9 Kings, the fast-paced roguelike kingdom builder from Sad Socket, is making the jump to phones and tablets. Playdigious is handling the mobile release, and after a quiet stretch following the game’s first mobile announcement, the studio has locked in a firm launch date.
Quick answer: 9 Kings arrives on iOS and Android on October 12th. It is free to try, and a one-time $9.99 purchase unlocks all kings, quests, and multiplayer.
9 Kings mobile release date and price
The game launches on both major mobile platforms on the same day. You can download it for free to sample the core loop, then buy the full version to open up everything else. The full unlock is priced as a single in-app purchase rather than a subscription.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Release date | October 12th |
| Platforms | iOS, iPadOS, Android |
| Base price | Free to try |
| Full unlock | $9.99 in-app purchase |
| Publisher | Playdigious |
You can line the game up ahead of launch now. Reserve it on the App Store or set a reminder on Google Play so it downloads automatically when it goes live.
How 9 Kings plays
9 Kings blends kingdom building, deckbuilding, tower defense, and autobattler ideas into a single run-based structure. You start with a small settlement and expand it by placing cards that add buildings, towers, and troops. As your capital grows, rival rulers attack in waves, and you defend with the army and structures you have set up.
Spells add a third layer on top of buildings and units, letting you step into battles directly and tip the outcome. The concept is deliberately simple, but the depth comes from stacking effects. Defeating a rival lets you loot cards from their deck, and combining those cards with your own opens up powerful synergies. The game encourages you to chase those overpowered builds, while a steady rise in difficulty keeps pushing back.
A single-player run lasts 33 turns, followed by an optional endless mode for players who want to keep going. Every run mixes up cards, enemies, and events, so no two attempts play out the same way.
The nine kings and their playstyles
You pick one of nine rulers, each with a different starting deck and identity. Your chosen king shapes your early strategy, but because you can absorb cards from rivals, your final deck does not have to stay true to that starting theme.
- Stockpile gold to hire large numbers of mercenaries.
- Harness the forces of nature to fight for you.
- Warp the laws of time for unusual advantages.
- Dabble in dark magic and raise the dead.
- Summon hordes of fiendish imps to overwhelm enemies.
Battles pull from a wide roster of fantasy forces, including knights, warlocks, glass-cannon wizards, bombers, imps, and even sentient mushrooms. Positioning matters as much as raw numbers, since a smaller army with the right stacked buffs can outperform a larger one.
Mobile features: touch controls, cross-progression, and multiplayer
The mobile version has been rebuilt for touchscreens, with a revamped interface and full touch controls rather than a straight port. Alongside standard runs, it includes Quest Mode, which sets specific challenges that often reward unconventional builds.
Competitive play comes through asynchronous multiplayer, where you battle eight rival kings on your own schedule instead of matching up live. The paid unlock is what opens all kings, extra quests, and this multiplayer mode.
- Google Play Games and Game Center achievements.
- Cloud saves shared across Android and iOS devices.
- Buy-once, play-anywhere cross-progression between mobile and PC through the same Google Play Games account.
- iPhone 17 optimization, including the Pro Max.
Transferring existing saves from the Steam version has not been announced, so PC progress may not carry over to mobile.
Device requirements for iOS and Android
On Apple hardware, the game needs a device with the A12 Bionic chip or later, which covers the iPhone XS and newer. The download is around 660 MB, and the game supports English plus 25 additional languages.
| Device | Requirement |
|---|---|
| iPhone | iOS 15.0 or later, A12 Bionic or newer |
| iPad | iPadOS 15.0 or later, A12 Bionic or newer |
| Mac | macOS 15.0 or later, Apple M1 or newer |
With the launch set for October 12th, players who want to warm up on the core mechanics can start on PC now, then carry that experience into the mobile release when it arrives.
