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Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel app gets a surprise release on PC and console

Out of the Blue-Eyes.

New Yu-Gi-Oh! video game Master Duel has seen a surprise launch on PC and consoles.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel was given a tentative release window of Winter 2021 last September by publisher Konami, following its reveal over the summer. Rather than announce a more specific release date for the game, the studio has apparently decided to just drop it onto PC and console storefronts - including PlayStation, Xbox and the Nintendo Switch - without warning.

Cover image for YouTube video

Yu-Gi-Oh!’s answer to the likes of MTG Arena, Master Duel is a faithful digital adaptation of the long-running trading card game’s full OCG/TCG Master Rules, compared to the more beginner-friendly spin-off seen in mobile app Duel Links.

The free-to-play app’s expansive library includes over 10,000 cards from the TCG’s history, which can be used in a single-player mode or in online duels and tournaments against other human opponents. The solo campaigns are based around specific deck types, and will apparently tell the story behind some of the cards. If you’re new to the game - or at least haven’t played in long enough to know what Xyz summoning is - a tutorial will teach you how to play Yu-Gi-Oh!

In news that will be no surprise to anyone who’s played a free-to-play digital card game before, the app includes the ability to buy new packs of cards using virtual currency. Unwanted cards can also be broken down and crafted into new cards. Some cards will be unlocked by participating in tournaments and other events, along with virtual accessories such as play mats, card sleeves and companions to dress up your digital tabletop.

As you’d expect, players can use these cards to create custom decks to pit against rival duelists. If creating a whole deck from scratch is a tad intimidating, there’s an included database of deck lists to help you out.

Watch on YouTube

Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel is out now on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. There’s cross-platform play and saving, so you can hop between multiple systems at your leisure.

A further release is planned for iOS and Android, with Konami saying details of the mobile app will be released “soon”.

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About the Author
Matt Jarvis avatar

Matt Jarvis

Editor-in-chief

After starting his career writing about music, films and video games for various places, Matt spent many years as a technology, PC and video game journalist before writing about tabletop games as the editor of Tabletop Gaming magazine. He joined Dicebreaker as editor-in-chief in 2019, and has been trying to convince the rest of the team to play Diplomacy since.

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