Hearthstone

42%
Game Brain Score Based on 860 reviews
  • gameplay
  • stability
  • story
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Join a community of 100 million players in epic card battle action!

  • iPad
  • iPhone
  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Phone
  • Android
  • Cloud
  • Mobile Platform
  • Tablet
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

42%
Audience ScoreBased on 860 reviews
gameplay23 positive mentions
stability61 negative mentions
  • The game offers a fun and engaging card game experience with various modes, including Battlegrounds, which many players enjoy.
  • The graphics and animations are visually appealing, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.
  • The game has a long-standing community and offers a wealth of content for players to explore.
  • The app is plagued with bugs, crashes, and connectivity issues, making it frustrating and often unplayable on mobile devices.
  • The monetization model has become increasingly predatory, requiring significant financial investment to remain competitive, which discourages new players.
  • The recent changes to the rewards system have made it difficult for free-to-play players to progress, leading to a sense of imbalance and frustration.
  • gameplay64 mentions

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players praising its core mechanics and engaging design, while others criticize the increasing reliance on RNG and pay-to-win elements that detract from the strategic experience. Issues such as slow turn times, connectivity problems, and a lack of innovation in new mechanics have also been highlighted, leading to frustration among long-time players. Overall, while the gameplay can be enjoyable and intuitive, it is marred by technical issues and a perceived decline in quality over time.

    • “The gameplay is very good both in normal mode and battlegrounds.”
    • “I have played this game since original beta and absolutely love it - the gameplay experience is second to none.”
    • “A fantastic card game with a great variety of engaging and endless gameplay!”
    • “For gameplay, the amount of RNG turned this game from a fun strategy deck builder into a gambling system.”
    • “The gameplay had gone downhill for over a year.”
    • “Now it's all broken interface, gameplay bugs, and serious connection issues.”
  • stability62 mentions

    The game's stability is severely criticized, with users reporting frequent crashes, freezes, and disconnects that make it nearly unplayable. Many players experience issues during matches, such as the game becoming unresponsive or requiring multiple restarts, leading to frustration and loss of progress. Overall, the app's performance has deteriorated over time, with persistent bugs and glitches affecting gameplay across both mobile and PC platforms.

    • “It runs great on mobile and cross-platform on PC.”
    • “The game maintains a steady frame rate, even during intense action scenes.”
    • “I haven't experienced any crashes or bugs, which makes for a smooth gaming experience.”
    • “Half the time it won't let me confirm my hero in Battlegrounds, app crashing, game becomes unresponsive and freezes, then I'm losing multiple turns, having to close the app and it won't reload into my game once reopening.”
    • “Completely unplayable, and it frequently freezes just looking at cards, not even in a match.”
    • “The game frequently disconnects, freezes, and lags.”
  • story61 mentions

    The story aspect of the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating the rich narratives and engaging single-player missions. However, recent updates have negatively impacted the overall experience, as changes to the quest system have made it more challenging for players to progress, leading to frustration and a sense of grind rather than enjoyment. While the story remains a highlight, the accompanying quest mechanics have drawn significant criticism, overshadowing the narrative's appeal.

    • “The visual effects and voices of each card are what I've enjoyed the most as a previous WoW player; the richness of the storylines also has followed into this game.”
    • “Fun graphics and story.”
    • “So many different ways to play and challenge your brain while also telling an expansive story.”
    • “The single player missions are 100% RNG on if you win or not, and they make your opponents so overpowered there's no consistent way to fight them.”
    • “I can't believe that you would make it so difficult to get past the fifth mission, admit to it, but then don't make it an option to fail and continue on with the story/come back when you get stronger, get more cards or even build a deck in your play style.”
    • “It just seems like a cash grab at this point; constant expansions so you're needing to spend money to win, the weekly quests have tripled (i.e. win 5 games/week is now win 15/week) rewards are stingy.”
  • graphics30 mentions

    The graphics of the game are generally praised for their polished aesthetics and fun art style, contributing to an engaging visual experience. However, many users report significant issues, including graphical glitches, high demands on system performance, and a lack of options to reduce graphics settings, which can hinder gameplay and accessibility. Overall, while the visuals are appealing, they are often overshadowed by technical problems that affect the game's playability.

    • “Great graphics, a large variety of both solo and PvP modes to play.”
    • “Hearthstone is a great game, with nice visuals and amazing voice acting.”
    • “The sound, animation effects, graphics, and style are outstanding.”
    • “Graphical glitches where the screen flashes and then freezes; I can't interact with the screen.”
    • “Another slight drawback is that the game can sometimes be quite graphically demanding, making it slow or even unplayable on lower-end devices.”
    • “However, that company is long gone, and this app proves it; there was no thought put into performance and no graphics options.”
  • monetization26 mentions

    The monetization of the game has shifted significantly, with many players expressing frustration over aggressive microtransactions and a perceived cash grab mentality following corporate ownership changes. While some still find enjoyment in the game, the increasing pressure to spend money for a competitive edge and the introduction of a battle pass system have led to a decline in overall satisfaction. Overall, the monetization strategy is viewed as predatory, making it difficult for free-to-play users to fully enjoy the game without significant financial investment.

