How to Design a Card Game: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide

Do you believe in the heart of the cards?

This reference to the popular card game Yu-Gi-Oh! was used extensively in the late 90s and early 00s, to describe the belief that by trusting in one’s deck and drawing with faith, the right card will appear at the right moment to turn the tide of card duel.

Throughout history, card games have been a staple of entertainment in many cultures, and in recent times, a popular way to spend quality evenings with friends and family. Not surprisingly, the global market for card games is expected to grow to $3.3 billion before 2028.

These data offer great opportunities for enthusiasts looking to turn their passion into a career by designing their own card games.

However, the feverish competition can present some challenges for new designers attempting their first launch. After all, established publishers have been in the market for years, as well as veteran designers who have honed their game development skills and release strategies, giving them a competitive advantage.

That said, we have good news! At LaunchBoom, we are witnessing multiple indie card game designers emerging from the competitive battleground with solid and dedicated audiences believing in their projects.

These successful designers share one common trait: they follow a structured approach to minimize the risk of having their card game overlooked.

In this guide, we outline that approach, explaining how to design your own card game and prepare it for a successful launch and distribution.

Key Takeaways

• How to make your trading card game unique.
• Steps to launch a card game in the market.
• Ways to design a card game prototype for publishers and backers.
• What are the elements making cards collectible.

12 Essential Steps to Design Your Own Card Game

Before delving into the journey to create and publish your card game from zero, some disclaimers are needed to sweat the details and clarify the focus of your project.

Although often used interchangeably, card games can be mainly casual, collectible, or trading-focused.

In the former option, players focus on drawing or playing unique cards, mostly with immediate effects. These games still include strategy elements, but unlike the other two categories, they do not rely on collectibility or trading. Examples of such games include Exploding Kittens, Stool Pigeon, and Vicious Gardens.

Collective card games (CCG) focus on deck-building mechanics. Here the emphasis is more on amassing a personal collection through purchasing packs rather than trading with others. A popular example of CCGs is Magic: The Gathering.

Trading card games (TCGs) share the deck-building mechanics but emphasize trading and social interaction, encouraging a marketplace for exchanging cards. Pokémon TCG and Dragon Ball Super Card Game are popular examples of such categories of card games.

Once you have it clear how your players will interact with the social aspect of your card game, you can continue defining your concept and your goals.

1. Define Your Game Concept and Objectives

Let’s be honest about how easy it is to create a card game that looks like the spitting image of a popular title already exists. The steps to create something unique begin with having a strong theme for your card game and an original concept representing it.

From there on, you can make your twists.

Munchkin presents an example of an effective way to diversify a theme recurrently used in the niche. The latter is a satirical card game, originally built to portray the oddities of popular role-playing games like Dungeon & Dragons. What Munchkin does in one of its Cthulu-inspired expansions, is rearranging the canonical Lovecraftian horror theme in a card game that integrates humor and comedy.

Your card game will stand out from the competition thanks to its blend of theme, mechanics, gameplay styles, and artwork. So make sure you bring your own combinations of these factors.

2. Research the Market and Existing Games

You don’t need to memorize the complete history of all the types of card games that have been published. However, every card game designer should spend some time researching current trends and identifying which niches are gaining popularity and which have already passed.

Fantasy and sci-fi themes tend to dominate the market, but this creates tough competition for new card games with these genres. A recent newcomer that has gained popularity is Flesh and Blood, a TCG integrating collectibility features and new combat dynamics.

Pop culture crossovers have also been booming, with games incorporating popular franchises into card game format. However, indie card game designers should guard themselves from the risk of infringing copyrights and intellectual property when designing such crossovers.

Ultimately, nostalgic-themed card games have also gained appeal.
An example is Disney Lorcana, which displays popular characters from a player’s childhood in the form of trading card games. Such a trend tells a lot about the way designers can identify gaps in the market to come up with original ideas and engage their future audience.

