Celebrate the phenomenal first week of KARDS Release and enjoy a round of great stats, articles and reviews, offer extensions and charity support.



The first week after the official release of KARDS, The World War II Card Game, saw an amazing reception! Thank you, everyone, for such an incredible launch and enthusiastic support!

Following one year of Early Access and over 1.5 million hours of battle testing in the ditches, we launched KARDS on April 15th.

With strong organic growth during the previous months, KARDS was already in a good position. But gosh! did we surpass all previous records by far and wide. No stone was left unturned.

We saw over 250 thousand players during Early Access and the first days of our PC launch!



We reached a new record of peak concurrent users (PCU) almost every day since launch. The new PCU is at 2740 now - up by over 300% (thanks to SteamDB for making these numbers publicly available).

The number of downloads is, of course, also at a record level. KARDS is still on the front pages of Steam for “trending”, “indie”, and “top-selling”! Amazing.

Maybe the most amazing aspect of the launch was the incredible enthusiasm and passion for KARDS. Streamers and video producers either completely new to KARDS or already established provided reviews, gameplay, giveaways, challenges, how-to videos and advice for the whole community in countless hours.

There is something for everyone and you are all invited and encouraged to follow some or all of our fantastic contributors! Don’t miss out and join the KARDS Discord #streams_and_podcasts!

Thank you so much for supporting the KARDS release! If you want to contribute even more, please recommend KARDS and write a quick Steam review.


To celebrate the great success of the KARDS release and to thank you, we extend our special release offers and continue our great discounts on several card pack bundles throughout this coming weekend until the end of Sunday, April 26th.

Have a look at the KARDS in-game store and take advantage of discounts up to 36%.

Originally the Release offers were supposed to run till the end of April 19, but we decided to keep the discounts in the store for an additional week so that you can celebrate and enjoy one week longer!

You might recall the KARDS Relief Package and charity support which we started on March 20th. This initiative allows everyone to support the fight against the current worldwide crisis. You can still purchase the charity card back: 100% of the proceeds are donated to the UN Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund.



We are extending this initiative (Charity card back) till the end of May 4th as well!


The next larger milestones are the release of historic campaigns and the enthusiastically requested mobile version of KARDS.

With the historic campaigns, you will face challenging PVE content and play through various important events of WW2. This will be our first major PVE content. Keep an eye on the news for more info in the coming weeks.

The mobile version of KARDS allows you to play your favorite WW2 Card Game on Android- or iOS-based mobile devices. It allows full cross-platform gameplay, you will be able to access your KARDS account including your whole collection.

We will continue the updates as we go along.

Don’t forget to write a review if you like KARDS and want to support us!

Following 12 months in Early Access and more than 1.5 million hours of battle-hardened playtesting, 1939 Games is delighted to announce the release of KARDS, The World War II Card Game.



Providing a battlefield away from the typical high-fantasy setting of many CCG’s, KARDS enables its players to command a diverse range of units from seven of the major Second World War Powers.

• Seven nations from WWII participants all with their own units and tactics
  
• Online PvP and ranked matches, including the fast-paced Draft mode
  
• Unique frontline mechanic to constantly drive conflict
  
• Licenced and period art all selected to perfectly evoke the era

Created with historical authenticity in mind, KARDS doesn’t just bring a gun to the CCG sword fight. We use real battlefield tactics to give you fresh inspiration, such as introducing the innovative ‘Frontline’ mechanic that allows you to manage movement and unit range to fight effectively.



Emulating the characteristics of real warring countries from the Second World War, each of KARDS’ seven nations incorporate a range of units to suit every style of play. The British have a strong defensive set to repel invaders, the Germans rely on Blitzkrieg tactics and armor, the US dominates the air and the Japanese project naval power to rule the high seas.

You can mix and match nations to create powerful combination decks as well as draw upon ally support nations such as the French Resistance.

