Android
iOSAndroid and iOS mobile review
Card Crawl 2
A superb one-handed card dungeon that is free to finish, wrapped in the most monetised design this series has ever shipped.
- Mobile release date
- Developed by
- Tinytouchtales
- Play style
- Single-player solitaire card battler with a weekly online challenge
Official mobile artworkAs a card game this is the best the series has been: the four-column board turns a simple loop into a genuinely tactical one, and it still plays perfectly in one hand on a phone. Whether you enjoy owning it is a separate question. Card Crawl 2 is free and you can reach 100% without paying, but the route there runs through rewarded ads, randomised chests that both stores formally flag, and a 250-gold storage cap you can only lift with real money. Fans of the premium original should download it knowing the shape of the deal has changed.
See why it got this score ↓On this page
Source-reviewed assessment by GamesRanker Editorial: GamesRanker did not claim a first-hand test for this score. We verified product facts and evaluated attributed mobile testing from the named reviewers below. Store details were last checked using the United States baseline on September 6, 2026; availability and prices may differ in your country. See how source-reviewed scores work.
The essentials
What is Card Crawl 2?
Card Crawl 2 is Tinytouchtales' sequel to the 2015 solitaire dungeon crawler. You clear a tavern deck by dragging cards onto a hero, spending three action points a turn to attack, heal, cast spells, collect gold, or sell. The board grew from four cards to sixteen across four columns, and equipment now sits alongside spell cards. The big change off the board is commercial: where the original was a paid app, the sequel is free with rewarded ads, randomised chests, a gold storage cap, and an optional no-ads subscription.
Why it stands out
- The four-column board is a real design step up from the original
- Plays one-handed in portrait, in runs short enough for a bus stop
- Every piece of content can be unlocked without spending money
- Eight heroes with distinct starting cards and items add replay variety
- Runs on phones as old as Android 7.1 or iOS 15
- Weekly Tavern Crawl gives a shared challenge without forcing PvP
- Cloud saves, Game Center leaderboards, and achievements are included
- The developer has published unusually candid detail about the monetisation
What to consider
- Both storefronts formally disclose randomised purchases: loot boxes on Apple, random items on Google Play
- The base gold pouch holds only 250 gold until you pay to raise it
- Cards priced above 250 gold are effectively out of reach at the base cap
- Rewarded ads are built into how quickly you progress
- Removing ads means an ongoing subscription rather than a one-time purchase
- A much heavier commercial layer than the paid original this sequel is named after
- Free completion is estimated at around 90 days by the developer
Is it for you?
Should you download it?
Players who want a sharp, genuinely tactical card game they can play one-handed in short bursts, and who are comfortable with a free-to-play structure as long as nothing is locked away permanently.
You want the clean paid-once deal of the original Card Crawl, or you avoid games with rewarded ads, randomised card packs, or currency caps that only money removes.
Score details
Why Card Crawl 2 scored 7.8
We score both the game itself and how well this version works on a phone or tablet.
Fun
Three action points and a sixteen-card board turn a small puzzle into a real tactical loop, with 50 spell cards, 50 items, and eight heroes behind it. Pocket Gamer's reviewer found the planning genuinely demanding, though the underlying run is still a short solitaire clear rather than a long campaign.
Phone experience
This is a phone game first and everything follows from that: portrait orientation, drag-and-drop cards sized for a thumb, runs that end in a few minutes, and no menu that needs two hands. The low OS floor of Android 7.1 and iOS 15 means older phones are not shut out.
Value
Nothing is paywalled outright and the developer states a free player can reach 100% in roughly 90 days against 30 for a paying one. That is fair in absolute terms, but the pace is deliberately set by the gold cap, so the value depends on whether you enjoy the game enough to wait.
Performance
About 569 MB on iPhone with support listed for 127 Apple device models and a floor of Android 7.1, which is undemanding for a 2D card game. GamesRanker found no reported performance complaints in the sources reviewed, but no tester published device-level measurements either.
Ads & purchases
The weakest area and the reason the score is not higher. Google Play flags in-game purchases including random items, Apple's listing carries a Loot Boxes advisory, the base gold pouch caps at 250 until you buy an upgrade, and rewarded ads are woven into progression. Nothing is pay-to-win and the ads are optional, but this is a far more monetised game than the premium original.
