Magic: The Gathering Goes Mobile

Magic: The Gathering, the free-to-play digital collectible card game developed and published by Wizards of the Coast, has gone mobile. Magic: The Gathering Arena is now available to download for free on the App Store and Google Play. With new touch screen controls, the mobile app allows players to manage and grow their Magic: The Gathering Arena collection wherever they go, and match against others on mobile, tablets, Windows PC or Mac OS.

One of the most popular esports games world wide, wagering on major Magic: The Gathering competitions is available through all of the best sportsbooks in the online sports betting industry.

“The phenomenal growth and popularity of Magic: The Gathering Arena has been driven by our dedicated community of players and fans – and we couldn’t be more grateful for their passion and support as we continue to evolve the brand to new platforms and experiences,” Chris Cao, Executive Producer at Wizards of the Coast, said in a statement. “[The] launch of MTG Arena on mobile and tablet devices marks a very important step to bringing the game of Magic to everyone, anywhere, any way they want to play.”

Mobile Was The Next Logical Step

The mobile version of Magic: The Gathering looks much like the standard version of the game. All MTG Arena card sets, formats, events, deck building and more are supported on mobile and tablet devices, including the latest set Kaldheim. Players can use their Wizards Account to access their existing MTG Arena collection, complete quests, and match against other players regardless of platform. The app is free to download.

There are also changes to the methods of game playing to make competition more adaptable to a mobile device. The utilization touch screen and other gesture controls on the version of MTG Arena on mobile and tablets makes gameplay easier for smaller screens. It also includes cross-play with players on other platforms.

MTG players will be happy to know that the mobile version of the game is as easy to play as the digital version. It’s intuitive and streamlined. The interface is the same as the digital version. It transfers almost exactly to the mobile site.

Making Sure They Got It Right

As a more complicated card-playing game, MTG isn’t as simple to navigate on mobile as say a game like Hearthstone, but with a little practice, it is entirely playable on a mobile device. In fact, it was the fact that MTG is such a complicated game that led Wizards Of The Coast to decide to take their time in the development of the mobile app, wanting to ensure that it would work seamlessly.

MTG Arena is similar in style to the original MTG format and offers equally extensive and elaborate levels of game play. The card sets from the digital version of the game are provided at the same time that physical sets of the cards are made available to the general public. All the same traps, tricks and powerful minions accessible in the tabletop game also populate the mobile version of MTG. Booster packs that can take a player’s game playing abilities to the next level are also available for purchase through the MTG app.

“Magic the Gathering game” by magic.wizards.com is licensed under CC BY 3.0

The digital version of MTG Arena has also proven to be invaluable for keeping a MTG tradition going during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s become home to a virtual version of Friday Night Magic, which is a tradition that goes back to the early days of MTG game play. It involves players gathering at local game stores to compete in friendly MTG matches, or even formal tournament play.

An Early Trendsetter

Magic: The Gathering is one of the trendsetters in what has evolved into the world of esports. It was originally born as a tabletop playing card game in 1993. The digital version of the original Magic: The Gathering card game was made available on PC platforms in 2019. The game entered early access for Android devices in January of this year. The iOS version was released in late March.

There is also a New York Times bestselling novel, a critically-acclaimed comic book series, as well as a Magic: The Gathering professional esports league. A worldwide phenomenon, MTG can count more than 40 million players across the globe. The game is published in 11 languages and available in more than 70 countries.