Hearthstone vs Blue Archive
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Collectible battle cards
- Deck building and customization
- Strategic card battles
- Multiple game modes (Standard, Wild, Battlegrounds)
- PvP and PvE challenges
- Warcraft universe integration
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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
Blue Archive
Lead charming allies in strategic 3D real-time battles within a vast academy city. Uncover thrilling stories of friendship and adventure while deepening bonds with your characters through in-game interactions. Build special memories and resolve endless incidents.
- 3D real-time battles
- Strategic team management
- Character relationship building
- In-game messenger (Momo Talk)
- Unpredictable main story
- Sub stories and club activities
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Embark on an adventure with the girls of this epic anime fantasy RPG, Blue Archive, and dive into its world of strategic combat, brought to life by stunning animations. Your journey through Kivotos will be one filled with victory and loss, love and heartbreak, all alongside an unforgettable, touching story. Build strong, deep relationships and get to know each student's unique story while leading your squad. So let's go, Sensei! ■A Fantasy-Filled Anime RPG You'll Never Forget! Step into Kivotos and your adventure as a teacher will begin. Experience a story of love and friendship with stunning cinematics, in both 2D and 3D animation. Throughout your journey, you'll meet and befriend the students of this world, learning their unique stories and motivations. Each girl plays a vital role in the story: building strong bonds, forming squads to protect those they love, and creating heartwarming memories with Sensei! ■Lead Elite Anime Girls into Battle in this Tactical RPG Experience! Form a squad with the girls you meet, each contributing their own unique combat elements. Adapt your strategies throughout the adventure to lead them to victory! With stunning animation and 3D cinematics, Blue Archive's combat is a blend of strategy and rich visuals. ■Foster Bonds with the Girls in Relationship Stories! Every girl in Blue Archive has her own story of love to share. Foster strong bonds with your students in their relationship episodes as you unlock new sides to them in MomoTalk and private chats that shape this fantasy world. With every chapter, you'll find new connections and elements that make this RPG what it is today. ■Explore an Anime-Inspired Fantasy MMORPG Full of Stories Experience a world where beautiful animation meets RPG mechanics. Its fascinating stories will immerse you as you experience life with the girls of Kivotos. Whether you're on secret missions, battling through gacha content, or enjoying club antics, every corner invites you into another adventure. Lead your squad into each challenge—victory and new stories await every encounter. ■Gacha Your Way to Victory—With Strategy, Epic Fantasy, and Anime Girls! Recruit students to your squad and battle your way to victory! Each new girl brings a fresh story and a powerful element to wield in your adventure. As you take them into battle, you'll develop new strategies and formations for your RPG adventure. Create strong synergy and lead your squad to victory, unlocking secret episodes! Blue Archive is more than a game—it's an epic RPG journey, filled with poignant stories of resilience, growth, and love. Experience a school story brought to life by unforgettable girls in this fantasy world. Meet the students of Kivotos and build your squad today! Follow Us: Official Site: https://bluearchive.nexon.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EN.BlueArchive Twitter: https://twitter.com/EN_BlueArchive Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsrnDYrkovQhCCE8kwKcvKQ Note: An internet connection is required to play this game. *For the best gaming experience, the following specs are recommended: iOS 16 or higher / iPhone 14 or higher / Minimum 3GB RAM required By downloading this game, you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. - Terms of Service: http://m.nexon.com/terms/304 - Privacy Policy: http://m.nexon.com/terms/305 ■ App Permission Information In order to provide services below, we are requesting certain permissions. [Optional Permission] Camera: To take photos or record videos for upload Photos: To save and upload photos / videos Microphone: Required to record videos for uploads. Security: Required for personalized advertising and service usage analysis. * You can still use the service without agreeing to the optional permissions. [Permission Management] ▶Go to Settings > Privacy, select a permission and toggle the button next to the app's name. ※ This app offers in-app purchases. You can disable this feature by adjusting your device settings.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: Hearthstone at 122K against Blue Archive's 5.5K. Hearthstone also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks) and chart position (#40 vs unranked). Blue Archive's advantage is review sentiment (47% vs 36%). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Hearthstone sells 21 one-off in-app purchases and Blue Archive sells 25 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.1 for Hearthstone against 4.0 for Blue Archive. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hearthstone has 122K ratings behind it against 5.5K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 36% of Hearthstone's written reviews are positive against 47% of Blue Archive's.
Hearthstone ships an update fortnightly, Blue Archive every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on October 19, 2026.
| Parameter | Hearthstone | Blue Archive |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (122K ratings) — better | 4.0 (5.5K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 35.9% of reviews | 47.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 122K — better | 5.5K |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #40 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 889 MB | 426 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. | NEXON Company |
Customer experience
Hearthstone
Blue Archive
User reviews
Hearthstone
From 122K App Store ratingsWhat 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
Blue Archive
From 5.5K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Engaging story and characters
- 🎨 Excellent art and animations
- 🎶 Great soundtrack
- 🎮 Unique and fun gameplay
- 💰 Generous with in-game currency
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
- ⏱️ Slow loading times
- 💸 Gacha rates are poor, 200 pulls for pity
- 🤖 Auto-play makes gameplay too passive
- 🤕 Concerns over censorship and broken promises
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
Blue Archive
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes when entering certain menus or battles
- Pyroxene (currency) disappearing after pulls
- Notifications causing crashes on iOS devices
Requested features
4 requests- Improve gacha rates and pity system
- Reduce loading times and crashes
- Add more player control in battles
- Improve PvP mechanics and matchmaking
In-app purchases
Hearthstone
- Arena Admission$1.99
- Bundle of 2 Classic Packs$2.99
- Welcome Bundle$4.99
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- 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
Blue Archive
- New Sensei Welcome Pack$0.39
- New Teacher Pyroxene Pack$0.99
- Weekly AP Pack$1.69
Show 22 moreShow fewer
- Recruitment Support Pack$2.99
- Monthly Pyroxene Half Pack2 variants$2.99
- 2-Week AP Pack$2.99
- Monthly Pyroxene Pack2 variants$6.99
- StartDash 3-Star Ticket$11.99
- Weekly Activity Report Pack$11.99
- StartDash 3-Star Ticket Ⅱ$11.99
- 3-Star Guaranteed Recruit Pack$18.99
- HiddenRuins 3Start Select Pack$18.99
- Code:BOX 3-Star AttackTypePack$18.99
- Midnight Party LuckyPouchPack$18.99
- Sheside 3-Star Guaranteed Pack$18.99
- Sheside 3-Star Selective Pack$18.99
- aLIVE! 3-Star Guaranteed Pack$18.99
- aLIVE! Lucky Pouch Pack$18.99
- Pyroxene x2352$18.99
- 3-Star DivisionRecruitmentPack$18.99
- Cyber New Year LuckyPouchPack$18.99
- Pyroxene x6,600$64.99
- Pyroxene x4800$64.99
- Monthly Pyroxene x6,600$64.99
- Pyroxene x8000$64.99