During Early Access 1939 Games released their first expansion that brought two nations and 120 cards to the game alongside the first KARDS World Championship with finals at the 1939 Games’ HQ in Iceland.

KARDS’ ongoing development roadmap includes free expansions and events. Future updates will bring additional card sets, tournaments, and new game modes, guaranteeing fresh and exciting experiences to novice and veteran players alike.

Development of the mobile version for Android and iOS is well-underway and scheduled to be ready in Q3, it will bring full cross-platform experience to the battlefield.

A special thanks go to all Early Access players, all of which have received a 1939 Games Award Kit with an exclusive card back, card packs, draft tickets and free resources:

• Exclusive “Early Access” card back
  
• 3 card packs
  
• 3 Draft tickets
  
• 120 Resources

Share the word, bring your friends, and join the battle today!

This patch introduces several bug fixes and back-end improvements for KARDS in preparation for the release on April 15th. The patch was published on April 13th.

• Radar alert will now trigger after the unit's deployment effect.
  
• 26 Engineer regiment was showing wrong tooltip bubbles when hovered. Fixed.
  
• Type 97 wasn't resetting buffs when sent to hand by the AI. Fixed.

Please report bugs on KARDS Discord, thank you!

This patch introduces several bug fixes for KARDS in preparation for the release on April 15th. The patch was published on April 10th.

• Cards retreating or sent to hand will now be shown in the history.
  
• The visuals and description for the German HQ have been updated.
  
• The audio and sound effects have been improved.

• ARGYLLSHIRE HIGHLANDERS were sometimes not losing additional damage when its guard was destroyed by an attack. Fixed.
  
• Units were sometimes landing on weird locations on board when getting killed on deployment by countermeasures. Fixed.
  
• Draft achievements were not always updated. Fixed.
  
• New Daily missions wouldn't always work after rejecting other daily missions. Fixed.
  
• UNEXPECTED RESISTANCE was pinning units without triggering. Fixed.
  
• STRANGLEHOLD and INTERCEPTION were not showing up in the history. Fixed.
  
• Some French emotes were not correct. Fixed.
  
• Mistakes in the Chinese translation of several card texts (M4A1, P-40 Kittyhawk, P-40 P-5, National Fire Service, Home Defense) have been fixed.

Please report bugs on KARDS Discord, thank you!

The time has come!

KARDS - The World War II Card Game - is leaving early access on April 15th.



KARDS’ ongoing development roadmap includes free expansions and events. Future updates will bring additional card sets, tournaments and new game modes, guaranteeing fresh and exciting experiences to novice and veteran players alike.

Development of the mobile version for Android and iOS is well-underway and scheduled to be ready in Q3, it will bring full cross-platform experience to the battlefield.

All Early Access players will receive a special 1939 Games Award Kit containing an exclusive in-game item and other valuables.

Join us in the fray on the frontline!

Hello friends!

With spring and deadly pathogens in the air, what better time to tweak cards for improved balance? None, we say!



On April 7th we will update the game with a few balance changes, alongside some bug fixes. For a full list of the changes, check out the full patch notes, but in this dev blog we are going to take a look at the balance changes coming.

The British have been suffering a bit according to our data, so we’re giving them a lot of love this patch. Let’s start with them.


The 26 Engineer Regiment sees a fair amount of play and supports one of the most popular British strategy well. However, it suffers a bit statwise, so we’re giving it a bit stronger backside.


Months ago, when we increased the operation cost of all air units, the Hurricane Mk IIA disappeared completely off the radar. We’re hoping a cost reduction brings this fun little plane back from obscurity.


As the format has taken better shape, Carpet Bombing, the bane of aggro decks for so long, has started to show its age. Not only have decks become faster, but there are now more strong midrange units that survive it, like 42nd Rifles, 1st Marines and Flammpanzer. So bringing the cost down by 1 we’re hoping Carpet Bombing gets back some of its old mojo.


