to deplete either the opponent’s or your own deck. But that’s far from the only possibility.
For example, in Hearthstone, the objective is to reduce the opponent’s health points — the card game mechanics are integrated into the fantasy setting of World of Warcraft, and cards serve as battle characters. Magic: The Gathering follows a similar path. Both are collectible card games where your deck is your army against opponents.
Another option for a card game goal is to collect certain cards, either by getting them from a randomized deck or by winning them from your opponents.
Of course, these are not the only ways to approach card game design. The possibilities are virtually endless, and if you’re struggling to choose the most appropriate one for your game idea, a professional game designer will be able to help. And, of course, we will also offer some advice in the next section, which focuses on a step-by-step explanation of card game development.
Steps to develop a card game
Conceptualization and core game design
Designing a card game requires balancing strategic depth, randomness, and accessibility. The first stage — conceptualization — is about defining the game’s core mechanics, thematic identity, and overall player experience.
Start with the core concept and genre definition. What type of card game do you want to make?
- In Collectible Card Games (CCG), players build custom decks from a large pool of cards. That’s like the aforementioned Hearthstone and Magic: The Gathering.
- In deck-building games (DBG), players construct their deck dynamically during a session. The examples here would include Slay the Spire and Dominion.
- In tactical card RPGs, cards represent abilities or actions in a larger strategy game. Games like Inscryption come to mind, where deck-building is combined with roguelike RPG style.
- When adapting traditional card games like poker, solitaire, or Blackjack into digital formats, the conceptualization phase focuses on preserving core gameplay while leveraging technology to enhance the experience.
We at Mind Studios Games have completed several card video games based on traditional ones, and we have more upcoming. At the same time, we’re quite confident in our abilities when it comes to CCG/DBG games, as well as tactical RPGs — our experience in creating non-card games in a variety of genres will definitely be of use here.
Developing game logic and mechanics
The approach to creating the game logic varies significantly between CCGs and digital versions of traditional card games like solitaire or poker. Here’s a short comparison for you:
| Differences between CCGs and traditional digital card games | ||
|---|---|---|
| Feature | CCG | Traditional card games |
| Card variety | Large and expanding card pool with unique abilities. | Fixed deck of standard playing cards (52-card deck, etc.). |
| Deck building | Players create custom decks. | Players use pre-determined card sets. |
| Game complexity | High, with strategic interactions between cards. | Usually follows predefined rules with minimal customization. |
| Randomization | Randomized card packs, draws, and effects. | Standardized shuffling; no additional randomness. |
| Multiplayer focus | Often PvP with ranked play and matchmaking. | Some multiplayer (poker), but many are solo (solitaire). |
| Progression system | Unlock cards, upgrade decks, meta shifts. | Mostly skill-based with no card collection system. |
| AI complexity | Advanced AI to mimic real players' strategies. | More straightforward AI, based on standard probabilities. |
With the regards to these differences, you can go through the general steps for game logic creation in a card game:
- Define the rules: establish how cards interact with each other, set win/lose conditions, identify any special mechanics (e.g., drawing, shuffling, discarding).
- Design the card system: define card attributes (e.g., attack, defense, cost in CCGs), structure a deck, hand, and discard pile system, implement card effects and interactions.
- Define turn/phase logic: define phases (e.g., draw, action, discard) and handle player and AI decision-making.
- Set up randomization: ensure fair deck shuffling (for example, with algorithms like Fisher-Yates Shuffle) and implement randomness for card draws, if applicable.
- Create AI and opponent logic, if applicable: define AI behavior (e.g., difficulty levels, strategies) and create decision trees or use machine learning for adaptive play.
Tip from Ivan Dyshuk, Head of Mind Studios Games:
When designing a card game based on traditional games, since the games have pre-established rules, you’ll need to follow them closely, no need to invent anything. Thus, the main points of focus should be ensuring the fairness of randomness and providing a smooth user experience.
On the other hand, CCG development is similar to other competitive video games, where a lot of time and effort is spent on balance and economy mechanics, with some amount of meta.
Graphics, UI, and UX design
UI/UX design plays a critical role in digital card game development, whether it's a CCG like Hearthstone or a digital version of a traditional card game like solitaire or poker.
Good UI/UX design ensures that players can focus on strategy and enjoyment rather than struggling with controls or unclear information. Whether it’s a deep CCG or a casual card game, the balance between aesthetics, usability, and game flow is key to player retention.
Here are top-3 recommendations from our team on how to design a card game:
#1 Focus on clarity in UI
Be it a solitaire deck or a CCG game filled with character stats, cards, backgrounds, and UI should share a cohesive visual language and offer good readability for any text, especially if it’s some important information (relevant for CCG mostly).
