Last updated on January 4th, 2026 at 06:05 pm
Dresden Files Co-op Card Game – Board Game Review
Dresden Files Co-op Card Game is a Board/Card game from Hidden Achievement, LLC, first launched in 7th January 2018.
It’s rated 9+ and currently has 46+ ratings on the App Store.
What Makes Dresden Files Co-op Card Game Stand Out
Play Harry Dresden and his friends as they take on the cases from the bestselling Dresden Files novels in the ultimate what-if scenario—what if Harry was on the scene with allies who weren’t there in the original story? The core game includes Harry, Murphy, Susan, Michael, and the Alphas and plays through the first five novels as well as Side Jobs, a random scenario generator based on the short story collection of the same name. Designs are already well underway for expansions featuring more series characters and more novels.
Game Information
Number of players: 1-5
Length: 30 minutes
Type of Game: Cooperative
This is the officially licensed version of the tabletop game by Evil Hat.
The Dresden Files Cooperative Card Game, the Fate logo, and related images are trademarks of Evil Hat and are ©2016 Evil Hat Productions, LLC. Based upon the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher. All rights reserved.
This Board game offers engaging gameplay and regular updates for mobile players.
Player Feedback
As a newer release, Dresden Files Co-op Card Game is building its player community. Early feedback suggests .
Recent Updates & Development
Latest Update: 26th November 2025
Recent improvements include:
Updated engine version to address a security issue.
FIxed a bug allowing cards highlighted to show they are the reason an action can't be played to be selected as action targets.
Decreased the font size slightly on the book synopsis to avoid scrolling.
The selection indicator now shows up properly in all cases when prompted to select a target card.
Download & Availability
Dresden Files Co-op Card Game is available through the official App Store for iOS devices.
Get Dresden Files Co-op Card Game 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:
Played about 16 times with Murphy and Michael, lost each time. Played with Murphy and Susan and win just about every time. Beat the first 4 or 5 books.
We know nothing of the books the game is based on but can still proclaim this a really original card game! We love how, unlike most card games, it really feels like some open book test as all of the environmental cards are already there before you as well as the majority of your characters' cards from the start. With the cards in front of you, can you plot the best course of action to best clear the board.
It's just not fun. The entire game centers around fate points and strategy for anything else comes second to that. We mean that's fine we guess but the worst part is you shouldnt lose fate points when passing. The dice rolls are also a headache because not all games are winnable. There should really be more game play customization options like jot losing fate when passing and such. This is our favorite book series and it deserves a better or just a different game.
Latest update makes most things very hard to see unless your screen is huge. If we were new to this, we would not be able to tell what is what. And now there are more screens and steps for the same thing. Changes for change sake. We wont be playing this nearly as often anymore.
We won on our second game (on easy, mind you, we would have had 0 chance on normal), but that person saying they played 40 times and couldnt win needs to stick to Minecraft, as they had us terrified to purchase this impossible game. Hopefully it has enough replay ability though, because the only variability in that first scenario were just the positions of the assets.
The app is gorgeous, the gameplay is fun, the guy who played 40+ games without a victory probably does not understand know how to play (or perhaps he is cursed). Yes, it is hard, the strategy guide is a must read. But after a read through, one game where we were still figuring out that you need to bring fate to the showdown, we won the second game handily. If you like coop play, careful planning, and can stand being stung a bit by the RNG gods, this is package delivers with a wizardy bang. No love potions needed or supplied.
If you just have to win then move on. This game requires thought, prep, strategy, & a willingness to learn from your mistakes. It is hard to win even on easy. Honestly, Im doubting Ill ever even try the harder settings. If youre tired of games getting dumbed down cause the admins are caving to the whiners then here ya go. If you have a completely unreasonable obsession with Dresden Files then here ya go. If youre in the between books slump & need a fix… :) we like it. We think its fun. We do have to chant no throwing the tablet when we play… But then again we chant something similar while reading the books too ;).
