Konami has officially releasedYu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel on all platforms, giving players access to a new, free-to-play way to enjoy the popular card game in a digital format.
This was a surprise launch, as the developers gave no indication that a release was coming before the end of January. The developers only said it would launch before the end of the Winter 2021 season in March. The game is not fully available, however, as servers are still undergoing maintenance.
A surprise release like this does make some sense, as it not only generates some instant hype aroundMaster Duel, but it is happening right as Konami’s preview series of videos on the officialYu-Gi-Oh!YouTube channel comes to an end. As a result, players have gotten a steady stream of information about how the new game and platform will work.
Master Dueltakes theYu-Gi-Oh!card game and looks to give it a digital game to rival that ofMagic: The Gathering Arena,Legends of Runeterra, andHearthstone. Konami will use it as a core experience for both the TCG and OCG so players have a way to play traditional formats using more than 10,000 cards online.
Not only that, but Konami will be usingMaster Duelas an official competition for theYu-Gi-Oh! World Championship series, which means the game will host competitive and casual events globally.
You can downloadMaster Duelon PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Steam, Nintendo Switch, and mobile now, with servers going live at a later date.
Update Jan. 19 2:50am CT:Servers forMaster Duelare now live on all platforms except for mobile, making the game playable for anyone who downloads it. The game will be available on both iOS and the Google Play Store soon.