Last updated on January 25th, 2026 at 09:31 pm
Dead Man's Draw – Card Game Review
Dead Man's Draw is a Card/Board game from Stardock Entertainment, Inc., first launched in 2nd October 2013.
It’s rated 17+ and currently has 420+ ratings on the App Store.
What Makes Dead Man's Draw Stand Out
Stand on the knife’s edge between risk and reward. The turn of a single card can win bags of treasure or lose it all in this simple and strategic game of chance and skill.
Every card you draw could be your last, but the right mix of wit and courage wins the booty.
“Creative card game that starts out simple and layers on the strategy”
Gamezebo – 9/10
“If you're after a polished and fun card game, this should be your first port of call.”
PocketGamer – 8/10
“‘baller x-treme’ (that is a compliment)”
Tycho of Penny-Arcade
“You’re not just getting a nifty card game; you’re getting a long steady feed of new ways to play.”
Quarter to Three – 4/5 stars
“Best New Games” and “What We’re Playing”
-Apple
Dead Man’s Draw combines luck and strategy in a simple card-drawing format. Pulling the wrong card could bust your entire hand, but choosing the right target for a cannon blast or following a treasure map to the best destination can turn the tides in your favor more than any blind luck ever could.
Draw if you dare!
● Easy to learn, challenging to master
● Chain together card combos to rack up points
● Win gold and unlock new treasures
● Exploit unique powers granted by mystic jewels
● Earn special rewards with high scores
● Test your skills in 50+ distinct tournaments, with more to come
Follow us on Twitter: @DeadMansDraw
This Card game offers engaging gameplay and regular updates for mobile players.
Player Feedback
As a newer release, Dead Man's Draw is building its player community. Early feedback suggests .
Recent Updates & Development
Latest Update: 8th October 2015
Recent improvements include:
This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon.
● Bug fixes and performance improvements
Download & Availability
Dead Man's Draw is available through the official App Store for iOS devices.
Get Dead Man's Draw on App Store
Requirements: Requires iPhone 5s / iPad Air / iPad Air (Cellular) / iPad Mini 2 (Retina) / iPad Mini 2 (Retina, Cellular) / iPhone 6 / iPhone 6 Plus / iPad Air 2 / iPad Air 2 (Cellular) / iPad Mini 3 or later.
Compatible with iPhone and iPad devices.
Player Experience Highlights
Community Insight:
Ive play this game on and off again for YEARS. Went back into it today and it crashes from the loading page. Im very sad not to be able to play this anymore (cause we doubt theyll update since its been 7 years since the last one).
(Update) hadn't played in years, but just tried it again – app crashes when game ends (center deck is empty). Doubting this will get fixed given it's been 7 years since the last update. Great game otherwise – we ended up buying the physical version, which has become well worn at this point – everyone we've played it with has enjoyed it! Winning against the AI gets very difficult at higher levels though (End update) Fun press your luck game. Well made, good variety in progression. Really could use online multiplayer though.
We HAVE PLAYED THIS GAME FOR A LONG TIME. IT IS A LOT OF LUCK,PLUS STRATEGY. . NEEDS UPDATE , PLUS MORE LEVELS. IT IS A GREAT CARD GAME. WISH THERE WERE MORE LIKE THIS.
One of our favorite push your luck card games. We think theres a lot going on but the app handles all the upkeep and rules for us. Its nice that we can try this card game for free. The app is well done. Im considering getting a copy of the physical version now.
First off, Im not a big card game fan. But, we got hooked on it right away! Its quite different then others that Ive tried. We havent played this in a while, but we enjoyed it so much when we got years ago that we never deleted it hoping they would somehow add to it. We just noticed an update and wanted to write a review. We ended up purchasing this on the PC also we liked it so much! The way the cards work was well thought up IMO. We recommend trying it out. To the creator/s of this game. Can you maybe make a part 2 of this title OR something really similar with different types of characters then Pirates.
We know it's been awhile since last updated Wish you could add more characters and swash buckling adventures.
Fun game and we are surprised it has not been updated since rating is almost 4.6 out Of 5 so Im not sure why? But its fun to play and to get through so,em time if your waiting on something, to bad you cant play other players, but Im glad we tried the game we still play now in 2021.
This is a quick fun family game for all ages. Lots of different ways to change up the game so you dont get bored.
Some one please update this app.
Easy to understand and get into. Theres a lot of strategy and ways to beat your opponent. This game is fun and we imagine the physical card game is just as good.
Easy and quick gameplay. Nice waste of time while sitting and waiting for appointments.
Love this game we play the card game irl.
Easy to learn. In app purchases are fair. No complaints. We might buy the real game too.
We love this game so much we had to buy the card game.
This game is simple and easy to understand. You dont have to pay, unless u a diehard fan and want to advance.
This is a awesome game well thought out, but we hate to say this but if the oracle can reveal three cards we think the deck should be shuffled again we're sorry to say that. AWESOME.
Fun game with lots of twists introduced as you play more hands, which makes it easier to learn and master.
This game quickly became one of our favorites. The app is slick and well made. The game is great fun, and well themed. We liked it so much we now have two physical decks as well :) Quick and easy it's a great filler game, as well as a game we can play all night.
Just one of the best games out there. Don't need money and enjoy so much.
