Clash Royale

Clash Royale emerged in 2016 from the same universe as Clash of Clans, but Supercell gave it a completely different pace. Instead of slowly building a village, players here face off in short, intense duels, playing units and spells from a hand of cards onto a divided map and trying to bring down the opponent's towers before they bring down theirs. A match lasts only a few minutes, which pushed the game closer to quick entertainment between other activities than to the long-term building ritual of its predecessor.

The game combines elements of card duels, tower defense, and real-time strategy, and it fits touch controls naturally – a card is simply dragged with a finger to the desired spot on the map. The free-to-play model here rests on collecting and upgrading cards: the basic set can be obtained through play, but faster access to stronger cards and their upgrades is tied to chests and purchases, which pushes some players toward overpriced bundles, while more patient players instead gradually mine the same cards from ordinary matches and free chests.

Clash Royale quickly became one of the most-watched titles on the esports scene as well, and showed that card dueling can be simplified into a few dozen seconds of decision-making without losing tactical depth. Watching replays and live tournaments became a natural part of the community, which for a purely mobile title was by no means a given in 2016.

Why play it: For players who want fast, tactical duels without lengthy building, though they should expect that a competitive card collection is fastest to assemble with money.