When it comes to traditional card games, we recommend adding a selection of themes — for example, modern and vintage. This will make the game appealing to a broader audience and also allow players to switch things up to avoid boredom.
Tip: Keep in mind that some players might be colorblind or have other visual impairments. Add settings to adjust colors, brightness/contrast, and fonts.
#2 Think about accessibility
Not all players who discover your game will know how to play, even if it’s something as widespread and seemingly simple as solitaire. Think about providing an interactive tutorial for newbies, but make it skippable for experienced players.
Also, for players with disabilities, it would be very helpful to have audio cues for actions, like the sound of shuffle or card placement. Another nice touch could be voice control, one-handed play (especially on mobile), button remapping, and autoplay features.
#3 Pay attention to game flow
Clear visual signs are important for turn indication and important game states, if there are any (like effects in play in CCG). If you’re adding timers, they should be easy to locate for players, but not overwhelming — a big timer will only stress players out.
Make design considerations for different screen sizes, if you’re making a mobile card game — the player’s hand needs to be easy to view, sort, and interact with.
Prototyping and playtesting
The sheer number of card games in app stores today is a clear indicator that for success, you’ll most likely need to go through several iterations of card game design. That’s what prototypes are for. From the concept stage till launch, several prototypes will be made, of increasing fidelity.
At some point, we recommend our clients to hold playtesting — offering prototypes to a closed group of players, held explicitly to obtain feedback. Playtesting is different from traditional testing, as it involves regular players instead of QA specialists.
The goal of playtesting is not to locate bugs, but to understand if the game’s development direction is correct. Basically, it’s a testing stage held at any point (starting with the first live prototypes), where players can assess the UI/UX, mechanics, game meta, balance, etc.
Multiplayer and online features
Digital card games can be both multiplayer and single player — with the latter, you’ll need to set up algorithmic opponents, preferably AI-based for the most enjoyable player experiences.
However, multiplayer card games are generally more fun (and sometimes easier to build). So, what features multiplayer functionality might require?
- Matchmaking of players with similar skills (based on the history of plays, rankings, or AI analysis)
- Leaderboards (self-explanatory)
- Replays — for players to analyze their mistakes after the game
- Spectator mode if you’re planning to hold tournaments
- Chat and/or emoji reactions, to make the games less stressful
Monetization strategies
Monetization in CCG type of card games is, as many other things, similar to other kinds of mobile video games. You can choose to sell rare, powerful cards, offer hints, boosters, or in-game currency for ads, and use subscriptions with daily rewards, for example.
When it comes to digital versions of traditional card games, however, things might become a little tricky. Especially if we’re talking about multiplayer games: offering things like tips or better hand for money makes a game pay-to-win and deprives it of fairness, which should be its key aspect. So what can you do?
Monetization options for digitized traditional card games |
|
|---|---|
Banner ads |
The simplest option that, if done carefully, won’t irritate players too much. |
Interstitial ads |
Placement of full-screen ads should be careful. We suggest displaying them only between plays. |
Rewarded ads |
Best used in single-player games like solitaire, where you can offer hints or let players undo moves. |
Subscriptions |
|
In-app purchases |
|
Real-money gaming tournaments* |
Digitized traditional card games are frequently played competitively, as many of them are skill-based. If you’re building a platform for this type of playing, you can charge a fee for participation. For example, in online poker apps, it’s fairly common for the app owner to take a small % of each pot. Or it could be a flat fee. |
*Note: Although real-money gaming apps are allowed on both Google Play Store and Apple App Store (with caveats), this type of gaming is subject to local legislations, so you’ll have to take that into account to avoid legal issues.
Testing
When developing games, we at Mind Studios Games never fail to emphasize the importance of testing. The gaming market is huge, and almost every game has an alternative that’s more or less the same — has similar art, or the same mechanics, or identical monetization. The list can go on. This also applies to card game development.
It’s hard to estimate the number of different card games in digital stores, but we can say there are enough for each store to have a separate “card game” tag or category. Those aren’t made to contain just a handful of titles. Evidently, the competition is quite severe.
What that means for your game, whether it’s a CCG or a digital version of solitaire, is that you have your work cut out for you when it comes to standing out. And bugs or unreliable UX are the last things you want in your game.
Allocate plenty of time to testing, and hire seasoned professionals for this task — preferably ones with hands-on experience in testing digital card games specifically, as the process has certain peculiarities. Mind Studios Games has such specialists, for, as we mentioned before, we’ve built several card games already and are building more currently. So if you need help testing or would like to know more about how to develop a card game in general — we’re just a couple clicks away 😎👇🏻
Launching and marketing
How to launch a digital card game successfully? Well, the deck of marketing options is more or less the same for all kinds of games, but you need to pick your hand wisely.