We've played a lot of good card games on mobiles. Spent money to support the decks where they deserved it (mtg, ascension, hearthstone) we didn't expect much from this game but the reviews got us curious and now we see why it's rated so highly. It's original, polished has a great play mechanic that evolves as you progress. When we need a break from the stress and frustration from the (sometimes not so) occasional mana screw (we're talking to you magic duels) we'll come back to this game. Just goes to show you that there's still some great game ideas out there that involve nothing more than a deck of specialized pirate cards. Gaaarrreat game all around. And yes they've definitely earned some of our coin.
Best app we've come across…highly recommended.
This game is really fun. The UX is intuitive and sound effects are perfect. Great way to waste a bunch of time.
We got our physical version but what about a new update for this game? They need to add more things.
This app version is more fun than the physical card game. One of the best card game apps on the market.
Great game but we paid the $20 for the traits honestly thinking that they would be infinite after that and unfortunately we were wrong. We don't see why you would charge $20 for something that useless. We also don't see why anyone would pay that much for something so worthless (Yea, we did but we did not know). Either way it's an amazing game but you should definitely change that.
Awesome game. Might just order it for real. :).
Great game. We really enjoy playing.
Love this game so much! It's interesting but mindless.
We are really surprised how great this game is. Every few levels adds a strategic twist. Tons of re-play value.
This game reminds us of Cosmic Wimpout. It's a game of chance, but with a little bit of strategy involved. Gameplay is pretty straightforward but once you have learned it, the game becomes more complicated. There are 10 suits with 7 cards in each suit. Each suit comes with special abilities. We haven't even unlocked all of the abilities yet and we're hooked! There is a paper card game, available for purchase as well. This may be one of the most fun games we've played in awhile. It's definitely not like any other card game that we've played.
Board gamer? Get this. Its fun, portable, and its actually free. Money is optional if you want more coins to boost ability and all but thats a joke. Just get it. Play with no data on and enjoy it ad-free.
This is a simple card game that levels up nicely. You start out very easy and perhaps might think this is a kid game, but with each win it adds another layer of difficulty. After about 10 wins there are so many multiple meanings for each card and layers of strategy that it becomes challenging to consistently win. There is definitely an element of luck in the game and the best plans can be ruined with on lucky last turn when the game can be completely turned upside down(for example we were 60 points ahead "a lot of points" going into the last hand. The computer pulled out 65 points in one hand and won). Thankfully that is rare, but not impossible, so you have to play every hand carefully to the end. We can even count the number of levels in this game it just keeps going and going. Each level adding a new twist to the game. PRO Fast game (1 min) Numberous Levels and added twists Does not need internet to play CON Luck will always win over strategy.
It is easy to learn, fun, and it has some depth. It is what you get when "can't stop" meets cards.
We'd heard of this game, but figured it'd be a simple Texas hold 'em game. No, this game has interesting cards that react differently and pull of combos, without being difficult to learn. Game goes through 1 match with no abilities, then a game with 1 ability, then 2, 3, etc. We never felt like the game went too fast. Also, we never accidentally choose the wrong item. Very well made. Highly recommend it.
We tend to get board easily with app games but we really enjoy this one. We now plan to buy the physical copy of Dead Man's Draw.
Very addicting & very fun! Better than UNO.
Having a great time playing this game.
A delightful card game, with just enough strategy to keep you on the hook.
Great game, love playing the home version with our family and love playing the app when we're on the go. Dead Mans Draw is an excellent pick up and go, quick, easy, addicting, card game.
We just started playing this game tonight and we can't stop.
Our grandkids play both online and with cards. Can be played easy through difficult. Combination of skill and luck.
Best pirate themed game in the App Store. We do wish the printed decks were still available. Reprint planned.
Very fun game. Can't put it down.
We loved it on the PC and it's just as good on the iPhone. There may be some grinding down the line, in order to earn gold to unlock more traits but the gameplay is still solid. One note for Steam users: Mermaids act differently in the ios version, now instead of having a special ability, they are simply worth more points. This put us off at first but we're finding that we like the difference.
Aye tis be a fun game while waiting on time and the tide us hearties yarr.
We have very few games on our phone. We saw the card game and it is great. When we found the App that made it even better. It is a fun and addicting game in both forms. Check Kickstarter for the new card version.
We learned of this game on Kickstarter, because this game is so awesome we decided to back captain carcass. Check it out on Kickstarter.
We were instantly hooked. No pun intended. Found the physical game on Kickstarter and backed it. No brainer.
Easy to Learn. Highly Addictive.
This is a press your luck style card game where every card has an effect other than its point value providing just enough skill and combos to keep it interesting, this app was a perfect way to learn the game without reading any rules and the tutorial phases were executed brilliantly by only introducing rules between games to avoid handholding. We will be purchasing a physical copy for our play group, so hyped for this cute between game quickie.
User feedback from Apple App Store
App Details
- Version: 1.24
- Size: 45.04 MB
- iOS: 6.0 or later
- Languages: CA, CS, DA, NL, EN, FI, FR, DE, EL, HE, HU, ID, IT, JA, KO, NB, PL, PT, RO, RU, ZH, SK, ES, SV, ZH, TR
- Content Advisory: Frequent/Intense Simulated Gambling
- Developer: [Stardock Entertainment, Inc.]()
Last updated: 8th October 2015 | Genre: Card, Board | Developer: Stardock Entertainment, Inc.