9 Kings brings its roguelike kingdom to mobile
Playdigious is bringing Sad Socket’s kingdom-building roguelike to iOS and Android on Oct. 12, with pre-orders open now.
9 Kings is marching on to mobile on Oct. 12, bringing its fast-paced roguelike kingdom builder to iOS and Android. Playdigious says pre-orders are now open, so the tiny monarchs can begin sharpening their tiny swords.
The mobile release is built around the same central pitch as the PC game: choose one of nine kings, grow a citadel and survive increasingly nasty waves of rival armies. The announcement promises distinct playstyles, from hiring mercenaries and harnessing nature to bending time, using dark magic and summoning imps.
Players expand their territory by placing cards, upgrading buildings and towers, recruiting troops and stacking effects. Runs can be tackled through Quest mode’s unique challenges or Endless mode, where kingdoms face decades or even centuries of war. There is also asynchronous multiplayer against eight other players, with rankings and rewards on the line.
The mobile edition adds a redesigned touch interface, Game Center and Google Play achievements, cloud saves and cross-progression between mobile and PC through the same Google Play Games account. Playdigious also lists iPhone 17 optimisation, including the Pro Max model.
The game will offer a free trial, with the full version unlocking for USD 9.99. A 10% launch-week discount is planned. The supplied announcement does not specify whether that price applies identically across regions or storefronts.
Our opinion
9 Kings has the sort of clean, dangerous loop that suits a phone: build something clever, watch it collapse, then blame the king who made the obviously terrible decision. A free trial is the right call for a strategy game selling “break the game” builds, but the real test is whether touch controls make kingdom management feel brisk rather than fiddly.