When theYu-Gi-Oh!anime first aired asYu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monstersin 2000, its trading card game took the world by storm. Now in its seventh iteration withYu-Gi-Oh! Go Rush!!,Yu-Gi-Oh!proves it’s nowhere near losing its hype. And for players eager to try and develop their mastery over the card game, there are quite a lot of video games to cover - including the more TCG-accurateYu-Gi-Oh! Master Dueland the more dynamicDuel LinksandCross Duel.
However, fans of TCGs who want new gaming experiences may want to give games likeYu-Gi-Oh!a shot. These include the TCG inspiration of the core trading card game, a game that took inspiration fromYu-Gi-Oh!, and other TCGs that had more dynamic mechanics for both vets and newcomers.
Updated on June 10, 2025, by Rhenn Taguiam:With the English edition of the 25th Anniversary Kaiba Ultimate Kaiba Set giving Yu-Gi-Oh! fans the opportunity to tote a briefcase in the same way Yugi’s rival and KaibaCorp CEO loves to do, card game enthusiasts may find this the perfect time to get into the acclaimed Konami card game. However, fans who want to switch things up may opt out of hand traps and different summoning mechanics to other card games that have unique features. Among must-tries for Yu-Gi-Oh! fans include an RPG with card game elements, a card-heavy horror title, a digital card game based on a MOBA, a classic card game of a hit sci-fi franchise, and a new card game based on a series about digital monsters.
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Shadowverse
Dev studio Cygames is no stranger to various IPs, withRage of Bahamutin 2011 andShadowversein 2016 being their key entries into the card game space. While best known for the RPGGranblue Fantasy, Cygames’Shadowverseis probably its most famous attempt at a digital card game. What’s perhaps interesting is how its mechanics mesh the anime aesthetics ofYu-Gi-Oh!with the more fast-paced gameplay ofHearthstone.
WhileShadowversemechanicsrevolve around a Play Point mechanic used to play Followers (key monsters), Spells (fast-action cards), and Amulets (longer-lasting buffs), the game is unique in having an Evolution mechanic, where Followers gain new effects after “evolving” in a match.Shadowversealso got an anime series in 2020, where protagonist Hiro Ryugasaki is dragged into card games through the mysteriousShadowverseapp in a lost smartphone.
Future Card Buddyfight
In a unique twist to the card game genre,Future Card Buddyfightfrom Bushido has an anime that starts with an odd premise. Set in Chou-Tokyo, Japan, in 2030, Gao Mikado is a Buddyfighter from Earth who, with his partner, Buddy Monster Drum Bunker Dragon from the Dragon World, engages in Buddyfights against other pairings from different Affinity Dimensions to decide the fate of the universe.
Key to the anime is thereal-life card gameFuture Card Buddyfight,which based on its mechanics seems to be a more child-friendly take on theYu-Gi-Oh!concept. Given the world allegiance theme ofBuddyfight, central to the game’s mechanics are the player’s Buddy Monster and world-specific Flag Card, which add both flavor and special abilities that players may use. Aside from using spells and equipping items to their Buddy Monsters, players can also summon regular Monsters to aid them in battle. Unfortunately, Bushiroad discontinued both the game and support for the game in 2021.
Cardfight!! Vanguard
Created as a joint project between Akira Ito and CCG/TCG publisher Bushiroad,Cardfight!! Vanguardremains a surprisingly strong competitor in the card game scene. Originally released as a card game in 2010,Cardfight!! Vanguardsprang to popularity after its first anime season in 2011. In the original series, protagonist Aichi Sendou progresses to improve past his shy self throughthe card gameCardfight!! Vanguardand his signature card, “Blaster Blade.” Throughout his tenure, Aichi strives to become a stronger fighter to prove himself to his rival, Toshiki Kai - a dream that eventually introduces him to a professionalCardfight!!Tournaments, as well as powers beyond his control.
Despite the franchise spawning various anime series with different protagonists, mechanics inCardfight!!progressed at a similar rate toYu-Gi-Oh!’s. At its core, players have an “avatar” called a Vanguard and call forth various Units to fight on their behalf, all possessing unique traits and abilities. The game’s goal is to reduce the opposing player’s Damage to zero or deplete their deck. Despite its seemingly complex mechanics,Cardfight!!’s tactical flair remains appealing to players looking for strategic depth outside usualYu-Gi-Oh!orMagic: The Gatheringplays.
Duel Masters
Known in Japan asKaijudo, it’sDuel Mastersthat became an alternative toYu-Gi-Oh!for fans of card games back in the early 2000s. Initially developed as a joint project between Takara Tomy and Wizards of the Coast, the firstDuel Mastersconcept was intended to promote the hitMagic: The Gatheringcard game. When Wizards of the Coast became dissatisfied that the manga revolved around characters “playing”Magicinstead of being set “inside”Magic, the team created an entirely new game.
StarringDuel Mastersplayer Shobu Kirifuda, the protagonist gets dragged into an adventure to save the world after discovering that he’s one of the fewDuel Mastersplayers who can bring their monsters to life. At its core,Duel Mastersfollowed a similar Mana and keyword system inMagicbut kept simple for younger audiences. Cards are now capable of becoming Mana, withYu-Gi-Oh!’s “life points” replaced by Shields or cards that go into the hand once destroyed. Hitting the player with all Shields destroyed will cost them the match. Despite its more straightforward mechanics,Duel Mastersremains discontinued even after attempts to relaunch in 2012 and 2014.
