Comparison

Magic vs Payback Arcade

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Magic

Experience the original fantasy collectible card game digitally. Build unique decks, master strategies, and battle friends or AI in various game modes. Discover new cards and unlock rewards through a comprehensive tutorial and engaging gameplay.

Highlights
  • Collect and build unique decks
  • Master diverse strategies
  • Battle friends and AI
  • Explore multiple game formats
  • Engaging tutorial system
  • Unlock cards and rewards
  • Stunning battlefields and effects
Features
Read full description

Welcome to the digital Multiverse! Magic: The Gathering is the original trading card game- and now you can download and start playing for free with your friends from anywhere! Magic: The Gathering Arena empowers you to discover your strategy, meet the planeswalkers, explore the multiverse, and battle friends around the world. Collect, build and master your unique deck that will become its own legend. Your battle is only the beginning; duel on stunning battlefields, and enjoy Arena’s game changing battle effects and immerse yourself in the game. Start playing for free, challenge your friends, unlock cards, and feel the magic of the original fantasy CCG! NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY Never played Magic before? No problem! Magic: The Gathering Arena’s tutorial system takes you through the playstyles so you can find your strategy and decide if you’re the type to overwhelm your opponent with brute strength, if subterfuge is more your style, or anything in between. Meet characters from around the multiverse and try out spells and artifacts that make learning to play the original fantasy collectible card game quick and fun. It’s never been easier to play Magic! Collect cards to build a deck that matches your personality, then master your strategy to battle friends and be part of the TCG that started them all. GAME ON(LINE) The original TCG is now digital! Explore the fantasy worlds of Magic: The Gathering Arena and build your deck, play a variety of game formats to collect cards, master multiple strategies, and hone your skills against friends or the AI. With multiple game formats like Draft and Brawl, 15 unlockable collectible decks, and explosive card combo effects: Your ideal Magic: The Gathering playstyle is at your fingertips! Show off eye-popping cosmetics like avatars, card sleeves, and pets and collect daily rewards to grow your collection and build powerful decks that reflect your personal strategy. CHALLENGE AND PLAY Duel your friends for glory or enter in-game tournaments for exciting prizes! With Draft and Brawl pairing, there is always someone to game with. Special in-game events offer exciting rewards, and with Esports qualifiers your Pro-Magic dreams are closer than you think in the Arena Premier Play League! Queue into casual battles to hone your strategy at your own pace, or battle in Esports qualifiers and frequent tournaments to flaunt your mastery. FANTASY AND MAGIC Dive into the fantasy planes of Magic: The Gathering and write your own legend through Magic’s immersive lore and vibrant card art. Find your path through the multiverse using only favorite characters and their most iconic spells and artifacts, or create a theme deck with a narrative that makes sense only to you. Your story is only just beginning! All prices inclusive of VAT. Wizards of the Coast, Magic: The Gathering, Magic: The Gathering Arena, their respective logos, Magic, the mana symbols, the planeswalker symbol, and all character names and their distinctive likenesses are property of Wizards of the Coast LLC. ©2019-2026 Wizards. Please visit https://company.wizards.com/legal/wizards-coasts-privacy-policy to view Wizards of the Coast's privacy policy and https://company.wizards.com/legal/terms to view Wizards of the Coast's terms of use.

About

Payback Arcade

Experience a competitive card game of insults and comebacks digitally. Practice solo to master the game, then challenge others online and climb the leaderboards to prove your punchline prowess. Enjoy fast-paced card battles optimized for mobile devices.

