Claim the map, hex by hex
Arcane Ascension is a turn-based strategy game where every hex you hold feeds your mana — and mana is everything. Summon wizards, capture territory, and manage your economy carefully: every wizard costs upkeep each turn, and an empire that expands too fast will starve. Push into rival kingdoms, cut their provinces in two, and seize their castles before they do the same to you.
Screenshots
⬡ Choose your faction
Five factions, five ways to fight — the balanced Arcanum, the fiery Emberkin Legion, the stalwart Stoneroot Wardens, the scheming Veilborn Court, and the fungal druids of the Sporewald Circle, who farm the blight itself. Each brings its own innate spells and its own citadel on the map.
✦ Ascend the wizard ladder
Four tiers of power. Higher tiers win battles but cost far more to keep — timing your ascensions is the heart of the game.
✴ Master the spellbook
Freeze an enemy, shield an ally, raise a stone wall, chain lightning through their ranks, seed a rival kingdom with creeping fungus, or seize control of an enemy wizard. Draft your loadout before each match.
♔ Three ways to win
Skirmish (classic conquest), King of the Citadel (hold the crowned hex), and Survival (outlast the escalating horde).
♜ Climb the campaign
A 120-level campaign across five ranks — escalating rivals, fog of war, asymmetric starts, and maps already overgrown with fungus.
☀ A new puzzle every day
The Daily Challenge deals everyone the same seeded map each day, rotating game modes through the week. Build your streak to earn milestone rewards.
⚒ Make it yours
Local pass-and-play for up to four players, spectator mode, fog of war, and a full sandbox: build scenarios and share them as text codes that work on every platform.
Fair and offline-friendly
No account. No forced ads. No pay-to-win. Matches work entirely offline; rewarded ads exist only as an optional choice, and you can turn off anonymous usage analytics in settings at any time.
Questions
Is Arcane Ascension free?
Yes, on every platform. There is no paid version, no subscription, and nothing to buy that affects play. On Android and iOS you may choose to watch a rewarded video ad; nothing is shown unless you ask for it, and the web version serves no ads at all.
Do I need an account to play?
No. Single-player, the campaign, the Daily Challenge, and local pass-and-play all work with no sign-in. An anonymous account is created only if you choose to play online, and you can delete it from inside the game at any time.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Every match runs entirely on your device, and progress is stored locally. Only the optional online multiplayer mode needs a connection.
What platforms does it run on?
Android and iOS from the stores, and any modern desktop or mobile browser at play.arcane-ascension.com. The browser build is the same game and needs no install. Sandbox scenarios export as short text codes that work across all three.
How long is a match?
A skirmish on a small map takes about ten minutes. Campaign levels are built to be finished in one sitting, and the Daily Challenge is a single seeded map everyone plays the same day.
What kind of strategy game is it?
Turn-based territory control on a hex map, in the tradition of Antiyoy and Slay: every hex you hold produces mana, every wizard you keep costs upkeep, and expanding faster than your economy can carry is how you lose. It is not real-time, and there is no matchmaking ladder.
Support
Questions, bug reports, or feedback? Email ian@ismurray.com and include your platform (web, iOS, or Android) and app version (shown at the bottom of the main menu).