# Shadow Era - Trading Card Game > Cross-platform collectible trading card game with a generous free-to-play system. (iPhone/iPad app by Jonathan Bjork.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shadow-era-trading-card-game/id631262453 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Jonathan Bjork](https://appshunter.io/developer/1637937840) - Category: Games, Entertainment, Card, Strategy - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 4.36/5 from 296 App Store ratings · 1,218 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 17+ - Requires: iOS 12.0 · 600 MB - Languages: Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian Bokmål and 9 more - Released: 2013-04-14 - Data updated: 2026-07-29 - Monetization: free with in-app purchases - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shadow-era-trading-card-game/id631262453/reviews.md ## What is Shadow Era? Shadow Era 5.28 adds 5 new Tribute Cards! Shadow Era is the full scale, cross-platform collectible trading card game that you've been looking for, with the most generous free to play system out there! Start your campaign by choosing your Hero, and get a free starter deck. Battle with AI opponents or other players in realtime pvp to earn more cards. Your progress and cards will be saved on the server and can be accessed from any device! You must decide which strategy to use as you build your deck, in one of the most balanced card games out there! "A fantastic representation of what freemium games should be." - Touch Arcade "Shadow Era is a must-download for fans of CCGs." - TUAW "Shadow Era is a deep CCG that's easy to pick up, but nearly impossible to put down." - Slide To Play (4/4) "Shadow Era proves that digital TCG's can be just as fun as their real world counterparts." - Gamezebo FEATURES - 5 New tribute cards that will each add a major wrinkle to your favorite deck design! - Bugfixes and balance adjustments to the 33 most recent cards in the Rekindled Rebirth expansion! - Amazing card art that is sure to wow you, even rivals the top trading card games! - View games in progress or replays to learn new strategies - Free to play Meltdown game mode with great weekly prizes - Cross-platform multiplayer pvp battles - Game Center leaderboards - Full support for Retina and iPad displays - Fantastic 3d graphics and special effects - Amazing custom soundtrack - Completely free to play! No "pay to win" here! - Monthly contests that allow YOU to become a card in the game! Please visit http://www.shadowera.com for the official game rules, full card list, tutorials, and forums. ## Key features - Cross-platform multiplayer PvP - Nearly 1000 collectible cards - Free-to-play Meltdown mode with prizes - View games in progress and replays - Hero selection and starter deck - Server-side progress saving ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | 220 Shadow Crystals | $1.99 | one-time | | 600 Shadow Crystals | $4.99 | one-time | | 1300 Shadow Crystals | $9.99 | one-time | | 2700 Shadow Crystals | $19.99 | one-time | | Warrior Bundle | $4.99 | one-time | | Hunter Bundle | $4.99 | one-time | | Mage Bundle | $4.99 | one-time | | Priest Bundle | $4.99 | one-time | | Rogue Bundle | $4.99 | one-time | | DP Booster Box | $14.99 | one-time | | SF Booster Box | $14.99 | one-time | | Premium Foil Bundle | $34.99 | one-time | | Monthly Special | $19.99 | one-time | | Shadow Mage Starter Bundle | $4.99 | one-time | | Wulven Starter Bundle | $4.99 | one-time | | CotC Booster Box | $14.99 | one-time | | Elemental Starter Bundle | $4.99 | one-time | ## What do users think of Shadow Era? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 💎 Great game with excellent gameplay - 🎨 Impressive artwork and card designs - 🏆 Balanced and well-tested - 🕹️ Smooth gameplay and strategy - 🆓 Free-to-play with fair monetization - 🤝 Active and friendly community **Cons** - 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes - 🤖 Weak AI opponents - 📱 Clunky user interface, especially on mobile - 🕰️ Slow progress in adding new content - 🤯 Frustratingly difficult campaign mode **Commonly reported bugs** - Merchant screen not loading - Opponent turns freezing the game - Inconsistent card interactions - Graphical glitches on certain devices **Most requested features** - Improved single-player/offline mode - More diverse card pool and deck options - Better sorting/filtering for cards - Smoother animations and visual effects - Cross-platform multiplayer support ## Recent user reviews (10 of 1,218) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shadow-era-trading-card-game/id631262453/reviews.md ### 1/5 — Not that good *2026-04-24, version 5.001* Small community, unbalanced ### 5/5 — The best *2025-09-01, version 500000 (5.00000)* Best card game ever ### 5/5 — Nostalgia *2025-06-17, version 500000 (5.00000)* Played it when it came out. Still play it. Amazing artworks, great soundtrack! ### 1/5 — Still a horrible game! *2025-06-12, version 500000 (5.00000)* I came back after a couple years of not playing. Nothing has changed. Still no real line of defense for your hero. Players with decks full of magic cards that easily drain your hero’s hp. We Can’t forget about the cards that allow a never ending cycle of