9 Kings Leaves Early Access With Version 1.0, New Joker Mode, and More Than 130 Cards
After nearly 18 months in Early Access, 9 Kings is finally ready for its full Steam release. The roguelike strategy game, developed by Sad Socket and published by Hooded Horse and Sidekick Publishing, first became a surprise indie success in May 2025, selling more than 250,000 copies in its opening week. Now, with version 1.0, the medieval fantasy deck-building strategy game is expanding with a new mode, more content, and even more ways to create wildly overpowered kingdom builds.
9 Kings puts players in control of one of nine rival rulers battling for supremacy in a compact fantasy battlefield. Each king has a different identity, with unique units, buildings, powers, and strategic possibilities. Instead of managing a massive empire or building a huge city, the game focuses on a smaller grid where every tile matters.
The core challenge is simple to understand but difficult to master: build the strongest kingdom possible, survive waves of increasingly dangerous enemies, and discover powerful card combinations that can completely change the course of a run.
Cards are used to place buildings, summon troops, cast spells, and shape the battlefield. Positioning is a major part of the strategy. Some structures boost nearby units, while others help generate resources or trigger special effects. Since combat mostly plays out automatically, the real strategy happens before the fighting begins. Success depends on smart planning, strong synergies, and knowing how to turn a small kingdom into an unstoppable war machine.
One of the biggest reasons 9 Kings has built such a strong following is its focus on experimentation. Players are encouraged to test unusual combinations, stack effects, and push the game’s systems to their limits. With the right setup, armies can grow to absurd sizes, units can become almost impossible to defeat, and damage numbers can spiral into ridiculous territory.
That sense of discovery has helped the game earn an impressive reception on Steam. More than 24,000 user reviews are currently posted, with 92% of them rated positive. Players often praise the game’s addictive loop, easy-to-learn mechanics, and the huge variety of build options. It is the kind of strategy game where a run can start small and simple, then suddenly explode into chaos once the right cards begin working together.
However, the game is not without criticism. Some players point out that balance can still be uneven, especially at higher difficulty levels. Because card offerings can heavily influence a run, luck sometimes plays a major role in whether a strategy succeeds or falls apart. Even so, the strong review score suggests that most players find the unpredictability part of the fun rather than a deal-breaker.
The full 1.0 release adds one of the game’s most interesting features yet: Joker Mode. This new mode allows players to create their own starting deck of nine cards and adjust the rules of the game. For players who enjoy customizing their strategy from the beginning, Joker Mode could become one of the best ways to play.
Version 1.0 also adds a large amount of fresh content. 9 Kings now includes more than 130 cards, over 140 decrees, more than 110 perks, and over 80 quests. New abilities have also been added, giving players even more tools to create creative, powerful, and sometimes completely broken builds.
The game is priced at $19.99 on Steam. An exact launch time for the full release has not been announced, and it is still unclear whether there will be a launch discount. Previous discounts have dropped the price by as much as 55%, lowering it to $8.99, so players looking for a deal may want to keep an eye out for future sales.
9 Kings is also rated Verified for Steam Deck, which means it should run well on Valve’s handheld without major issues. That makes it a strong option for strategy fans who want a compact, replayable roguelike experience on the go.
With its full release, expanded card pool, new Joker Mode, and strong player reception, 9 Kings is shaping up to be one of the standout indie strategy games on Steam. For fans of roguelike deck-builders, auto-battlers, and medieval fantasy strategy games, this is one worth watching closely.