On mobile
Features that matter
- 01Clear a stacked sixteen-card dungeon spread across four columns
- 02Spend three action points a turn to attack, heal, cast, collect, or sell
- 03Equip items that apply passive effects alongside spell cards
- 04Play eight heroes that each start with their own cards and equipment
- 05Chase Holographic, Polychrome, Golden, Foil, and Negative card variants
- 06Compete in the week-long Tavern Crawl community challenge
- 07Keep progress across devices with cloud saves and Game Center support
Quick answers
Common questions about Card Crawl 2 on mobile
Straight answers about price, content, offline play, controls, and compatibility.
Is Card Crawl 2 free, and what can you actually spend money on?+
The download is free on both US storefronts with no paid unlock. The App Store listed seven in-app purchases when checked on September 6, 2026, ranging from $0.99 to $8.99: a Tavern Dweller Pass, a Chest Pack, a Hero Set Purchase, two Pouchy gold-cap upgrades, a Starter Pack, and a Booster Pack.
Does Card Crawl 2 have ads?+
Yes. Google Play labels the game Contains ads. The developer has said rewarded ads are optional and always tied to an incentive, with interstitial ads aimed at long-term non-payers. Ads can be removed with the Tavern Dweller Pass subscription, which he lowered from $4.99 to $0.99 per month after launch criticism.
Are there loot boxes in Card Crawl 2?+
Both stores say so in their own words. Apple's listing carries a Loot Boxes advisory, and Google Play describes In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items). In the game these are chests and card packs, which can return gold, card variants, custom monster skins, or gems.
Can you unlock everything without paying?Card Crawl 2+
Yes, according to the developer. He states the game is designed so a paying player who upgrades the gold pouch can unlock all content within about 30 days, while a free player can reach 100% without spending anything over roughly 90 days.
What is the gold pouch limit and why does it matter?Card Crawl 2+
Gold earned in a run is stored in a pouch that holds 250 by default and can be raised to 500 and then 1,500 through two one-time purchases. Because some merchant cards cost more than 250 gold, Pocket Gamer's reviewer found those cards unreachable at the base cap unless you use the slower chest workaround.
Can you play Card Crawl 2 offline?+
The developer's own store description lists both offline and online game modes, so the core solitaire runs do not need a connection. Expect to be online for the Weekly Tavern Crawl, rewarded ads, cloud saves, and leaderboards.
How different is it from the original Card Crawl?Card Crawl 2+
Mechanically it is a real sequel rather than a reskin: the board holds up to sixteen cards across four columns instead of four, and the play-three-cards rule is replaced by three action points per turn. Commercially it is a bigger change, because the 2015 original was a paid app and this one is free-to-play.
Is the GamesRanker score based on first-hand testing?Card Crawl 2+
No. This is a source-reviewed editorial assessment. GamesRanker verified current product and store facts on both US storefronts, read the developer's published post on the game's design and monetisation, and evaluated attributed mobile testing from Jack Brassell at Pocket Gamer.
Store snapshot
What players are rating
United States snapshot, : Google Play showed 4.6 stars from about 1,790 reviews and a 100K+ download band, with Contains ads and In-app purchases labels. The US App Store showed 4.5 from 391 ratings. The developer separately reported about 76,000 iOS and 15,000 Android downloads in the first month. These changing demand signals helped prioritise coverage but did not determine the GamesRanker score.
Your next step
Price and download
The game is a free download on both US storefronts with no paid unlock. The US App Store listed seven in-app purchases when checked: Tavern Dweller Pass and Chest Pack and Hero Set Purchase at $0.99, Pouchy Upgrade 1 at $1.99, Starter Pack at $4.99, Pouchy Upgrade 2 at $5.99, and Booster Pack at $8.99. Google Play listed the same $0.99 to $8.99 range. Local prices and availability may differ.
Regional store note: Listed on both reference stores on . GamesRanker uses this consistent baseline for comparison; use the store links to see availability, pricing, size, and requirements in your region.
