Magic: The Gathering Arena

Card

7.6~~/10~~

Our score

★ 4.2 Google Play·5M+ installs

Reviewed by Editorial Team, ScoredApps editorial · updated 2026-10-03

Screenshots

Draft pick screen reading Pack 1 | Pick 1 with Khans of Tarkir cards such as Raiders' Spoils and Ride Down, beside a Limited booster and Chandra raising a fiery hand, captioned The iconic card game

Collection grid with Monastery Mentor, Lyra Dawnbringer and Urabrask cards next to a hooded Jace casting blue light, under the caption Cross platform save

Ajani and Liliana face off over a game board with a large VS splash and a life counter at 20, captioned Compete online

Find Match menu with Ranked, Play and Brawl tabs and a Best of 1 list of Standard, Alchemy, Historic, Explorer and Timeless Play plus Bot Match, beside Alchemy starter decks

Battlefield with sticker emotes, a life total of 18, a goose companion and three decorated card sleeves, captioned Stunning cosmetics

About Magic: The Gathering Arena

Wizards of the Coast's digital Magic plays the full tabletop rules across Standard, Historic, Timeless, Brawl and draft, on phone, PC and Mac under one Wizards Account. Wizards publishes its drop rates, down to a wildcard track that pays out every six packs. The trade-offs: gold is earned only by playing, unwanted cards can't be broken down for crafting, and players report gigabytes of downloads after the 135 MB install.

Game information

DeveloperWizards of the Coast LLC

Version2026.63.10.7164 (Android) · 2026.63.10 (iOS)

Size135 MB (Android) · 273 MB (iOS)

Price / In-appFree

Contains adsYes

In-app purchasesYes

Content rating13+

Requires (Android)Android 7.1+

Requires (iOS)iOS 15.0+

Offline modeNo: an internet connection is required to download and play

Interface languagesEN, FR, DE, IT, JA, KO + 3 more

Store rating (Google Play)4.2 from 297,466 ratings

Installs5M+

Updated by developer2026-09-29

Data checked2026-10-01

Specs come from the official store listings and were last checked on 2026-10-01. Developers change pricing and requirements — check the store page before installing.

MTG Arena Review: Real Magic Rules, a Slow 750-Gold Daily Grind

Standard, Historic, Timeless and Brawl: One Rulebook, Six Card Pools

The game follows the tabletop rules, five colors of mana included, and opens with a tutorial led by Sparky, a glowing orb; you can skip it and keep its rewards. The Find Match menu then lists Standard, Alchemy, Historic, Explorer and Timeless, plus Bot Match and Brawl, a 1v1 take on Commander. Historic exists only on Arena, Timeless makes every card legal, and recent Alchemy sets each added 30 digital-only cards alongside rebalanced ones marked with an A. Constructed and Limited have separate ladders from Bronze to Mythic: at Gold and below, a win earns two of the six points a tier needs.

750 Gold a Day: How Far the Free Path Goes

Gold can only be earned, never bought. The daily win track pays 250 gold for the first win and 750 across 15 wins, plus six uncommon card rewards that upgrade to a rare one time in ten; Direct Challenge and Bot Match wins don't count. A pack costs 1,000 gold, Quick Draft against bots 5,000 and a Premier Draft 10,000, so a week of maxed-out wins buys one Quick Draft with 250 gold left. Quests, events and the free Set Mastery track add more: for Reality Fracture, live since September 29, 2026, that track holds 18 packs over 40 levels. Pokémon TCG Pocket gives two free packs a day.

Wildcards Every Six Packs, but No Way to Dust Cards

Wizards publishes the odds. A store pack holds eight cards: five commons, two uncommons and a rare that turns mythic about once in seven packs for most recent sets. Any slot can become a wildcard, redeemable for any card of that rarity, at 1 in 3 for commons, 1 in 5 for uncommons and 1 in 30 for rares and mythics, rising after each miss. A separate track pays a wildcard every six packs opened, four rares before each mythic. Every 10 Standard or Alchemy packs bought add a Golden Pack of six rares or mythics, and fifth commons and uncommons fill the Vault, worth one mythic, two rare and three uncommon wildcards. There is no Hearthstone-style disenchanting: Wizards rejected dusting in 2022.

