Yes. It's free to play in your browser: no download, no signup, no ads.

Does it work on phones?

Yes, on phones, tablets and computers. On a phone, hold it upright (sideways works too). Drag a rune onto its neighbour, or tap one and then the other.

No, it's single player: you against a ladder of 25 heroes. To play against a friend's score, tap Challenge a friend when your run ends and send the link. Your friend sees the score to beat on the menu and again when their own run ends.

Can you beat all 25 foes?

Yes. Beat Cairn, the last and toughest, and the run ends as champion.

Do I need an account?

No. Your best score, how far up the ladder you got and how many runs you've played are saved in your browser.

What are the grey stones?

A foe's power can turn runes to stone. Stones can't be moved and never make a line, but they crack when a rune right next to them is cleared.

How to play Runeclash

Runeclash is a free match-3 battle game, right in your browser. The runes on the board are your team of six heroes: match them to strike the foe, line up 4 or 5 to cast their spells, and beat 25 heroes in a row before they beat you. A puzzle battle with an RPG climb, in real time, on your phone or computer.

The goal

You face one foe at a time, up a ladder of 25, gentlest first and Cairn at the top. Every line you match hurts the foe; the foe hits back on its own clock. Knock its health to zero and the next one steps up, and you get back 25% of your 100 health. Fall and the run is over. What counts is your score and how many foes you beat.

Controls

📱 Phone and tablet

Drag a rune onto the rune next to it to swap them.
Or tap one rune, then its neighbour.
A swap only counts if it makes a line of 3 or more.

🖱️ Computer

Drag a rune onto its neighbour, or click one and then the other.
Esc or P pauses and resumes. The board hides while paused.
Switching tabs pauses the run too.

Matching runes

The board is 8 by 8. Swap two neighbouring runes to line up 3 or more of one colour, across or down. They burst and strike the foe: the more runes, the bigger the hit. New runes fall in from the top, and if they make new lines on their own, that's a cascade: each wave hits 30% harder than the one before.

A line of 4 casts that hero's skill at once.
A line of 5, or an L or T shape casts their ultimate.

Which colour you match decides the spell. If no swap is left on the board, it shuffles.

Your team

Six heroes, one rune each. Rime, Bramble and Hookhand can stun the foe: it can't strike while the stun lasts.

Pyromancer

4: Meteor. A meteor blasts the runes around. 10 damage.

5: Firestorm. Five meteors blast the board. 18 damage.

Rime

4: Frost Nova. Frost bursts the runes around and stuns the foe for 3s.

5: Blizzard. A blizzard shatters a dozen runes and stuns the foe for 6s. 10 damage.

Tempest

4: Chain Lightning. Lightning breaks the commonest colour's runes. 8 damage.

5: Thunderstorm. Bolts clear a row, a column and two more rows. 15 damage.

Bramble

4: Entangle. Vines stun the foe for 4s and heal you 6. Breaks the runes around.

5: Spirit Bear. The bear charges down the row. 22 damage, heals you 10.

Morrow

4: Death Coil. 12 damage and heals you 6. Breaks the runes around.

5: Reap. Reaps 15 + a third of the foe's lost health. Bursts the runes around.

Hookhand

4: Hook. The hook stuns the foe for 3s. 8 damage. Clears the column.

5: Anchor. The anchor stuns the foe for 6s. 14 damage. Clears the row and column.

The foe

The foe never touches the board. Its attack bar fills in real time while you look for a move, and when it's full, it strikes you. The bar waits while runes are falling, so a long cascade never costs you a hit. Every 3rd strike is the foe's own power:

Most foes hit harder and turn some of your runes to stone (more stones as you climb).
One foe heals itself instead.
Another flies into a rage: its next few strikes come faster.

Every rung is tougher. The first foe has 44 health and strikes for 7 every 5.2 s; Cairn has 332 health and strikes for 21 every 3 s.

The 25 foes

Lyric
Warden
Kaze
Rime
Scamp
Pyromancer
Pip
Dr. Corvin
Fizz
Sora
Morrow
Tumo
Sable
Bramble
Tempest
Nyx
Sigrun
Grimsa
Hookhand
Blackpowder
Ragna
Cogsworth
Bastion
Aurel
Cairn

Tips

Be quick. Every second you spend looking, the foe's bar fills.
Look for 4s and 5s before plain 3s. A skill or an ultimate is worth far more than a single line.
Stuns buy you time: every stun pushes the foe's next strike back.
Low on health? Bramble and Morrow heal you.
Clear runes right next to stones: they crack and free up the board.
Stuck? Wait a few seconds and the game points at a move.

Challenge a friend

When your run ends, tap Challenge a friend to send a link with your score. Your friend sees the score to beat on the menu, and when their run ends they see how close they came. Beat it and you can send it back.

Questions

Is Runeclash free?: Yes. It's free to play in your browser: no download, no signup, no ads.
Does it work on phones?: Yes, on phones, tablets and computers. On a phone, hold it upright (sideways works too). Drag a rune onto its neighbour, or tap one and then the other.
Is it multiplayer?: No, it's single player: you against a ladder of 25 heroes. To play against a friend's score, tap Challenge a friend when your run ends and send the link. Your friend sees the score to beat on the menu and again when their own run ends.
Can you beat all 25 foes?: Yes. Beat Cairn, the last and toughest, and the run ends as champion.
Do I need an account?: No. Your best score, how far up the ladder you got and how many runs you've played are saved in your browser.
What are the grey stones?: A foe's power can turn runes to stone. Stones can't be moved and never make a line, but they crack when a rune right next to them is cleared.

Ready? The first foe is waiting.

▶ Play Runeclash

Want to play with other people? Try Hexpelled, our multiplayer wizard brawl over the lava.