Game profile
Legends of Runeterra
A free digital card game set in the League of Legends universe with a fair progression system free of pay to win elements. Champions can level up mid match and turn into more powerful versions that swing the round.
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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 somewhere between light and heavy. 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
- fair, no pay to win
- League of Legends universe
- champions level up mid match
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 Legends of Runeterra?
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 83 out of 100, which puts it above 47 percent of the 1276 games here and at rank 645 overall. That is mid-table for this database. Not a standout at the top, but solidly rated.
For comparison, Deckbuilder averages 83 points across the database, so this one is right in line with its genre. The figure rests on 81 collected ratings.
Released in 2020, so it has 6 years behind it. Usually cheap by now and the rough edges are long fixed.
The facts
- Release year
- 2020
- 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
- 83 / 100
Direct comparison
| Genres | Release year | Playtime | Critic rating | Price bracket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legends of Runeterra | 2020 | Endless game | 83 | Free-to-play |
| Magic: The Gathering Arena | 2019 | Endless game | 85 | Free-to-play |
| Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel | 2022 | Endless game | 82 | Free-to-play |
| Hearthstone | 2014 | Endless game | 88 | Free-to-play |
If you liked this, try these
- 85/100 Magic: The Gathering Arena Shared: Deckbuilder, Strategy, Fantasy, rated higher
- 82/100 Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel Shared: Deckbuilder, Strategy, Fantasy
- 88/100 Hearthstone Shared: Deckbuilder, Strategy, Fantasy, rated higher
- 85/100 Marvel Snap Shared: Deckbuilder, Strategy, Fantasy, rated higher
- 79/100 Teamfight Tactics Shared: Deckbuilder, Strategy, Fantasy
- 83/100 Pokémon TCG Pocket Shared: Deckbuilder, Strategy, Fantasy