Star Wars CCG
The Force being a universal presence and power source inStar Wars loremaintains the same role inStar Wars CCG, where conventional resources are skipped in favor of the player’s very deck being both their available resource and “life.” On top of matches being lost when all cards are removed from play,Star Wars CCG’s very mechanics revolve around punishing and rewarding players for sacrificing their cards. As such, players need to pay closer attention to how they want to secure the victory during these gambles.
In a bid to replicate the epic wars and duels between both Star Wars factions and characters,Star Wars CCGmechanics allow players to summon characters, augment them with items, control locations, pursue objectives, and activate events - all using valuable Force Points. Similar toYu-Gi-Oh!which pays particular attention to summons,Star Wars CCGforcing (no pun intended) a delicate balance between risking using the deck for powerful plays or preserving it for longer wars of attrition adds a layer of strategy for card game fans.
WIXOSS
What ifYu-Gi-Oh!straight uprevolved around magical girls? This is the entire premise ofWIXOSS, a multimedia franchise revolving around the card game of the same name. In its 2014 anime series,WIXOSSstars girls known as Selectors who have to playWIXOSSwith magical fighters known as LRIGs who will earn a wish after several victories. Unfortunately, each anime series unravels a darker purpose of theWIXOSSgames, with the sequel even wagering one’s actual memories and existence.
Players have a core LRIG card that serves as their avatar, with Arts serving as their special abilities. These are placed on decks separate from another deck with SIGNIs or summonable monsters like inYu-Gi-Oh!and their supportive Spell cards. Play inWIXOSSfocuses on removing all the opposing player’s Life Cloth (life points), which is usually protected by Guard cards discarded after players engage in LRIG versus LRIG combat.
Pokemon Trading Card Game
First published by Japan’s Media factory in 1996 and the US’s Wizards of the Coast, thePokemon Trading Card Gameis one of the most popular cards based on an existing video game IP. Currently published by the Pokemon Company, the CCG has now sold more than 40 billion cards around the world, with booster packs still catching up with theScarlet & Violetreleases. Players at first glance may notice similarities between thecore mechanics of thePokemon TCGand Wizard’sMagic: The Gathering, with the former incorporating more active components.
On top of a winning condition revolving “Knock-outs,” mechanics are also based onPokemonconcepts in the video games: Evolution, Energy Cards for casting (Pokemon Types), buffing Pokemon (Tools and Supporters), and altering the state of play (Stadium, Trainer Cards). However,Pokemon TCGis also similar toYu-Gi-Oh!in its monster-juggling mechanics, where players need to decide if Evolving a Pokemon is worth the while due to different effects.
Hearthstone
Due to the success of Blizzard’sWorld of Warcraft, it makes sense for spin-off products based onWarcraftlore to arrive on shelves, withHearthstonebeing one of those rare hits since its 2014 launch. Primarily a digital card game,Hearthstoneis taken from the Hearthstone teleportation stones in theWarcraftMMO, and shares gameplay elements withMagic: The Gatheringalbeit with much faster pacing.
Players build a deck based on a Class, possessing both special Hero Powers and a defining element that dictates play style. For instance, Shamans rely heavily on Totem-based buffs, while Rogues rely on quickplay tactics. Using Mana earned per turn, players can summon Minions like inYu-Gi-Oh!and cast various Spells, which rely on keywords that usually pertain to specific effects.
Steamworld: Quest
While not necessarily acollectible card game, the integrated card game mechanics inSteamWorld: Questadds a unique flair to its RPG story of a ragtag team of robots saving the world. Players engage in combat with 24-card decks, each of which comprises smaller 8-card “mini-decks” based on the party’s characters. With cards sprawled across Strike, Skill, or Upgrade variants alongside a special card when three of a character’s cards are chosen for a turn,SteamWorld: Questgives players a lot of variability for its straightforward gameplay.
Although the number of cards collectible inSteamWorld: Questcould barely graze the surface ofYu-Gi-Oh!’s card slate, the former’s similarities to the latter have more to do with its combo system. Considering how a lot ofYu-Gi-Oh!decks today rely on rotations and fast-paced summons, fans of the card game may find some sort of familiarity withSteamWorld: Questneeding players to balance character-focused attacks with the most efficient output of the turn.
Legends of Runeterra
Despite being a digital card game,Legends of Runeterraexcels in providing quite the flexibility in terms of both speed and control that contemporaries such asHearthstonejust don’t possess. While the game maintains turn-based increasing Mana as a resource and 20 Life via the Nexus,Legends of Runeterraups the ante as a digital card game with its accessibility.
Similar toYu-Gi-Oh!’s Chain Links,Legends of Runeterracards can be countered based on a specific tier of highest to lowest (Fleeting, Slow, Fast, Burst) card speeds, and resolved as last-in-first-out. Moreover, the addition of being able to actively choose blockers of attacks adds variability to deck construction.