3. Develop Core Game Mechanics

Some attention must be given to how you want your players to engage with the gameplay. This is achieved by deciding on the game mechanics and rule sets. Below, we’ve listed both traditional and modern card game mechanics that you may want to consider adopting for your project:

• Card drawing and deck shuffling: Players build resources or set up strategies by drawing cards from a shuffled deck. Together, these two mechanics add dynamism and unpredictability to the gameplay.
• Tempo: This mechanic is always implicitly included in every game as it defines how quickly a player develops their strategy, completes objectives, or pressures their opponent. Tempo tackles the number of actions (drawing, casting cards, trading) every player can do. Card game creators can define their game’s tempo by developing fast-paced gameplay or something that allows for more strategizing.
• Resources management: These can take the form of Mana, magic points, or other miscellaneous resources. This mechanic focuses on strategically generating, managing, and expanding these resources. Arkham Horror: The Card Game is a living example of integrating this mechanic.
• Creature combat and damage: Probably one of the most used (and most loved) mechanics. Players can summon creatures whose cards display power units, health points, and special abilities.
• Turn-based actions: Each player takes turns playing cards, drawing, and activating abilities, allowing for strategic timing of moves. An example of a digital card game that integrates this mechanic is Hearthstone.
• Discard mechanics: We intuitively think that cards that have been already played won’t be useful anymore. This mechanic proves us wrong by allowing drawing mechanisms for cards that have been previously discarded, adding layers to strategy and replayability features.
• Ability chains and combos: This mechanic allows players to combine specific card effects for strategic advantage, often creating powerful sequences.
• Trick-taking: Here players cast one or more cards at each turn. The winner is then ranked separately for each turn, according to what cards have been played. One of the most famous trick-taking card games is Poker.

4. Design Visual Elements and Card Layouts

At this stage of the development process, you should have started thinking about how to visualize your game as tangible cards.

This step deserves an entire article dedicated to it, which is why we’ve written a guide on how to design cards for a card game.

Some important advice to always remember is to define the structure of your visual elements before even picking up a pencil or using a pen tool. Your cards must both visually engage your players and provide them with clear information. This explains why the hierarchy of information displayed on your cards should be determined by more than just aesthetic factors. Typically, power units are displayed at the edges of the card, while illustrations, descriptions, and effects are positioned in the central area. Finally, let’s not forget that your concept might allow for both sides of your cards to show information. This is especially true if your card game doesn’t include elements of mystery and secrecy, where information on the cards can be freely shown at any point in the gameplay.

However, the design of your cards is heavily influenced by the theme and the mechanics you plan to adopt. It could be that your game doesn’t include creatures with abilities or power units but instead features numbers or paragraphs that serve the overall narrative of the gameplay. Alternatively, your card game might make use of geometrical shapes or prioritize illustrations that don’t require text or numerical information.

5. Create Initial Prototypes

Now that you’ve decided on a theme, concept, set of rules, mechanics, and layout of your cards, it’s time to bring your game to life by creating your prototype.

When it comes to card games, a prototype can be described as a tangible combination of components, a rule book, and sometimes even a game box. These elements are of paramount importance because they will be part of your playtesting materials and of your pitching package, whether you’re approaching publishers or trying to convince backers to fund your game.

There are several ways to create a prototype, from using editing software to web-based tools like The Game Crafter or PrintNinja. Our guide about board game-making software lists some top choices, including those for developers focused on card games.

Your first prototype doesn’t have to match the quality you expect from the final version of your card game. However, you shouldn’t limit yourself to just using paper and markers. We’ve seen many early prototypes that use cardboard to increase the thickness of the cards or printed drafts instead of rough sketches for the illustrations.

6. Playtest with a Target Audience

How well do you know your audience?

If you answer poorly to this question, you can expect your card game to face challenges in gaining traction.

Playtesting your prototype is a process that involves exposing your card game to different groups of people. Doing so will help you understand what a typical player enjoying your card game looks like. By understanding how your audience responds, you can more easily refine the choice of mechanics and rules shaping your gameplay.

However, playtesting provides more than just information about your audience. It is an essential step in understanding how to implement your gameplay and components so that your final product is balanced and free from pitfalls obstructing the overall game experience.

Nowadays, platforms like Tabletop Simulator, Tabletopia, and Untap.in allow designers to playtest their game online. This opportunity allows for a wider range of players to interact with your card game while seamlessly freeing you from the limitation of in-person sessions of playtesting.

This is also when it can become tricky for designers to manage the feedback they gather. Be sure to always remind yourself to be grateful for the input you receive from those willing to playtest your game. Even though the feedback may sometimes be difficult to hear, it is thanks to those comments that your card game could eventually become successful.

