Ascension: Deckbuilding Game on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
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Ascension: Deckbuilding Game is now available for your PC and Mac, complete with 9 full expansion decks! Play alone or with friends to battle against the Fallen One for honor and victory. Conceived and designed by Justin Gary, Ascension will provide hours of engaging and strategic game play for enthusiasts and experienced gamers alike.
Ascension: Deckbuilding Game is a deckbuilding, card battler and board game game
developed and published by Playdek and Inc..
Released on December 16th 2014 is available in English on Windows and MacOS.
It has received 1,574 reviews of which 1,404 were positive and 170 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.5 out of 10. 😎
The game is currently priced at 9.75€ on Steam.
The Steam community has classified Ascension: Deckbuilding Game into these genres:
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System requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- OS *: Windows 7 SP1+
- Processor: 1 GHz
- Memory: 1 GB RAM
- Storage: 1 GB available space
- Sound Card: Any
- Additional Notes: While Network Connection is not required it is recommended
MacOS
- OS: Mac OS X 10.13+
- Processor: 1 GHz
- Memory: 1 GB RAM
- Storage: 1 GB available space
- Sound Card: Any
- Additional Notes: While Network Connection is not required it is recommended
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
Ascension is a digital adaptation of the acclaimed tabletop deck-building card game, developed and published by Playdek, Inc.. Designed to translate the tactical depth of the physical card game into a streamlined digital format, it succeeds in delivering a strategic experience that is both accessible to newcomers and deeply rewarding for veteran players. While its presentation is understated compared to flashier digital card games, its strength lies in clean mechanics, tight design, and the constant interplay between calculated risk and long-term planning. At its core, Ascension revolves around a shared central row of cards that all players draw from during the match. Rather than building from isolated personal pools, every participant competes over a dynamic marketplace that changes with each purchase or defeat. This shared economy introduces tension into every decision. Should you invest in a powerful hero that strengthens your engine over time, or seize an opportunity to defeat a high-value monster before an opponent does? Every choice simultaneously advances your strategy and denies potential advantages to others. That push-and-pull dynamic creates a highly interactive experience despite the absence of direct combat between players. The deck-building mechanics are elegantly straightforward. Players begin with a modest starter deck that produces runes for acquiring cards and power for defeating monsters. As the game progresses, newly acquired cards enhance resource generation, introduce combo chains, or provide faction synergies that multiply their effectiveness when paired correctly. The strategic depth emerges from understanding how different factions and card types interlock. Some builds emphasize rapid card draw and deck cycling, while others focus on accumulating high-value constructs that remain in play permanently. Learning to identify viable synergies within the constantly shifting center row is one of the game’s most satisfying challenges. One of the strongest aspects of the Steam version is the inclusion of numerous expansion sets that significantly broaden the card pool. These expansions introduce new mechanics, keywords, and strategic wrinkles that refresh the core formula. As the card variety increases, so too does the complexity of viable strategies. No two matches feel identical, especially when playing with different combinations of expansions enabled. The sheer number of cards ensures long-term replayability, and discovering new synergies remains engaging even after dozens of games. The digital adaptation handles rules enforcement seamlessly, automatically resolving card effects and keeping the pace brisk. This removes the bookkeeping often associated with physical card games and allows players to focus entirely on decision-making. The interface is functional and clear, prioritizing readability over elaborate animation. While the visual presentation is relatively minimalist, it keeps the game accessible and easy to follow, particularly during multiplayer matches where clarity is essential. Multiplayer options further enhance the experience. Players can compete against AI opponents with varying strategies or challenge others through online asynchronous play. The asynchronous format is especially well suited to a strategic card game, as it allows participants to take their time considering moves without requiring both players to be present simultaneously. This flexibility makes it easy to maintain multiple matches at once, fitting naturally into busy schedules. Ascension does not rely on narrative or spectacle to drive engagement. Instead, it thrives on thoughtful optimization, adaptability, and tactical foresight. The absence of elaborate animations or cinematic effects may make it appear modest at first glance, but the strategic richness quickly becomes apparent after a few matches. Each game becomes a puzzle of efficiency, timing, and opportunity cost, rewarding players who can anticipate how the central row will evolve. Overall, Ascension stands as a strong example of how a tabletop deck-builder can successfully transition to digital form without losing its identity. It preserves the competitive tension and strategic nuance of the original while benefiting from the convenience and automation of a modern platform. For players who enjoy calculated decision-making, evolving synergies, and replayable card strategy, it offers a polished and enduring experience that continues to hold its appeal years after release. Rating: 8/10
