Game profile
Hearthstone
In this accessible collectible card game, players build their own deck from spells and creatures of the Warcraft world. Quick rounds and a high luck factor make it easy to learn but hard to master.
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What kind of game this is
At its core this is Deckbuilder / Strategy, set in a fantasy world. Visually it is deliberately stylised rather than photorealistic, and the overall tone stays light and upbeat. The structure is guided rather than open, so you are moved along instead of dropped into a map. It is built around short sessions, which makes it easy to pick up for half an hour.
The difficulty is moderate and fair, demanding attention without punishing you for it. There is no story to speak of, the systems carry everything. Competitive play against other people is part of the package. It runs on 2 platforms. Getting in costs nothing.
What stands out
- Warcraft deckbuilding
- Fast matches
- Easy to access
This fits you if
- you want your skill measured against other people
- you enjoy being made to think
- you usually have thirty to sixty minutes and want that to be enough
- cutscenes annoy you and you just want to play
- you enjoy competing against other players
- you want to try it without spending anything
Look elsewhere if
- you play mainly for narrative
- you want a game with a clear ending you can reach
- you play alone, this needs other people
- competitive lobbies stress you out
How long is Hearthstone?
This one has no finish line. It is built to be played for years, in whatever rhythm suits you.
How the rating ranks
Critics settled on 88 out of 100, which puts it above 78 percent of the 1276 games here and at rank 250 overall. That is a strong score, comfortably above what most releases manage.
For comparison, Deckbuilder averages 83 points across the database, so this one sits 5 points above its own genre. The figure rests on 737 collected ratings.
Released in 2014, which makes it 12 years old. A genuine classic, and worth checking how the version you buy holds up today.
The facts
- Release year
- 2014
- Genres
- Deckbuilder, Strategy
- Playtime
- Endless game
- Difficulty
- Moderate, fair
- Story weight
- None, pure gameplay
- Play with
- Competitive
- Setting
- Fantasy
- Visual style
- Stylised
- Price bracket
- Free-to-play
- Platforms
- PC, Mobile
- Critic rating
- 88 / 100
Direct comparison
| Genres | Release year | Playtime | Critic rating | Price bracket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hearthstone | 2014 | Endless game | 88 | Free-to-play |
| Marvel Snap | 2022 | Endless game | 85 | Free-to-play |
| Teamfight Tactics | 2019 | Endless game | 79 | Free-to-play |
| Legends of Runeterra | 2020 | Endless game | 83 | Free-to-play |
If you liked this, try these
- 85/100 Marvel Snap Shared: Deckbuilder, Strategy, Fantasy
- 79/100 Teamfight Tactics Shared: Deckbuilder, Strategy, Fantasy
- 83/100 Legends of Runeterra Shared: Deckbuilder, Strategy, Fantasy
- 85/100 Magic: The Gathering Arena Shared: Deckbuilder, Strategy, Fantasy
- 82/100 Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel Shared: Deckbuilder, Strategy, Fantasy
- 83/100 Pokémon TCG Pocket Shared: Deckbuilder, Strategy, Fantasy