Playtesting your card game is a process that can take hundreds, if not thousands of hours. This is why we have created a dedicated guide on how to make a card game prototype.

7. Refine Game Mechanics and Rules

Playtesting will never be enough if not done to constantly hone your card game.

To do so, ensure you have enough data to elaborate at the end of every playtesting session. You can do so by asking your testers the right questions to extract constructive criticism. Here are some examples:

• What did you like most about the game?
• What didn’t you like about the game?
• What was the most unique feature of the game for you?
• Did the gameplay feel unbalanced or unfair?
• How would you describe this game to someone else?

Such questions tend to expect more than just a yes or no answer. Instead, they tend to further investigate both positive and negative feedback, allowing you to tackle potential issues at their roots.

Shaping the edge of your prototype through iterative playtesting and effective feedback will also lead you to understand whether the card game you’re developing offers a smooth learning curve, a high degree of interaction, replayability, and appropriate game length.

8. Choose the Right Materials and Specifications

Refining your card game during your playtesting phase will eventually lead you to upgrade the quality of your prototype, especially its components.

This is especially true when you approach the manufacturing phase or prepare to pitch your card game to a publisher.

Some of the ways you might have considered upgrading your card game after collecting and elaborating on feedback are:

• Resizing your cards
• Draft your game packaging
• Upgrading your materials

The last point is particularly important as the quality of your materials will also define the cost of manufacturing them. Top-tier materials tend to be more durable, but they come with a greater price, these usually are linen-finished card stocks, custom plastic cards, and premium coatings like Matte finish. On the other hand, if you want to keep your expenses low, you can consider standard-tier materials such as basic card stock and gloss coatings.

9. Prepare Artwork and Graphic Design Assets

Although this guide provides tips for designing card games, we certainly don’t expect all card game developers to have design expertise. Donald X. Vaccarino, the creator of the groundbreaking deck-building game Dominion, was a software developer. Mike Slaughter, co-creator of Exploding Kittens, worked in marketing before achieving success with his published card game. Even Asger Harding Granerud had no formal design background before releasing his cycling-themed board game, Flamme Rouge.

This is why we recommend you consider hiring artists to help bring your ideas to life. Start by checking your network for illustrators or individuals skilled in using graphic design software. Alternatively, platforms like Upwork or Fiverr can connect you with freelancers who meet your expectations.

Having an artist involved in your project also helps in understanding the physical standards required by the industry. By ensuring familiarity with the formats and resolutions typically expected by publishers and backers, you’ll have one less technical hurdle to overcome and be better prepared when it’s time to present or pitch your game.

10. Plan for Manufacturing and Production

If you’ve made it this far, it means that your card game is something special—players have enjoyed testing it for hundreds of hours, its theme is original, the mechanic you’ve chosen works well together, and your prototype’s is quite a beauty for eyes and hands.

At this stage of development, you may already be in contact with a publisher interested in investing in your card game and bringing it to market. However, if that’s not the case, you will need to find a manufacturer.

Start by reaching out to friends or acquaintances. Perhaps you know someone who has released a board game, TCG, or CCG before. They might have connections with a manufacturer who could be a valuable resource for your project. Otherwise, there are several ways to locate manufacturers in your area. One option is to consult websites that list them. For example, you can visit boardgamemanufacturers.info, which links to dozens of manufacturers.

A manufacturer will eventually request the digital files for your cards, rule book, and packaging. These files are needed to produce a high-quality prototype for your approval. You’ll have the opportunity to select from a variety of materials the manufacturer recommends as suitable for your card game. Once you approve the prototype and materials, the manufacturer will begin the mass production of your card game.

11. Develop a Marketing and Launch Strategy

Nowadays, many indie card game designers avoid the path of traditional publishing. We get that—the low royalties, long waiting times, and the risk of losing control over the final look of your project can feel daunting.

This is why we suggest creators turn to crowdfunding as a way to self-publish their card games.

In recent years, the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter has seen over 45,000 projects successfully funded in the games category, with TCGs and CCGs making up a significant portion. The success of card game designers in attracting backers would not have been possible without establishing a strong online presence and building a solid community.

An effective way for you to self-publish your game includes the following steps:

• Creating a campaign on a crowdfunding platform.
• Posting regular updates on social media and forums.
• Launching a newsletter.
• Investing in online advertising through platforms like Meta, TikTok, or other social media suitable for your target audience.
• Implementing a short-term reward system for backers.

