What is 9 Kings?
Stop scrolling past the usual TFT clones for a second. 9 Kings is a wild ride that mashes up city building, deckbuilding, and autobattlers into something totally fresh. You grow a capital from a tiny village into a massive citadel to fuel insane, broken armies. It’s fast, it’s punchy, and it might just be the roguelike kingdom builder you didn't know you needed.
Gameplay
9 Kings isn't just another TFT clone, so don't go in expecting that. It’s a weird, wonderful mashup of minimalistic city building and deckbuilding with an autobattler core. You start with a tiny village and grow it into a massive citadel to fuel your army. You pick one of nine kings, each with a totally different vibe like warping time or spamming imps, and build up your economy to recruit units. Then you just let them rip in massive battles. The loop is super addictive because it gets you to the fighting fast without bogging down in micromanagement. You'll start struggling, but then you hit that power creep where you’re boar-mounted ballistas deleting everything on screen. It’s fast, punchy, and when you find a broken synergy, it feels amazing. One reviewer called it a 'phenomenal, hopelessly enthralling roguelike!' and honestly, they aren't lying. Rock Paper Shotgun joked it’s 'actually just an excuse to launch rocks at people,' but that stripped-back city building is the point. It doesn't waste your time.
Key Features
- Nine unique kings with distinct playstyles
- City building fuels army recruitment
- Fast-paced roguelike autobattler core
- Massive late-game power creep
- Free to play with optional full unlock
What Players Say
The community is loving the core loop, but the Early Access state is showing its cracks. Many players are hooked, with one calling it 'perfect for killing boredom' and another saying it's 'the most fun I’ve had playing.' However, the bugs are real and frustrating. Users report random app crashes, freezing in later rounds, and progress not saving. One player noted, 'I really love this game but can you guys fix the problems... it keeps restarting me,' while another complained about losing all perks and unlocked kings after the app closes. There are also UI complaints about small text, and some feel the content isn't deep enough to justify paying more than $5. It’s addictive, but the technical stability is a major hurdle right now.
Screenshots
Verdict
“I really love this game but can you guys fix the problems it his it keeps switching the graphics and framerate and keeps restarting me to the king of spells although I already unlocked 6 kings keeps taking me to the second”
“Honestly the most fun I’ve had playing. A mobile game but every time the app closes it loses all of my progress. My achievements save in the play center but all perks kings and difficulty levels vanish every time.”
“Me pares un juego muy intuitivo, perfecto para quitar el aburrimiento”
“Please fix the small text and allow reading the cards by selecting once before confirming play.”
“I enjoyed the demo, good concept and mechanics. But I can’t justify spending more than $5 on a relatively simple game like this.”
“I want to give this game 5 stars. It has a fantastic gameplay loop and is seriously addicting and fun to play. However, I’ve noticed when I log in, sometimes content I unlocked has reverted progress. I play for a bit and suddenly it unlocks a ton of stuff. I just went to log in, however, and it app”
“The games itself is very enjoyable, and I would recommend for those who like to build different decks in every playthrough. All though I have found that the game starts to freeze in the later rounds. I closed app to refresh it and now when I attempt to continue I am stuck on a black screen. Other th”
“So glad 9K is finally on the phone as well! Been waiting for this release! If you haven’t played it and want an incredible game to kill time with on the phone, this is it!”
“Won’t save progress. Randomly quits”
If you want a faster, less micromanagement-heavy autobattler with a roguelike twist, grab it while it's free. The core gameplay is a blast, even if the systems feel a bit raw right now. However, if you need a polished, bug-free experience or hate restarting due to crashes, you might want to wait for a later patch.
Play for Free →* Price at time of publication (checked 15.10.2026). Prices may vary by region and are subject to change. This is an editorial review, not a commercial offer.