Gem Packs From $4.99 to $99.99: Pricing a Draft, a Rare and a Pass

Gems are the only currency sold. US App Store tiers run from 750 gems for $4.99 to 20,000 for $99.99, and a pack costs 200 gems, about $1 at the top tier. Quick Draft's 750-gem entry matches the $4.99 tier exactly. September's Mixed-Up Premier Standard Draft cost 1,500 gems and paid 50 gems and a pack at zero wins, 2,200 gems and six packs at seven. Wildcards sell four at a time: $9.99 for rares, $19.99 for mythics. Each Reality Fracture preorder bundle cost $49.99; one included the Mastery Pass with ten bonus levels. Prices vary by region. Google Play's data form lists purchase history, approximate location and email among data shared for advertising or marketing.

Pros

Full tabletop rules across Standard, Historic, Timeless, Brawl and several drafts
Wizards publishes pack odds, wildcard rates and the Vault formula
The wildcard track guarantees a wildcard every six packs opened
One Wizards Account carries collection and decks between phone, PC and Mac
Midweek Magic events and Bot Match cost nothing to enter
Arena Direct and Open events pay out booster boxes or cash prizes

Cons

No dusting: unwanted rares and mythics can't become crafting currency
Daily wins cap at 750 gold, less than one 1,000-gold pack
Players report 3–7 GB of extra downloads after the 135 MB install
Leaving the app for a call or another app can restart it, players say

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Verdict

We score it 7.6 because it plays the full Magic rules across six constructed formats and several drafts, and Wizards publishes its odds in unusual detail, while the economy stays slow and the phone client heavy. Take it if you know Magic, want to draft on a phone or switch between phone and PC. Skip it if you want several competitive decks without paying, if your phone is short on storage, or if you prefer quick matches, which Marvel Snap delivers.

Gameplay9.0Complete Magic rules with six constructed formats, Best-of-One and Best-of-Three ladders and several draft types.

Controls7.0The full rules fit a phone screen, but players report restarts after switching apps and lost matches on disconnects.

Replay value9.0Monthly ranked seasons, a 40-level Set Mastery per release and rotating Cube and Flashback drafts keep the calendar full.

Graphics & sound7.5Card styles, companions and sleeves look sharp, but players find no animation toggle and gigabytes of downloads.

Monetisation5.5Odds are published and wildcards guaranteed, but gold is slow, gems start at $4.99 and cards can't be dusted.

7.6out of 10 · weighted average of the five scores above

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Frequently asked questions

Can you play MTG Arena offline?

No. Wizards' mobile FAQ says an internet connection is required to download and to play, and there is no offline mode. Players add that a dropped connection mid-match can cost the game, and that taking a call or switching apps can force a long reconnect or a restart on phones.

Is MTG Arena pay to win?

Partly. Wizards says purchases aren't required for the full game, and any card can be crafted with wildcards from packs, the wildcard track and the Vault. But wins pay at most 750 gold a day, against 1,000 for a pack and 10,000 for a Premier Draft, and gem bundles cost $4.99 to $99.99, varying by region.

What phone do you need for MTG Arena, and how much storage does it use?

The Android app needs Android 7.1 or later and the iPhone app iOS 15.0 or later; installs are about 135 MB and 273 MB. Wizards' 2021 mobile FAQ asked for 4 GB of RAM and OpenGL ES 3.0 graphics. Then come the extras: players report several gigabytes of card data after install, most often 3 to 7 GB, plus frequent updates.

Can you play MTG Arena with friends across phone and PC?

Yes. Direct Challenge pits you against a friend, and phone players share matchmaking with PC and Mac, including the Steam version, free since May 2023. Collection, decks and quests follow your Wizards Account, but only one device can be logged in at a time. Friend-match wins don't count toward daily rewards.

How much time does MTG Arena take each day?

As much as you like, but rewards stop early: the daily win track ends after 15 wins and resets at 3 a.m. Pacific, and Set Mastery counts up to 15 wins a week plus quests. Each Mastery runs until the next set, and ranked seasons reset monthly. For shorter sessions, Marvel Snap is built around 3-minute matches.