going to the graveyard, and coming back over and over. This game will never be big. The mechanics are just horrible. A real card game is fair and leveled. This will never be that. I’m quitting for good this time. It’s a shame because it had potential. ### 5/5 — Love it *2024-11-13, version 4.982* Great app, no huge complaints here. For anyone who enjoys card games and hasn't tried shadow era out, do it! Cards are very well thought out and impress me witho originality and how classic they are as well. For any shadow era developers who are seeing this know that you're app is great but could probably use a wider variety of cards for the different heroes. Also, Aldmors cool but a little overboard at the same time.. Tone it back a bit to the basics with any new updates/expansions. Edit: still an awesome app Edit: still coming out with updates and keeping it interesting. Edit: only making edits now to get some shadow crystals. Best game on the App Store Y’all should add controller support and have more tournaments more easily available to all the players, including new ones ### 2/5 — Ruined experience *2024-09-25, version 4.982* Used to be a good game with a fun community, now just a bunch of red beret comrades sharing happy endings in the shower room. sad really ### 1/5 — Tired old game hanging on by a thread *2024-09-10, version 4.982* In no particular order: 1. Most of the guides and information on the forum that is penned is over 10 years old! And they expect new players to use this when there have been things in the game that changed. 2. Three quests a day is ridiculous. And the paltry reward is only 25 shadow crystals? 3. I suffer from motion sickness and the constant panning to the battlefield makes me queasy. By default it should go home, not to the battlefield. 4. The campaign matches on the map are ridiculously hard and frustrating. They aren't even realistic. There is one hunter match that plays a death trap at least seven times. When only four of one card is allowed in the game. 5. The only way to find out information about cards that are sold out is to hang out on the weird forum where most of the information is years outdated. 6. The new artwork is horrid and digital, without the charm and humanness of old hand-drawn artwork. 7. For people who don’t want to spend real money in this game, good luck! All of the “good” cards are sold out in the shop and never available. 8. The merchant always has the same tired decks, and, even though I don’t have all of those decks yet and I do want them all, there’s never anything NEW offered. 9. For less skilled players who can’t figure out how to beat a certain place on the map, there is no updated strategy listed anywhere with basic cards that anyone can buy from the Merchant. I have not completed any of the maps. I have trouble on some maps even getting the one star, much less two stars. I don’t have any of the three stars completed. They say they have an active forum, they do not. It is an old forum with years-old information about cards and strategy. I’m not going to join some telegram or discord server just to figure out how to play their game. I should be able to do that in the game with the tools at hand given to me. 10. The maps are stale; they haven’t been updated or added to in years. 11. They said three free foil packs (Sept. 9 2024), so I got on and tried to win one game, but I was so horribly mismatched that I didn’t have a chance to win against an opponent. The few times I have tried, I have been so out-matched against more highly skilled players who are in the hundreds when I am not ranked at all yet. I tried playing an unranked battle and sat there forever unmatched. 12. All in all, a frustrating experience. Why do I keep coming back? Because I remember years and years ago when it was a really fun game. Part of me hopes it will return to that. ### 5/5 — Suggestion - Sugerencia *2024-09-03, version 4.982* Could you please give the option to play between 3 or 4, not everything should be 1 vs 1 —/Ustedes por favor podrían dar la opción de jugar entre 3 o cuatro, no todo debería ser 1 vs 1 ### 5/5 — Love it *2024-09-03* Great app, no huge complaints here. For anyone who enjoys card games and hasn't tried shadow era out, do it! Cards are very well thought out and impress me with originality and how classic they are as well. For any shadow era developers who are seeing this know that you're app is great but could probably use a wider variety of cards for the different heroes. Also, Aldmors cool but a little overboard at the same time.. Tone it back a bit to the basics with any new updates/expansions. Edit: still an awesome app Edit: still coming out with updates and keeping it interesting. Edit: only making edits now to get some shadow crystals. Best game on the App Store ### 5/5 — 人口増えて欲しい *2024-08-25, version 4.971* とにかく楽しい。4年くらいやってるゲーム。 人口増加の為にはやはり、とっつきやすくする為にも多言語化とカード種類増加が望ましい。 また、完全上位互換のカード追加ではなくて、戦略の幅を広げるようなカード追加をしてもらいたい。 追記 カードの日本語化を求めてます！ ## Frequently asked questions about Shadow Era ### What is Shadow Era? Shadow Era is a full-scale, cross-platform collectible trading card game. Players choose a Hero, build decks, and battle against AI or other players in real-time PvP to earn new cards. The game features a generous free-to-play system with server-side saving for progress and cards across all devices. ### What are the key features of Shadow Era? Key features include cross-platform multiplayer PvP battles, nearly 1000 collectible cards with amazing art, a free-to-play Meltdown game mode with weekly prizes, and the ability to view games in progress or replays. Players also receive a free starter deck and can participate in monthly contests to become a card in the game. ### Is Shadow Era free to play? Yes, Shadow Era is completely free to play with no 'pay to win' mechanics. While there are in-app purchases available, the game is designed to be generous for free players, allowing them to earn cards and progress through gameplay. The Meltdown mode also offers great weekly prizes. ### What devices is Shadow Era compatible with? Shadow Era is a cross-platform game, meaning your progress and cards are saved on the server and can be accessed from any device. It offers full support for Retina and iPad displays, indicating compatibility with a range of mobile devices. ### How do I learn to play Shadow Era? You can start your campaign by choosing a Hero and receiving a free starter deck. To learn more about strategies, card lists, and game rules, you can visit the official website at http://www.shadowera.com, which also hosts tutorials and forums. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 5.28 — 2026-06-13 5 new tribute cards and various bug fixes and balance adjustments to the recent 5.25 version. ### 5.25 — 2026-05-04 Shadow Era 5.25 includes: 1) Air Power in the form of Wyvern Riders that can bring death from above! 2) The Guardians that have been the last line of defense against would-be World Champion contestants are now IN THE GAME! 3) The Brothers of Thunder join the fray enhancing both Mage and Priest decks! 4) The Shadow Scaleforge have crawled out of the depths to bring the power of dragon scales to the Shadow Forces! ### 5.001 — 2026-02-17 Updated ipv4/ipv6 compatibility, updated user interface / compliance factors. ### 500000 (5.00000) — 2025-04-26 * 24 New Cards, including several Tribute Cards honoring dominant players in the game! * Now the Meltdown allows booster packs from all sets! * AI Opponent kicks in for the Meltdown if you wait for a human for more than 30 seconds! * Mulligan for non-FTA player helps balance out FTA! * Shadow Era lobby music, with thematic lyrics (by Stumpy Pup Studios) now plays in all non-live game areas of the client! * Multi-News Article toggle now accessible! ### 4.982 — 2024-09-02 Various bug fixes better cross platform stability. Pirates are rebalanced as follows: Commodore Latimer offers a discount on pirates while in crew, and haste to first pirate summoned each turn while he is on the board. Tempest Queen attack bonus is limited to+3 Dockside Coercer is now unique Banned cards restored to play: Commodore Latimer Hull Lurker Swashbuckling Avenger ## Apps similar to Shadow Era | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Black Deck - Card Battle TCG](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/black-deck-card-battle-tcg/id6444809228) | 4.6 (16,995) | Free | Games | | [Cards, Universe & Everything](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cards-universe-and-everything/id1484798863) | 4.7 (10,236) | Free | Games | | [Hearthstone](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hearthstone/id625257520) | 4.1 (120,942) | Free | Games | | [Honor-Bound TCG CCG Card Quest](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/honor-bound-tcg-ccg-card-quest/id704781559) | 4.7 (12,543) | Free | Games | | [Animation Throwdown: CCG](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/animation-throwdown-ccg/id1080816579) | 4.7 (42,739) | Free | Games | | [Pokémon TCG Live](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pokemon-tcg-live/id1557962344) | 4.2 (35,013) | Free | Games | ## Related topics [jonathan bjork](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/jonathan-bjork) · [bjork](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bjork) · [spectra trading card app](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/spectra-trading-card-app) · [solforge](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/solforge) · [alt graded cards](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/alt-graded-cards) · [bjoern](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bjoern) · [era games](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/era-games) · [trade game option](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/trade-game-option) · [sports card games trading](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/sports-card-games-trading) · [trading card game live](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/trading-card-game-live) · [cdga](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/cdga) · [my card shop evolution game 25](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/my-card-shop-evolution-game-25) · [tcamp](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/tcamp) · [top goft card](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/top-goft-card) --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-07-29.*