    • “Absolutely no ads or pressure to buy anything and no need to purchase anything as the game is generous.”
    • “No ads, no limits, and fun to play.”
    • “I've played Hearthstone since beta and, while it was always easier to spend money on in-app purchases than grind, it didn't feel necessary until recently with the introduction of a battle pass system.”
    • “The monetization for everything has become overbearing to say the least.”
    • “The influence of corporate greed has turned this amazing game into a pay-to-win, cash grab, RNG machine.”
    • “This game used to be an absolute treasure, but it has become so bloated with microtransactions over the years that it's quite overwhelming to try and jump in after not playing for a long time.”
  • optimization18 mentions

    Overall, the optimization of the game has received significant criticism, with users reporting poor performance, lag, and frustrating UI issues across various devices, particularly on Android. While some updates have improved visuals and performance slightly, many players still experience frequent disconnections, slow load times, and a lack of thoughtful design, leading to a disappointing gaming experience. Despite expectations for better optimization after several years, the game remains heavily criticized for its inadequate performance on mobile platforms.

    • “I think that did some optimization, and now it is visually very pleasing.”
    • “I had installed the tablet version prior to this release for Android phones, and the upgrade in performance and UI quality is amazing.”
    • “I was so stoked that perhaps Hearthstone might run better on newer hardware; performance for this game has never been a problem, but everyone wants to try out their new hardware to see if it makes a difference.”
    • “However, I now have a Google Pixel phone and the performance of the app is awful.”
    • “Poorly optimized software that's made needlessly heavy.”
    • “I have been expecting that after 3 years the game would be more optimized, would load faster and the performance would be improved.”
  • grinding14 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessive and tedious, often requiring significant time or financial investment to progress and build a competitive deck. The progression system is criticized for being slow, with many feeling that free-to-play players face a long grind to achieve a decent collection, leading to frustration in matches. Overall, while some enjoy the competitive nature, the grind can detract from the overall experience, making it feel more like a chore than fun.

    • “The arcane dust system requires so much grinding just for a single card, that might not even be legendary.”
    • “However, the progression system is so slow and grindy that it is difficult to start playing and progress.”
    • “If you plan on being free to play, you will be stuck losing matches and grinding resources for months before you begin to get any sort of collection, and even then you'll be stuck playing exclusively aggro decks.”
  • music3 mentions

    Users express frustration with the music aspect of the game, noting that it frequently interrupts their listening experience by stopping or lagging, and there are issues with the app's optimization that affect playback from other music apps. Overall, while the music itself may be enjoyable, the technical problems detract significantly from the experience.

    • “The music really enhances the overall experience and keeps the energy high.”
    • “The soundtrack is incredibly catchy and fits perfectly with the gameplay.”
    • “I love how the music adapts to the game's pace, making every moment feel more immersive.”
    • “Really fun... but I'm pretty tired of it stopping my music while I'm trying to vibe.”
    • “Animations freezing for a couple of seconds, lags between input and output, and the music kept running even when I minimized the app. Is it possible it's poorly optimized?”
    • “Often has issues listening to music from other apps.”
  • humor3 mentions

    Reviews on the humor aspect are mixed; while some players find the game amusing, others criticize it for lacking humor and being plagued by bugs that detract from the experience. Overall, the humor seems to be inconsistent, with some enjoying it and others feeling disappointed.

    • “A very funny mobile game; the only bad thing about it is you can't play it at all.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    Players highlight the game's strong replayability, with one user noting a decade of enjoyment. However, there are suggestions for improvements to enhance accessibility and balance among classes to maintain long-term engagement.

    • “I've been playing for 10 years; if that's any indication of how good and replayable this game is.”
    • “The game lacks enough variety to keep me coming back after the first playthrough.”
    • “Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to replay it.”
    • “The limited choices and outcomes make replaying feel more like a chore than an enjoyable experience.”
  • atmosphere1 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is characterized by a cynical and money-driven approach from the developers, which detracts from the overall experience and contributes to a stale gameplay model that encourages prolonged spending and engagement.

    • “The game has evolved such that it tries to suck you in to spend more and more hours and dollars in an increasingly stale game model coupled with a decidedly cynical, money-grubbing atmosphere from the developers.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    Users report that the game experiences frequent freezes and crashes during gameplay, which disrupts the emotional engagement and immersion, leading to frustration and a diminished overall experience.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

2hMedian play time
2hAverage play time
2-2hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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