Cardborne
Released 29 October 2026 · PC · Action, Adventure, Casual
A roguelite played on a real deck of cards. No deckbuilding. Your weapon can only kill an enemy of the same or lower value than its last kill, so the order you fight is the puzzle. Turn your kills into poker hands, pick jokers, beat the boss.
Story
Cardborne is a roguelite played on a real deck of playing cards. No deckbuilding. Clubs ♣ and spades ♠ are enemies, diamonds ♦ are weapons, hearts ♥ heal. One rule turns every room into a puzzle: your weapon can only kill an enemy of the same or lower value than its last kill. Fight order Equip a diamond and its value becomes your weapon's strength and its uses. Every enemy you kill with it stacks up on the weapon. Kill the 9 first and the 6 and the 4 are still in reach. Kill the 4 first and the 9 and the 6 are locked out for that weapon. Swap to a new weapon and the chain starts over. When the order goes wrong, you can always fight barehanded and take the enemy's full value as damage. Or spend 1 weapon use on a ranged attack to shave 1 off an enemy's value. Poker hands The kills stacked on your weapon form poker hands: Straight Flush, Super Flush, Lazy Flush, Straight and Pair. A hand pays out HP and XP, then clears those cards off the weapon, so the higher enemies are back in reach. That is how a good weapon stays useful. Plan the hand before you swing. Jokers Every level-up offers 3 jokers. Take one. Take one you already own and it levels up, all the way to level 3. There...
Gameplay
Cardborne is a roguelite played on a real deck of playing cards. No deckbuilding. Clubs ♣ and spades ♠ are enemies, diamonds ♦ are weapons, hearts ♥ heal. One rule turns every room into a puzzle: your weapon can only kill an enemy of the same or lower value than its last kill. Fight order Equip a diamond and its value becomes your weapon's strength and its uses. Every enemy you kill with it stacks up on the weapon. Kill the 9 first and the 6 and the 4 are still in reach. Kill the 4 first and the 9 and the 6 are locked out for that weapon. Swap to a new weapon and the chain starts over. When the order goes wrong, you can always fight barehanded and take the enemy's full value as damage. Or spend 1 weapon use on a ranged attack to shave 1 off an enemy's value. Poker hands The kills stacked on your weapon form poker hands: Straight Flush, Super Flush, Lazy Flush, Straight and Pair. A hand pays out HP and XP, then clears those cards off the weapon, so the higher enemies are back in reach. That is how a good weapon stays useful. Plan the hand before you swing. Jokers Every level-up offers 3 jokers. Take one. Take one you already own and it levels up, all the way to level 3. There are 14 of them. Smith adds strength to your weapon on every poker hand. Grinder adds a weapon use. Iron Will shields you when you fight barehanded. Scarecrow makes the weakest enemy flee to another...
Features
- Single-player
- Full controller support
- Custom Volume Controls
- Mouse Only Option
- #category_playable_at_your_own_pace
- Playable without Timed Input
- DualSense Controller Support
- DualSense Controller Support
Release details
Cardborne is a Action, Adventure and Casual game by Lakeborn studio. Cardborne came out on Thursday, 29 October 2026 on PC. This date comes from Steam and was last checked on 29 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
When did Cardborne come out?
Cardborne came out on 29 October 2026.
Which platforms is Cardborne on?
Cardborne is on PC.
Who makes Cardborne?
Cardborne is developed by Lakeborn studio.
What kind of game is Cardborne?
Cardborne is a game of these genres: Action, Adventure and Casual.