For CCG / RPG card games
CCGs attract competitive gamers who enjoy deck-building, strategy, and ranked play. And their target audience is predominantly younger people who hang out around Twitch, YouTube, Reddit, and esports events.
Partnering with streamers is likely to help you drive adoption, and actively managing a Discord server, a Subreddit, or an in-game chat can foster player loyalty.
Another option both for marketing and to retain players in the game would be the use of NFTs — creating unique tradable cards owned fully by a single player.
For traditional card games in digital form
Traditional card games often appeal more to a casual audience, older demographics, or mobile gamers. ASO will be crucial for them. Also, for games like poker or solitaire, leveraging social features enhances word-of-mouth growth. Think daily challenges, tournaments, and friend-based leaderboards.
Of course, you’ll need to do thorough research tailored for your specific game, the location you’re launching it in, and trends at the moment of launch. And it’s not only before launch — during the whole lifecycle of your game, you’ll need to collect and analyze data to keep existing players and pull in new ones. For that, you can use both external research and in-game analytics.
In the end, only data can tell you with high probability what marketing campaigns would be the most successful. If you’re interested, Mind Studios Games has our own custom analytics algorithm for mobile games that many of our clients opt to use. Or, of course, we can employ other services via integrating them into your game with SDKs/APIs.
Challenges in card game development
For clarity, we’ll separate card game development challenges into three short sections:
- Challenges in card game design
- Technical challenges
- Player retention
Let’s go.
Challenges in card game design
For CCGs, the main challenges in game design lie within the realm of balancing the cards. No single card should have stats that will dominate the game.
In many games with multitudes of characters — not just card ones, but also gacha, for example — there’s a phenomenon called “power creep”. It’s when newly added cards are progressively better than old ones. That’s why CCGs require constant balancing, often leading to nerfs or buffs post-release. If this isn’t kept in check, it will frustrate players to no end, so your game designers need to keep this in their heads when creating content for updates. Playtesting with actual users can help solve this issue.
On the other hand, in traditional card games, if you’re using a random number generation to add some unpredictability, there’s a high risk of overdoing it. Too much randomness can frustrate players, and striking the right balance between luck and skill is essential to keeping players engaged. Plus, traditional card games need to maintain their core feel while introducing engaging digital features.
Finally, for all types of card games, there exists an issue of balancing accessibility with depth. Your game should be easy to learn, but have enough complexity for long-term engagement. This is achieved by working with an experienced game designer and by rigorous testing practices for game design.
Technical challenges
If you’re using AI in your game to generate opponents (for single-player games or modes), those AI-generated opponents need to play strategically without feeling too easy or impossibly difficult. This is true for all kinds of games, but especially for traditional card games like Bridge or Poker, where opponents must understand advanced strategies, including bluffing. Otherwise, the game will soon bore players.
Another technical point to pay attention to is cross-platform UI optimization. It’s not rare for players, especially of traditional card games, to interact with the game across platforms — PCs, smartphones, tablets, and sometimes even consoles. If you’re making your game cross-platform (and that’s almost always a good thing to do), your UI needs to be refined to a T. Especially in a CCG, as the cards there often display a lot of information.
Lastly, any multiplayer game inevitably faces the issue of latency. For online multiplayer games, ensuring smooth real-time or asynchronous play is critical — players should not experience lag when waiting for opponents’ moves. This is achieved by leveraging a quality multiplayer tech stack, which your game’s backend developers will be able to recommend.
Player retention
It’s hard to stand out with a digital version of a traditional card game like poker — after all, you can’t exactly introduce completely new rules or drastically change any part of the game everybody knows and expects. Your wiggle room is fairly small.
However, it’s not completely impossible. Here are some quick suggestions:
- Add meta to progression. Make each game session into a showdown with a fantasy monster, or reimagine climbing the leaderboard into an actual castle. The game stays the same at the core, but the added feeling of adventure can hold players’ attention.
- Add unlockable customization. Instead of (or in addition to) selling alternative table backgrounds, avatars, animations, or card backs, offer them for winning a certain number of games — in general or in a row
- Mix card games with puzzles. For example, winning a poker game reveals a puzzle piece. Or, in solitaire, make a bingo card with clearing certain patterns as filling conditions — and completing a row gives a small reward.
- Set up timed competitions. This works for many card games: limit the game session time and draw results when the time runs out. Or limit the number of moves.