These are just a few of the steps that can help pre-launch your card game. However, pursuing this path alone can be challenging. It requires a diverse skill set and the ability to deal with both marketing strategies and game development at the same time.

At LaunchBoom, we try to ease off this process by dealing with the technical aspect of crowdfunding, allowing card game developers to focus on their projects. Just in 2023, our creators raised an average of $330K across 30 game launches. If you’re serious about self-publishing, we’d love to hear from you.

12. Launch, Sell, and Distribute Your Game

Launching a card game doesn’t always require going all the way with a publisher or crowdfunding. You can set up an e-commerce store to sell online via platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, or Amazon. Moreover, websites like The Game Crafter allow you to design your cards and sell your games and components in a single space.

If your idea was to sell in stores, you can pitch your card game to local shops. This is especially useful if you don’t expect your game to reach a wider audience through publishers and their partners.

You can even attend trade shows focusing on the niche like GenCon and PAX Unplugged in the US, Spiel in Germany, the Seoul Board Game Festival in Korea, or the Diversão Offline in Brazil.

Partnering with distributors can expand your reach to a broader retail network. Alliance Game Distributors is an example of such an entity. Finally, for order fulfillment, you can rely on services like Quartermaster Logistics, ShipBob, or GamesQuest if you aim to distribute your card game to the individuals backing your crowdfunding campaign.

Additional Tips for Designing a Trading Card Game

When it comes to learning how to design a trading card game, you should get comfortable with the fact that not all cards are equally prestigious and desired by players. This is especially true for card games focusing on collectibility.

Collectibility and Rarity

We can think of collectibility as the appeal of a card (or set of cards) as an item to collect. In contrast, rarity measures the difficulty of obtaining a particular card. The rarity of a card encompasses the concept of scarcity and supply, which help define its desirability.

You might now guess that rarity is a factor influencing the collectibility of a card. However, several factors can influence this criterion, like:

• Artwork, design, and materials: These elements directly affect a card’s rarity, due to special illustrations or the use of premium materials enhancing its appeal.
• Cultural and historical importance: Some cards become iconic or represent a pivotal moment in a game’s history.
• Power and relevance: Cards that give players a competitive edge are often more desirable, both in gameplay and as collectible items.
• Lore and theme: These can impact both the collectibility and the rarity of some cards, especially in games that release limited editions with distinctive styles.

If your game relies heavily on collectibility, ensure that your cards are produced in balanced quantities according to their rarity.

Opting for a Board Game

Why hold back on your creative potential?

Figurines, tokens, dice… If you’ve envisioned a game that involves more than just a few cards being played, you should consider creating a board game instead.

Luckily, this choice doesn’t require drastically different steps to release your game. The only additional time investment will be in designing and crafting more game components.

Designing a board game allows you to bring to life the creatures you’ve previously only depicted on cards. This will give your players an entirely new way to engage with and enjoy your concept. And if you still want to incorporate cards into your tabletop adventure, check out our guide on how to create cards for a board game.

Inspiring Case Studies of Successful Card Games

This guide would not be complete without some examples of card games that stand out in the market thanks to some innovative moves contributing to their success.

Cards Against Humanity

Blending edgy humor with a stimulating concept and clever marketing strategies, Cards Against Humanity was developed in 2008 by a group of high school friends. The game originated as a simple party activity where players wrote humorous phrases to complete a sentence.

The creators formally launched a Kickstarter campaign in 2011, crushing their goal of $4,000 by raising a total of $15,000.

This card game became a hit for multiple reasons:

• Cultural timing, being released at a time when controversial humor was gaining popularity and acceptance, the game resonated with players seeking a break from conventional norms in games.
• A free print-and-play version provided by the creators allowed people to experience the game firsthand, which fueled its widespread popularity.
• Social media marketing campaigns helped the game thrive as users shared original (to not say outrageous) card combinations on their profiles, generating organic buzz.
• Community engagement through humorous email marketing and regular content updates.

Today, Cards Against Humanity remains a bestseller, thanks to its frequent expansion packs, themed diversifications, promotions, and events.

Exploding Kittens

Humor must be the ace up the sleeve of this century’s card games, as our second example makes it its most impactful unique feature.

