Wizards of the Coast’s Magic: The Gathering has remained one of the most popular trading card games for over a decade. However, playing in person isn't always an option, whether due to geography, medical reasons or personal preference. Luckily for fans of M:tG, there are a ton of options for battling opponents online, both paid and free-to-play.
Here are some of the most popular ways and best ways to play M:tG online right now.
Magic: The Gathering Online
When it released in 2002, Magic: The Gathering Online wasn’t the first video game based on the popular franchise, but it was the first to focus solely on collecting and playing the actual trading card game in a digital format. Games take place on a virtual tabletop, with an art style closely resembling the real-life appearance of each card and an in-game economy to facilitate trading and buying cards to build your own digital decks. And with what seems like an endless amount of online tournaments, modes and gameplay options, M:tG purists will find everything they need to play their favorite CCG from the comfort of their own home.
This faithful recreation of the tabletop game is free-to-play initially, giving new players over 800 cards to start with as well as unlimited access to casual games within the client. But if you’re looking for the complete experience, it will cost you a one-time fee of $9.99 to upgrade your account and unlock trading, in-game chat and the Magic Online Store, where you can buy boosters packs to flesh out your decks. If you’re looking for an experience that’s as close to the actual trading card game as possible, M:tG Online is your best bet.
Magic: The Gathering Arena
If you’re looking for a more modern take on the classic TCG, then Magic: The Gathering Arena may be more your style. Similar to other incredibly popular digital collectible card games like Hearthstone and Gwent: The Witcher Card Game, M:tG Arena is a flashy, over-the-top experience that foregoes realism for immersive lore-inspired backgrounds, animated cards and attacks, and voiced characters that give the game an entirely different vibe than the more traditional M:tG Online.
M:tG Arena is also similar to other games in the genre in that it’s free-to-play, but offers microtransactions for booster packs and other in-game items for those looking to customize their decks even further. And while M:tG Online includes most of the cards in the game’s history, Arena aims to include only those considered part of the current standard sets for each expansion. This makes it an excellent jumping-on point for those new to the game, as well as a refreshing take on the more traditional format for long-time fans of the franchise.
Magic: Legends
If you’re craving a more action-based video game set in the world of Magic: the Gathering, there's one in the works. Announced at The Game Awards 2019 and followed by a gameplay trailer several weeks later, Magic: Legends is a top-down massively-multiplayer action RPG similar in style to the Diablo series. It features an original story, real-time combat, upgradable spells and online play, allowing you to team up with your friends and fight through waves of enemies as a variety of powerful character classes.
Unfortunately, you may have to wait a bit before defending the Multiverse in Magic: Legends; a beta for the game has been announced and you can sign up on developer Cryptic Studios’ website, but the beta’s start date has yet to be revealed as of this writing.
There are a variety of ways to play the iconic Magic: The Gathering CCG online; whether you’re looking for a more traditional recreation of the game like Magic: the Gathering Online or the more modernized approach of Magic: The Gathering Arena, the options are there for fans to play the game however they’d like to from the comfort of their homes. And with the promise of an MMORPG in the form of Magic: Legends on the horizon, fans of the classic CCG have plenty of exciting Magic content to look forward to.