Clash Royale Download: Supercell’s Free Real-Time Card Strategy Game

In a standard Clash Royale match, two players face off live: you use the cards in your hand to knock down your opponent’s towers while defending your own. The game comes from Finland’s Supercell, the studio behind Clash of Clans, and many of its cards feature troops, spells and defenses familiar from that game. Released in 2016, Clash Royale was named Apple’s iPhone Game of the Year that same year, and it still receives regular updates with new cards, modes and events.

How do you play Clash Royale?

• Cards and decks: You enter each match with an eight-card deck. Among more than a hundred cards are troops, spells and defensive buildings; collect enough copies of a card and you can upgrade it to make it stronger.
• Elixir: Every card costs elixir to play. Elixir refills on its own during the match and caps at 10; dropping an expensive card without thinking can leave you defenseless for a while.
• Towers and crowns: Each player has a King Tower at the back and two Princess Towers in front. Every tower you destroy earns a crown, and whoever destroys the King Tower wins on the spot. When time runs out, the player with more crowns wins; a tie sends the match into overtime.
• Arenas and trophies: Wins earn trophies. As your trophy count climbs, you move up to new arenas and unlock new cards; for competitive players there are also leagues and global tournaments.
• Clans: Join a clan or start your own to request and donate cards, chat with members and play together in clan wars for shared rewards.

Besides standard matches there are daily puzzles, seasonal events and different modes such as Merge Tactics; events and modes change from season to season.

How to download and install

1. The Download button opens the official Clash Royale page on Supercell’s website; use the App Store and Google Play links there to get to the right store for your phone. You can also install it directly from Google Play or the App Store.
2. The iPhone version is about 1.1 GB on the App Store, so it’s best to download it over Wi-Fi.
3. When you first open the game, a short tutorial walks you through the basic rules.
4. To keep your progress safe, create a free Supercell ID in the game’s Settings; if you switch phones or reinstall the game, you can pick up where you left off.

Is it free?

Clash Royale is free to download and play. The in-game shop sells gem (in-game currency) packs and special offers. Pass Royale, which resets every season, offers seasonal rewards such as tower skins, emotes and magic items, and its paid tier unlocks extra rewards. Some purchasable items have random contents. You can play without spending anything, but because purchases speed up card upgrades, paying players can progress faster. If your child plays, you can turn off in-app purchases or require approval for them in your phone’s settings.

Good to know

Clash Royale can only be played online, and because matches are live, a weak connection can cause lag. “Private servers”, cheats promising unlimited gems and modified versions circulating as “mod APKs” are not official. Supercell’s terms of service prohibit cheats, mods and unauthorized third-party software; accounts that use them can be permanently banned, and such files put your personal data at risk as well as your account. Buying gems from unofficial sellers or buying and selling accounts can also get an account banned. The game is rated 9+ on the App Store and includes clan chat.