Comparison

Hearthstone vs Card Guardians

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

Head to head
About

Hearthstone

Engage in a strategic card battle game where you collect powerful cards, build custom decks, and outwit opponents. Explore various game modes, from competitive PvP to solo adventures, all within the iconic Warcraft universe.

Highlights
  • Collectible battle cards
  • Deck building and customization
  • Strategic card battles
  • Multiple game modes (Standard, Wild, Battlegrounds)
  • PvP and PvE challenges
  • Warcraft universe integration
Read full description

Battle as legendary Warcraft heroes in Hearthstone®, Blizzard Entertainment's award-winning free-to-play* strategy card game. Build powerful decks, collect iconic cards, discover game-changing combos, and outsmart opponents in epic card battles! ONE GAME. COUNTLESS WAYS TO PLAY. Whether you're new to collectible card games (CCG) or a seasoned strategist, Hearthstone offers an experience for every kind of player. Challenge friends, test your skills against opponents from around the world, or enjoy solo adventures at your own pace. Every match is packed with opportunities to learn, experiment, and sharpen your skills. Develop strategies that fit your playstyle, craft Legendary cards, and discover new possibilities as your collection grows. Easy to learn and rewarding to master, Hearthstone offers fresh challenges with every game. Play online across mobile and PC with your Hearthstone collection and progress synced between devices. Whether you have a few minutes for a quick match or you're ready to climb the competitive ladder, your next match is always within reach. Collect. Build. Play. CLIMB TO LEGEND • Battle players from around the world in strategic online PvP duels. • Build winning decks, evolve your strategy, and climb all the way to Legend. • Earn seasonal rewards and prove your mastery every month. HONE YOUR CRAFT • Take on solo adventures, complete quests, and discover new mechanics at your own pace. • Draft a unique deck in Arena from a changing selection of cards, then test your strategy against other players. • Returning player? Wild mode lets you play with all your cards! OUTSMART RIVALS • Recruit powerful minions, build your warband, and compete against seven other players in Hearthstone's signature Battlegrounds auto-battler mode. • Adapt every turn, discover powerful synergies, and be the last player standing. • No two matches play the same. EMBRACE THE CHAOS • Jump into Tavern Brawl, where unique rules, unexpected twists, and special rewards keep every Brawl fresh. CHOOSE YOUR HERO • Battle as legendary Warcraft heroes across 11 distinct classes. • Each class features its own Hero Power, signature mechanics, and unique strategies. • Whether you prefer aggressive attacks, careful planning, or clever combos, there's a class for you. Complete quests, earn rewards, and discover new cards with every expansion. Regular balance updates, seasonal events, major expansions, and limited-time experiences keep Hearthstone fresh for newcomers and veterans alike. Experience the magic, mischief, and mayhem in this epic fantasy CCG. Battle friends, challenge online opponents, and join millions of players around the hearth. Play Hearthstone today! *In-game purchases are optional. ©/TM/® 2026 Blizzard Entertainment, Inc

About

Card Guardians

Embark on a roguelike adventure to save a fantasy world by building a powerful deck of cards. Engage in strategic CCG battles against monsters and powerful bosses, exploring diverse realms and uncovering an epic story.

Highlights
  • Deck building with collectible cards
  • Strategic CCG battles
  • Roguelike adventure gameplay
  • Hero selection and RPG strategy
  • Explore diverse realms
  • Boss battles
Features
Read full description

Welcome to the world of Valentia! Build your deck of cards and prepare for strategic CCG battles against monsters and the Guardians of Chaos. Download FREE* Card Guardians: Deck Builder and embark on a great roguelike adventure game to save Valentia from the Magic of Chaos. The Land of Valentia was at peace for thousands of years, until the Day of Chaos came and spread mysterious magic that corrupted the living creatures of all realms. As the hero, you have to build the best CCG card deck, set up battle strategies, and free all enemies overtaken by Magic of Chaos and threatening the peace of Valentia. Download Card Guardians, have fun in this RPG adventure, and discover a story of epic war! In Card Guardians, you need to win battles against monsters and build a battle card deck to defeat the Guardians of Chaos. Choose the hero of your RPG adventure, create CCG battle strategies, and discover various unexplored realms throughout the Valentia. And beware of dangers! There are dungeons, castles, forests, and deserts that harbor dangerous enemies, with the difficulty of roguelike games. Restore peace to Valentia and become the master duel of the deck of battle cards. Download Card Guardians now and explore a roguelike world with dangers and epic stories! CARD DECK BUILDING To free Valentia from the Magic of Chaos, you need the best deck of battle cards. The more levels you advance, the more cards you get to build your RPG strategy. Remember to think about each choice! They will determine whether you can free the world of Valentia from the Magic of Chaos. Choose your hero, set up your battle strategy, and defeat all the Chaos Guardians! Play for free* Card Guardians and take part in an epic adventure and war battles. RPG STRATEGY BATTLES Beware the Chaos Guardians! At the end of each kingdom, you will encounter powerful bosses, in the style of roguelike games, who will require the best battle card deck. Explore your enemies' weaknesses and build the best RPG strategy to achieve victory and unlock the realms of Valentia from the Magic of Chaos. A tactical error can spell your doom in this roguelike world. Defeat your enemies, earn new battle cards and defend the world of Valentia! *Card Guardians: Deck Builder is a free game. However, the game has extra features and additional items that are optional for gameplay.