Like a few others Ive found it frustrating that we havent won a single solitaire game after HOURS of playing. Perhaps its not really meant to be played alone? We continue to come close with several ties, but expected to win at least one game on easy mode. We will give two stars instead of one because for some unknown reason we keep wanting to play it. Maybe Im just as stubborn as Harry Also, the tutorial is terrible. We played through an actual solitaire game, then looked at the tutorial for a fourth time and THINK we figured out how to play.
Very cool game and the Dresden flavor is awesome but the game is un-winnable either due to the random nature of the fate dice or poor design. It takes some time investment to play a game and to always lose after that time invested is frustrating. Ive played several hours in the airport and have not one once. We would not recommend this game until easy mode is actually easy and time spent is actually rewarding with wins.
If you are a fan of the Dresden Files books by Jim Butcher or Fate dice games, this is for you! It supports pass and play either locally or online. Lots of fun and the difficulty can be raised to make it very challenging. Our only request is that the developers make the music tracks loop so we can enjoy the extra ambience for the entire game. Highly recommended! To anyone thinking the game is too tough, its supposed to be tough. We have the board game version and our friends an we can win on normal without much table talk. We are working up to the most difficult mode.
Im a big fan of the series of books that inspired the game, and this app is a perfect way to play the card game without busting out our physical copy. Is the game challenging? Absolutely. But the strategy makes it very replayable. Just won our first game! A great way to pass the time.
This is a fantastic co-op card game that feels fun and true to the wonderful book series. This is a tough game so dont plan to win all of the time of even most of the time. This game requires planning, thought, and a bit of luck to win. This is also a complex enough game that the play works better when you are playing with others instead of using the solitaire mode and trying to remember everything yourself. RECOMMENDATION: Would be nice to have a single buy option to get all expansions, instead of having to buy each individually.
This appears to be a great translation of the very excellent board/card game. We've only payed solitaire with one win and a couple close loses but it seems to work quite well and for some reason seems more evocative of the books than playing the board game. We very much wish there was an asynchronous network version. While we understand that direct communication is useful in cooperative games, time availability makes the async option very attractive.
…REALLY needs to WARN YOU if you are at risk of overspending the Fate pool and triggering a showdown. Had a sweet, eminently winnable first game die on us this way in the second turn and we had a very large sad.
Update: At 40+ games in, game is still unwinnable (we have two ties). Developer, please add a "winnable game" option. We'd even take it as an IAP. $0.99 for Winnable Games. There just isn't enough Fate to win. Period. This reflects poor balancing and testing, which is unfortunate since this game has such potential. We are enjoying this game, but we're not sure why. We are a fan of the books, and we loved the short-lived series, so maybe that's it. We've been playing over and over again on "easy" and we always lose. There just aren't enough cards to burn for fate to finish anything. That, and there appears to be too much luck involved. That could add to replay ability, but 9 out of 10 dice rolls go against us, so it's frustrating. Ok, removing one star. Any game should be winnable at some point. After more than 20 games we just can't win this game at "easy." Way more frustrating than fun. When constructing a card or board game, one of the most tedious aspects is the testing for balance. This game needed way more testing before being released.
We've enjoyed the artwork and implementation of the game. It does involve a fair amount of chance but given its fast and puzzle like nature we found it to be a fun departure from the standard coop game play. We suggest going in expecting to lose frequently until you sense the cadence of your choices.
Challenging, fast, easy to learn, hard to master. Every game is different. Kudos to the original game designer and to Hidden Achievement.
If you love the Deaden files card game and you cant always take your physical game with you, this is for you. Knowing a bit about the Fate system helps, but the tutorial is helpful.
Kickstarter backer who loves anything Jim Butcher. Havent gotten to play the mobile game much yet, but so far so good! The tutorials are especially helpful. But please PLEASE use a different font for the main text. Its so cramped and hard to read. The size is okay, but the letters are indistinguishable from one another. Please.
User feedback from Apple App Store
App Details
- Version: 2.1.4
- Size: 148.04 MB
- iOS: 12.0 or later
- Languages: EN
- Content Advisory: Infrequent/Mild Mature/Suggestive Themes, Infrequent/Mild Horror/Fear Themes, Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence
- Developer: Hidden Achievement, LLC
Last updated: 26th November 2025 | Genre: Board, Card | Developer: Hidden Achievement, LLC