In Exploding Kittens, you can enjoy a pleasant gaming evening with your friends creating havoc, blowing up cats, and casting laser beams just by casting the right (or wrong) card. The comical side of this masterpiece is further reflected in its artwork and illustration, a feature that has been fundamental for the success of this card game.

Indeed, not many know that Exploding Kittens was initially launched on Kickstarter in January 2015, and it raised over $8 million in crowdfunding. A well-structured campaign and tiered rewards, including exclusive cards and deluxe components, kept backers engaged throughout the whole crowdfunding campaign. This showcased how self-publishing with a strong community and clever marketing can overcome every creator’s profit expectations.

Uno

Unlike modern crowdfunding success stories, UNO became the successful title it is today thanks to the efforts of Merle Robbins, a barber from Ohio, who invested $8,000 of his own money to produce the first 5,000 copies of the game. However, UNO gained quick popularity and became a global phenomenon thanks to its publishers, International Games Inc. first, and Mattel163 after.

Once enjoyable due to its simple ruleset and classic enduring charm, UNO’s popularity is fueled today by elements like nostalgia and easy accessibility. Ultimately, a digital version for online players and its adaptation for consoles has expanded its availability, further widespread this card game into a long-lasting cultural phenomenon.

Final Thoughts

In this guide, we have highlighted some card game design tips to help bring your project idea to life. As mentioned earlier, this can be the most rewarding journey for card game enthusiasts, but it’s also a challenging one.

Creating card games and board games is almost like science—It requires experimentation, analysis, and iteration to avoid the risk of failure. This is where a partner like LaunchBoom can be invaluable.

Over the last ten years, we’ve witnessed small hobbyists grow into successful game developers, with their tabletop projects on store shelves and in the hands of thousands of players. This is why we encourage you to give us a call and tell us more about the card game you intend to launch.

“LaunchBoom created a community and a resource that teaches what crowdfunding is and showcases strategies on how to execute a successful campaign”

– Ridge Kiley, creator of Alpha Clash, raising $422,809 in crowdfunding.

How to Design a Card Game: Frequently Asked Questions

How to Design Your Own Card Games?

Start by defining a unique theme and concept, blending engaging mechanics and gameplay. Use the trends and gaps in the markets you identify to ensure your idea stands out. Focus on clear, functional card layouts to enhance gameplay. Create a prototype to play and improve through iterative playtesting with multiple groups of players. This ensures that your mechanics are balanced and the game experience is enjoyable. Consider your manufacturing options with price for materials in mind and plan your marketing strategy. Finally, use crowdfunding platforms or reach out to publishers to launch and distribute your game.

What Makes a Good Card Game?

A good card game combines a unique theme with engaging mechanics and thoughtful design. Effective card games can balance game mechanics with innovative twists, ensuring strategic depth and replayability. Ultimately, the visual appeal of the card layout plays a crucial role, as aesthetics must resonate with the right type of audience.

How to Create a Card Game to Sell?

You can make your card game easier to sell by using crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter, social media, targeted ads, and email marketing to build a solid community. Consider e-commerce platforms, local stores, and partnering with distributors to expand your reach. Remember to protect your game by addressing legal aspects such as trademarks and intellectual property rights.

How Do You Come Up with Card Games?

Research existing games for inspiration but also to identify trends and gaps in the market. Then, brainstorm some unique themes and concepts that could resonate with your potential audience. Sketch out initial gameplay ideas and create a prototype to test these concepts. Finally, refine your concept through iterative feedback ensuring you have a fun balanced experience.

How Much Does It Cost to Produce a Card Game?

It depends on multiple factors like manufacturing quality, printing volume, and complexity of your design. For standard-tier quality materials and an initial print run of below 1,000 units, you can expect to spend no less than $5,000 to $10,000. Additional custom components, premium materials, and larger prints can easily increase costs to $20,000 or more. There are more factors to consider though like a marketing strategy, the packaging, storage, and distribution costs. These can potentially increase the total expenses up to $30,000 depending on the scale of the operation.

What Software Can I Use to Design a Card Game?

Creators with basic skills in graphic design can consider the Adobe Creative package. This includes top-notch programs like Adobe Illustrator and Indesign. For free and open-source alternatives, Inkscape provides a valid vector graphic solution. The same goes with GIMP for pixel-based design tools. Finally, if you’re searching for a web tool for designing and selling cards, look further than The Game Crafter.