Screenshots

Hearthstone4 screens
Card Guardians4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Card Guardians at 76% against Hearthstone's 36%. Card Guardians also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.1). Hearthstone's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (122K vs 3.1K). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Hearthstone sells 21 one-off in-app purchases and Card Guardians sells 18 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Card Guardians holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hearthstone has 122K ratings behind it against 3.1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 36% of Hearthstone's written reviews are positive against 76% of Card Guardians's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hearthstone ships an update fortnightly, Card Guardians every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Hearthstone versus Card Guardians: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHearthstoneCard Guardians
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (122K ratings)4.6 (3.1K ratings) — better
Positive reviews35.9% of reviews75.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings122K — better3.1K
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#47 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size855 MB418 MB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperBlizzard Entertainment, Inc.Tapps Games - Jogos Eletronicos

Customer experience

Hearthstone

All ratings121,573 ratings
Positive78.5%
Neutral3.3%
Negative18.2%
Written reviews4,725 reviews
Positive35.9%
Neutral9.1%
Negative54.9%

Card Guardians

All ratings3,081 ratings
Positive92.2%
Neutral3.1%
Negative4.6%
Written reviews880 reviews
Positive75.7%
Neutral8.3%
Negative16.0%

User reviews

Hearthstone

From 122K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay
  • 🎨 Stunning visuals and animations
  • 🕹️ Engaging strategic gameplay
  • 🎁 Generous free-to-play model
  • 🕰️ Endless replayability

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive to stay competitive
  • 🔁 Repetitive meta decks
  • 🎲 Excessive RNG elements
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🕰️ Slow progression for free players

Card Guardians

From 3.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎮 Fun gameplay
  • 🕹️ Engaging card mechanics
  • 🎨 Charming art style
  • 🔓 Fair free-to-play model
  • 💰 Good value for paid version

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
  • 🕰️ Slow progression and grindy
  • 🎲 Lack of deck customization
  • 🧠 Imbalanced difficulty
  • 💰 Excessive microtransactions

Bugs and requests

Hearthstone

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes during gameplay
  • Connectivity issues after updates
  • Reward system not working as intended
  • Unresponsive UI on certain devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved matchmaking system
  • More cooperative game modes
  • Ability to trade or disenchant unwanted cards
  • Reduced cost of new expansions
  • Faster gold/dust earning for free players

Card Guardians

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Gear drops not matching the active character
  • Inconsistent behavior of status effects
  • Infinite loading screens and progression blockers

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to sell/recycle unwanted equipment
  • More character classes and deck variety
  • Longer and more replayable adventures
  • Better randomization and less RNG dependence
  • Quality of life improvements (claim all, etc.)

In-app purchases

21 purchases

Hearthstone

One-time21
  • Arena Admission$1.99
  • Bundle of 2 Classic Packs$2.99
  • Welcome Bundle$4.99
Show 18 more
  • Welcome Bundle of 10 Classic Packs + Classic Legendary Card$4.99
  • 500 Runestones$4.99
  • Hero Skin2 variants$6.99
  • Bundle of 7 Grand Tournament Packs$9.99
  • Bundle of 7 Classic Packs$9.99
  • Bundle of 7 "Whispers of the Old Gods" Packs$9.99
  • Hero Skin Bundle$9.99
  • Packs Bundle$14.99
  • BG Season Pass$14.99
  • Tavern Pass5 variants$19.99
  • BG Season Pass5 variants$19.99
  • Bundle of 15 Classic Packs$19.99
  • Bundle: All 4 League of Explorers Wings$19.99
  • Packs Bundle$24.99
  • Packs Bundle$39.99
  • Bundle of 40 Classic Packs$49.99
  • Packs Bundle2 variants$59.99
  • Hero Skin Bundle2 variants$89.99
18 purchases

Card Guardians

One-time18
  • Eden Valley Store Chest$0.99
  • Some Crystals (160)$1.99
  • Pile of Crystals (500)$4.99
Show 15 more
  • Welcome Bundle$4.99
  • Piggy Bank (S)$4.99
  • Base Pass$4.99
  • Card Guardians - Growth Fund$6.99
  • Gift Of Abundance$6.99
  • Bag of Crystals (1200)$9.99
  • Full Blessing$9.99
  • Piggy Bank (M)$12.99
  • Crate of Crystals (2500)$19.99
  • Piggy Bank (L)$19.99
  • CG - Growth Fund+$19.99
  • Premium Pass$19.99
  • Chapter Bundle - High Castle$19.99
  • Daily Bundle 4$24.99
  • Barrel of Crystals (6500)$39.99

Questions

Is Hearthstone free?
Hearthstone is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Card Guardians free?
Card Guardians is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Hearthstone or Card Guardians?
Card Guardians is rated higher. Hearthstone averages 4.1 out of 5 from 122K ratings, while Card Guardians averages 4.6 from 3.1K ratings.
Do Hearthstone or Card Guardians have ads?
Card Guardians shows ads; Hearthstone does not.
Which is updated more often, Hearthstone or Card Guardians?
Hearthstone ships an update fortnightly, and Card Guardians every 3 weeks. Most recently, Hearthstone was updated on September 24, 2026 and Card Guardians on September 24, 2026.

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