The Gladiator Escort, bastard offspring of the Stirling Mk I S3, has been slack in its escorting duties in the past, resulting in Stirling appearances on the battlefield being few and far between. Well, the Gladiator Escort is now taking its duty a bit more seriously, providing more protection for its parent.


The Cromwell hasn’t really found a home yet, let alone being strong enough to spawn an archetype all of its own. More love may be required to bring it fully into the limelight, but this is a good first step.

German midrange has been showing very strong results, while German aggro has been struggling a bit. So we are making a couple of adjustments to German cards.


First up is Panther A, the backbone of German midrange and control decks. As these decks were really struggling before the Allegiance expansion, we are happy they are now again on the map, but the Panther A can feel a bit oppressive in some situations. So we’re scaling it back a little bit by increasing the cost by one.


The other change is to boost an aggressive German blitz tank that sees a bit too little play in our opinion. Let’s see what this change does for German aggressive decks.


Soviet value decks continue to be among the strongest and Parade gives a great value at a low price. It fits especially well as an early play, so bringing the cost up by one makes it a bit more commitment to get its benefits.


We want to emphasize the bomber theme better for the USA, they have many solid mid-level bombers and we want to strengthen their use a bit. The way we are going about it now is to give the P-38 Lightning, an iconic US fighter, a bit of a boost. Let’s see what this does for this under-played archetype.


The 0-operation cost archetype for the Japanese has really taken off since the Allegiance expansion, as we intended. The 1st Yokosuka is the showcase elite of the strategy, but it has a couple of problems. The main one is that it is very very good. A little too good according to our data, so we’re slowing it down a bit. This also helps solve the other small problem it has, which is the confusing wording when it has 0 operation cost itself.


That’s it for this update. Remember to check out the full patch notes to see bug fixes and other small adjustments coming this update. Also, if you have recently created one of the cards listed above and don’t feel like using them anymore, feel free to contact us and we will remove the card and give a full resource refund. Keep giving us your invaluable feedback and see you on the battlefield!

This patch introduces several card balance updates and bug fixes for KARDS in preparation for the release on April 15th. The patch was published on April 7th.



Check out the dev blog for all details!

• 26 ENGINEER REGIMENT: Increased defense by 1 from 2 to 3.
  
• HURRICANE Mk IIA: Decreased deployment cost by 1 from 4 to 3.
  
• CARPET BOMBING: Decreased deployment cost by 1 from 8 to 7.
  
• GLADIATOR ESCORT: This unit now absorbs damage dealt to its "parent" STIRKLING Mk I S3.
  
• CROMWELL Mk IV: This unit receives an attack bonus of +2 (was +1) when a pinned enemy unit is destroyed.
  
• PANTHER A: Increased deployment cost by 1 from 5 to 6.
  
• WIRBELDWIND: Increased defense by 1 from 2 to 3.
  
• PARADE: Increased deployment cost by 1 from 2 to 3.
  
• P-38 LIGHTNING: This unit gives friendly bombers +2 attack bonus (was +1).
  
• 1st YOKOSUKA: Increased operation cost by 1 from 0 to 1.
  
• NIGHT RAID does not trigger any more the Commando that gets added on Night Raid.

• DIVE BOMBING will now lower the target's max defense by 1 instead of lowering it to always be equal to its defense.
  
• PAK 38 wasn't dealing correct damage if attacked by AI's tank. Fixed.
  
• 37 mm ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUN was increasing the operation cost of air units after being sent to hand by AIRSTRIKE. Fixed.
  
• RETALIATION now always deals its damage after the HQ receives damage and will not trigger if the HQ was destroyed.
  
• When all 20 decks slots are filled, it is not possible to switch deck pages in the collection view. Fixed.
  
• The daily mission "Win 4 games against the AI" now also counts in AI "Battle" matches.
  
• Cards are sometimes not shown in the correct order on the board (resulting in issues with guarded units). Fixed.
  