Highlights
  • Digital card game adaptation
  • Solo practice mode
  • Online multiplayer matches
  • Leaderboards
  • Optimized for phone and iPad
  • Save profile and progress with Apple ID
Features
Read full description

Payback is the fast, chaotic card game where anyone can make a comeback. Be the first to get rid of all your cards. Payback Arcade is the official app of the Payback party card game, with over 15,000 decks delivered in 50+ countries. Learn it in two minutes with the built-in guided tutorial, then play solo against CPU opponents or online against real players. LEARN AS YOU PLAY • A guided tutorial deals you a real game and walks you through it step by step: who goes first, special cards, Fast Draw and the face-down flips. • Tips stay on in your first games, and you can switch table and card help off in Settings. HOW TO PLAY • Play a card equal to or higher than the pile. Play pairs and triples to empty your hand faster. • Can't play? Pick up the pile, or take a chance and flip the top card of the deck. • Four of the same card in a row burns the pile, and you go again. • Clear your hand, then your face-up cards, then your face-down cards. The last three are pure blind luck. SPECIAL CARDS • Burn: destroy the pile and play again. • Ghost: pass your turn without changing the pile. • Skip: skip the next player. • Reset: drop the pile back to zero. • Mirror: send the pile back to whoever acted last. PLAY SOLO • Classic: you against three CPU players. • Duel: go one-on-one with Uncle Ronnie. • Nightmare: face tougher CPU players for bigger points. • Helpful tips in your first games teach you the rules as you play. PLAY ONLINE • Classic: the full Payback experience against real players. • Duel: prove your skill head to head. • Explosive: three matching cards in a row burn the pile. • Bullet: lightning-fast turns for quick games. • Rooms: create a room for any mode, invite friends with its code. If a player drops out, a Substitute keeps their seat until they, or a friend with the code, take it back. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS • Earn a grade from D to S+ after every game. • Rank up from Bronze to Silver, Gold, Platinum, Master, and Champion. • Compare games played and win rates with the top players. Browse every card in the deck, including previews of the Dark Wizard and Mystery expansions. Want to play in person? Get the physical Payback card game from the official shop. Free to play. Solo games need no account. Online play needs an account: sign in with Apple or create one.

Screenshots

Magic4 screens
Payback Arcade4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Payback Arcade at 100% against Magic's 34%. Payback Arcade also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Magic's advantage is ratings volume (156K vs 4) and chart position (#19 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Magic sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Payback Arcade asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Payback Arcade holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Magic has 156K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 34% of Magic's written reviews are positive against 100% of Payback Arcade's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Magic versus Payback Arcade: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMagicPayback Arcade
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (156K ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews34.1% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings156K — better4
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#19 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size265 MB41 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperWizards of the CoastGreat Guy Games, LLC

Customer experience

Magic

All ratings156,257 ratings
Positive90.4%
Neutral2.8%
Negative6.9%
Written reviews4,115 reviews
Positive34.1%
Neutral9.2%
Negative56.7%

Payback Arcade

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Magic

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Cards not working as intended
  • Inability to select or interact with certain game elements
  • Inconsistent behavior when app crashes during matches
  • Sync issues between mobile and desktop accounts

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to trade or recycle unwanted cards
  • Improved deck building tools and organization
  • Support for multiplayer formats like Commander and Two-Headed Giant
  • Option to disable animations and speed up gameplay
  • Better integration between mobile and desktop versions

Payback Arcade

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Magic

One-time10
  • 750 Gems$4.99
  • Starter Bundle$4.99
  • 1,600 Gems$9.99
Show 7 more
  • 4x Rare Wildcards$9.99
  • Adventurer Bundle$14.99
  • 3,400 Gems$19.99
  • 4x Mythic Wildcards$19.99
  • Spark Bundle$24.99
  • 9,200 Gems$49.99
  • 20,000 Gems$99.99
None

Payback Arcade

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Magic free?
Magic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Payback Arcade free?
Payback Arcade is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Magic or Payback Arcade?
Payback Arcade is rated higher. Magic averages 4.6 out of 5 from 156K ratings, while Payback Arcade averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Magic or Payback Arcade have ads?
Neither Magic nor Payback Arcade shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Magic or Payback Arcade?
Magic ships an update weekly, and Payback Arcade weekly. Most recently, Magic was updated on November 7, 2026 and Payback Arcade on November 5, 2026.

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