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An enjoyable deck-builder with an interesting system, but the lack of customization in online multiplayer sessions ultimately sours the experience. There's no ability to change the point pool, and as such, games end too quickly and often leave one feeling your game is over just as your deck started getting interesting. Offline mode is another story- you can create longer games, and the AI is (at least for me) fun to play against. There's a lot of interesting decks and you can create some very cool deck synergies for sessions. I personally enjoy Rise of Vigil paired with Darkness Unleashed, or Dreamscape paired with Delirium and Deliverance. As for the ruleset itself, I enjoy it. Players begin with the same amount of identical cards, and may purchase or defeat heroes and monsters within a 'river' of cards visible to both players. You may also choose to spend your main currencies- mana and attack- on acquiring or defeating always-available cards such as mystics or cultists. The main goal is to pull points from a shared 'honor' pool, with the player having the highest amount of honor once the points are fully expended (usually 60) being declared the winner. You're able to build decks of various types/factions, creating interesting effects, though your opponent is also working to do the same. There are no booster packs or micro-transactions, which is a huge plus. If you own the expansion, you have all cards within that deck, and you cannot play against someone with that deck if they do not have it. This feels quite fair, and is a strong plus for me in this genre of games, which often feel pay-to-win. New decks feel fairly priced, though the previously mentioned lack of customization in online multiplayer settings leaves the newer decks feeling lackluster, as the game often ends before the deck's abilities can be fully seen. All in all, a fun ruleset and card game that could stand to offer more from a technical/multiplayer standpoint. I can't really rate the online mode highly, but as a solo game, it's quite fun.
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One of the best deck building games on PC. Period. If you love deck building games, get this and ALL of the extra content for this game. I play mostly single player against AI with all expansions turned on and its extremely fun. This is also available on mobile if you like it and want it on the go. I wish these guys can do other deck builders as they did such a great job on this one. Update: The addition of the Legends expansion takes this to a whole new level. This is a deck builder's perfect game. These devs' are dedicated and I love that they continue to update and add content after all these years. Bravo!
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Easy to learn, hard to master, and the wide variety of addons ensures you never play the same way twice. A good option if Magic is too complex for you.
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I have so many copies of Ascension, I think I've been playing it since it came out. I've played many, if not all of the expansions. I have the android app, the collectors editions, starter editions, etc. They really did a great job with this game. I'm glad the developers keep it up to date, I know it's a lot of work, being a game developer myself. Cheers all around.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Ascension: Deckbuilding Game is currently priced at 9.75€ on Steam.
Ascension: Deckbuilding Game is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 9.75€ on Steam.
Ascension: Deckbuilding Game received 1,404 positive votes out of a total of 1,574 achieving a rating of 8.49.
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Ascension: Deckbuilding Game was developed and published by Playdek and Inc..
Ascension: Deckbuilding Game is playable and fully supported on Windows.
Ascension: Deckbuilding Game is playable and fully supported on MacOS.
Ascension: Deckbuilding Game is not playable on Linux.
Ascension: Deckbuilding Game offers both single-player and multi-player modes.
Ascension: Deckbuilding Game offers both Co-op and PvP modes.
There are 3 DLCs available for Ascension: Deckbuilding Game. Explore additional content available for Ascension: Deckbuilding Game on Steam.
Ascension: Deckbuilding Game does not support mods via Steam Workshop.
Ascension: Deckbuilding Game does not support Steam Remote Play.
Ascension: Deckbuilding Game is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.
You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for Ascension: Deckbuilding Game.
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Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.
Last Updates| Steam data | 28 April 2026 18:32 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 21 April 2026 14:00 |
| Steam price | 29 April 2026 04:43 |
| Steam reviews | 28 April 2026 14:06 |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about Ascension: Deckbuilding Game, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.
- SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about Ascension: Deckbuilding Game
- SteamCharts - Analysis of Ascension: Deckbuilding Game concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Ascension: Deckbuilding Game compatibility
Game modes
Features
Online players
50
Developer
Playdek, Inc.
Publisher
Playdek, Inc.
Release
16 Dec 2014
Platforms
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