• When AI Played no surrender with 10th ENGINEERS BATTALION in the support line, the LIGHT INFANTRY units adjacent to the 10th ENGINEERS would not get bonus attack. Fixed.
  
• Game stops responding in the "Collection" section after recycling golden card and choosing next one. Fixed.
  
• The Achievement for reaching 3 times the Officer Club yields only 1 card pack. Fixed.
  
• The Profile window overlaps with the menu items in square resolutions (like 1920x1440). Fixed.

Please report bugs on KARDS Discord or to KARDS Support.

When you report bugs, please include your player name and a meaningful description of the bug, ideally a screenshot or short video. Thank you!

Following 12 months in Early Access and over 1.5 million hours of battle-hardened playtesting, 1939 Games is delighted to announce the release date of KARDS, The World War II Card Game.

KARDS will leave Early Access on Wednesday, April 15th, to be officially released on PC on Steam.



Providing a battlefield away from the typical high-fantasy setting of many CCG’s, KARDS enables its players to command a diverse range of units from seven of the major Second World War Powers. Players construct their decks from historically accurate infantry, tanks, artillery and aircraft which are then brought to life through period-appropriate art, sound effects and music designed to appeal to CCG fans and history buffs alike.

KARDS’ ongoing development roadmap includes free expansions and events. Future updates will bring additional card sets, tournaments and new game modes, guaranteeing fresh and exciting experiences to novice and veteran players alike.

Development of the mobile version for Android and iOS is well-underway and scheduled to be ready in Q3, it will bring full cross-platform experience to the battlefield.

All Early Access players will receive a special 1939 Games Award Kit containing an exclusive in-game item and other valuables.

Join the party!

Welcome to the third Codebreaker Challenge!

In this third KARDS puzzle we challenge you to solve a battlefield situation. You need to carefully inspect the battlefield, weigh your options and then come up with a sequence of winning moves. This challenge is of moderate difficulty.

This puzzle was created by Gearbot, the current KARDS World Champion.

So, without further ado let's head over to the briefing!



It is looking grim! The enemy is in firm control of the battlefield and control over the frontline. Your enemy has ample troops in the supply line ready to attack you the next turn: you are in trouble! To make things worse, your enemy's HQ is currently covered by a smokescreen. You also need to keep an eye on the enemy 329th Engineer Battalion.

Find the winning move this turn before your opponent can attack you with superior forces. Do you have it what it takes to win?

It is your turn and you have 12 Kredits available.

Your mission
Win this turn! The enemy HQ must be destroyed before your turn is over!


(Click image for a larger version)

You (left to right)
HQ (20 HP) --- Ki-51 SONIA --- 85 PIONEER COMPANY --- HUMBER Mk II

Enemy (left to right)
T-80 --- HQ (7 HP) & smokescreen --- T-80 --- 329th ENGINEER BATTALION

Enemy frontline
1st MARINES

You
HUDSON Mk III
BOMBING RAID
NAVAL SUPPORT
FINEST HOUR
SUPPLY DROP

Enemy
-

You
Empty (Fatigue 1)

Enemy
Empty (Fatigue 1)



Post your solution in the comments below!

Collect your well-deserved rewards from Season 12!

The season has ended on March 31st, 23-59-59 UTC, and now your rewards are waiting for your in the KARDS client.

Simply log into KARDS - the rewards have been automatically delivered to your account.

We also celebrate the winner of Season 12.



After a thrilling battle between the top players in the Officer Club - just a few hours before the end of the season the first and second placed were literally even - we saw the winner emerging.

So, after this super exciting finish we celebrate 塞雷娅 (Saria) as champion of season 12!
This is the second time that Saria won a season, double congratulations on this.

Congratulations also to AriBigBehn for the second place and for putting up a super strong and thrilling fight.

As a reminder: The next season (and all following seasons till September), the top ten of the Officer Club will automatically qualify for the World Championship 2020 Tournament later this year.