- Add interactivity. A streaming mode with spectators voting or betting who will win and what the next moves will be could help create community around your game.
- Offer players co-op events. People can team up against other teams or AI opponents. In poker, it could be “highest combined winnings” or something similar.
- Mix traditional games with CCG. Borrowing from CCG mechanics, offer players to draw hands from a limited selection of cards instead of relying solely on luck with the whole deck.
- Introduce daily/weekly rewards. The fastest play on the server, or winning the game with “special rules” for a reward. This way, you’re not exactly changing the game overall, but spicing it up for a fun challenge.
Some games attract players with unique graphics, others with solid balance and monetization. But human nature is fickle, and to keep players from moving to a different game, you’ll need to do something. Constant brainstorming with a professional team and player behavior analysis will help you come up with multiple ways to retain your audience.
Case studies: Successful card games
Quite a number of digital card games has gained popularity and financial success over the years. Talking about all of them would require a separate article, so we’re not doing it here. So here are two successful CCG titles and three digitized versions of traditional card games — and what part of card game design we think made them successful.
CCG | Hearthstone (Blizzard Entertainment)
The biggest attraction factor of Hearthstone is, of course, its IP — Warcraft paved the way for it (and Hearthstone, in turn, triggered the popularity of CCG based on other franchises, like The Witcher). However, IP alone couldn’t keep the players in.
Blizzard did a great job in applying their usual level of effort from big “serious” titles to a card game. Hearthstone has top-shelf animation and voice acting. Add user-friendly interface, blend of simple mechanics with deep strategy, and frequent updates — and you have your recipe for achieving stardom.
CCG | Magic: The Gathering Arena (Wizards of the Coast)
A faithful adaptation of an iconic tabletop game, MTG Arena attracts both fans of the offline version and digital gamers alike. Its player-attracting factors, in our opinion, are accessibility (it’s both on mobile and PC) and that it offers free-to-play progression: players can collect card packs through gameplay alone. Plus, it’s tied to MTG’s official esports and tournament structure.
Traditional | PokerStars (Online Poker Platform)
One of the most successful online poker platforms ever, it boasts anti-cheating and fair matchmaking systems — most important factors when it’s a game with real money involved. Other appealing elements are the variety of game modes (Texas Hold’em, Omaha, tournament formats), regular promotions, leaderboards, and professional player sponsorships.
Traditional | Microsoft Solitaire (Windows)
It seems easy to make your game popular if it comes pre-installed in an operating system, right? Well, just like with Hearthstone and Warcraft, Windows Solitaire does offer small but meaningful perks besides being on every Windows computer by default.
(I mean, how many people actually bother to even check standard games on their PCs?)
Microsoft Solitaire is, first and foremost, extremely casual-friendly. It’s so simple that it became a go-to time killer for people with Windows computers many years ago. Its basic mode is classic Klondike Solitaire, but it also has additional modes — Spider and Freecell — for players who get bored. And it has daily challenges and leaderboards. What else to want?
Traditional | Solitaire Bliss Collection (Mongoose Net Limited)
Okay, Microsoft Solitaire might have been a bit of a cheating addition 😅 So here’s another.
Solitaire Bliss gained traction not because of an established brand but because of its variety, user-friendly design, and minimal distractions — which was a fresh take in a crowded market at the time. It was designed for both desktop and mobile browsers without requiring an app download, making it widely accessible.
Solitaire Bliss offers over 100 solitaire variations. Besides the classics like Klondike and Freecell, it also has rarer versions like Yukon and Forty Thieves. Players can tweak rules, themes, and difficulty levels to personalize their experience.
Cherry on the top — there’s a "Learn & Explore" section, where players can read about the history of solitaire while playing.
Conclusion
Card games have been around for centuries, literally — the oldest European card game, Karnoffel, dates back to the 15th century. They’ve stood the trial of time and evolved into what we see today — a wide range of types, genres, and styles. It’s one of the classics that will hardly lose the interest of the public any time soon.
Which is why, despite the selection of titles on the app stores (and hence, competition), card game development is considered a lucrative business endeavor.
At Mind Studios Games, we’ve been designing card games for a while. We’ve dipped our toes in a variety of styles, too — from several versions of digitized traditional card games to skill-based games on blockchain. We’re also avid players of CCGs, and we’re playing them with a developer’s eye, paying attention to what works and thinking about why.
By choosing us as a card game design and development partner, you’ll gain a partner with both experience and interest in the niche, which will undoubtedly contribute to the end quality of your title. If you’re hesitant, schedule a call with our team to see for yourself if we’re the right fit. Fill in the form and we’ll get back to you to discuss the best way to make your idea a reality.
