Dark TacticsThe forecast shows the odds
Every attack has a hit chance and a crit chance. Before you confirm, the card shows both, the damage, and the counter coming back at you. You never guess; you weigh the risk.
See every blow before you commit.
A turn-based tactics RPG in 16-pixel armour. Tap an enemy and the forecast shows your hit chance, crit chance, damage and the counter. Rest at camp, march across the world map, and recruit Wanderers to your company.
Free to play · Android & iOS · portrait or landscape · no account
- 60campaign chapters
- 90skirmishes
- 82heroes to field
- 44Wanderers to recruit
What you are actually doing
Ground, reach, odds and turn order.
Terrain is a decision
Forest and mountain cost more to enter and pay a point of defence for it. A fort pays the same and makes its holder hard to double. Ice is quick and dangerous. Armour cannot climb; a horse will not enter a wood cheaply.
A camp between battles
Your party rests round the fire. Train with short drills, shop at the trader, open chapter chests, then march across a hand-drawn world map. A unit that falls is out for that battle only.
Tactical Rules & Strategy
How to play: Reach, terrain, weapon mastery & skills.
Every system is transparent and readable before you commit. From 1–5 attack ranges to unique class skills, every decision has tangible consequences.
Movement, Flying & Forts
- Preview & March: Tap any friendly unit to see its movement envelope. Tap any lit tile to advance, or use the Cancel button to rethink your path.
- Winged Mobility: Flying units (Wyverns, Dragoons, Skylancers, Harpies, Gargoyles) freely cross mountain peaks and fort walls at flat 1 move cost.
- Fortress Recovery: Holding a fort grants +1 DEF, prevents opponent doubling, and restores +2 HP at the start of each turn.
Hit, Crit & 1–5 Ranges
- Forecast First: Hit %, crit % and damage show before every attack. Damage is STR minus DEF and terrain cover. 4+ SPD more than your foe strikes twice.
- Melee & Javelins (1–2): Melee strikes at range 1; flexible spear throwers reach 1–2 tiles.
- Snipers & Siege (2–5): Longbows (range 2–3) strike without suffering melee counters. Grand siege magic (Meteor) rains destruction from 1–5 tiles away.
The Weapon Triangle
- Swords beat Axes: Fast blade counters sever heavy swings.
- Axes beat Lances: Crushing blows shatter polearm hafts.
- Lances beat Swords: Outranging spear tips impale closing duelists.
- Advantage (▲ ADV): Grants increased combat potency; disadvantage (▼ DIS) reduces damage dealt.
Character Skills & Auras
- Active Commands: Limited charges per fight: Longshot (+1 DMG at 2–3 RNG), Meteor (+3 DMG at 1–5 RNG), Shield Wall (halves incoming damage for 1 turn), War Cry (+2 Str / +1 Spd), and Heavy Strike (guaranteed 100% Critical hit).
- Re-Move: Wolf Knights, Pegasus Knights, Valkyries and Sky Lancers move again after attacking, at half range.
- Tactical Passives: Vantage (counters first below half HP), Pass (walks through enemy tiles), Acrobat (ignores terrain move costs), and Deadeye (+Hit/+Crit at range).
- Commander Auras: Leadership grants +1 Str / +1 Def to nearby allies; Intimidate inflicts -1 Def on surrounding enemies.
Camp, Gold & Wanderers
- Training drills: Short lessons at the camp dummy teach one rule at a time.
- Gold & trader: Win gold, buy potions and gear, sell spares at half price. Every chapter has a first-clear chest.
- Wanderers: Win skirmishes to meet them on the road, then recruit them with Renown or by doing their feat. Some lead the enemy as rivals.
- Hard bosses: Second winds and marked ground. Beat some and they join you.
Who you field
Forty-two classes and 82 heroes, and the difference is a rule.
A class earns its name by changing something the game checks: what it can walk over, how far it strikes, what it is holding, and how it promotes. Knights and armour pay for their bulk on rough ground, riders cover the field and cannot climb, archers and mages open at two tiles and have to stay there. Wardens, strategists, marksmen, shadowblades, colossi, skalds, titans and paladins join as Wanderers. Characters level up to 60.
Free Game & In-App Purchase
Free game with ads. One-off purchase to remove ads.
Dark Tactics is completely free from start to finish. All 60 campaign chapters, 42 classes, and 90 skirmishes are unlocked purely by playing. For players who prefer an uninterrupted experience, a single one-time purchase removes all adverts forever.
Tactician's Pass (Remove Ads)
Permanent Ad-Free BattlefieldPermanently eliminates all interstitial and banner adverts across the entire game. Unlocks the golden Founder Crest badge on your army profile. One-time purchase, no subscriptions, no renewals.
Full 60-Chapter Campaign
6 Biomes & Grand Boss FightsWalk the world map across fields, woods, highlands, dungeons, frozen lands and the blighted dark. Every chapter and boss is included for free.
42 Classes & 90 Skirmishes
Unlocked Entirely by PlayingHeroes join by clearing chapters, recruiting Wanderers or winning over hard bosses. There are no stamina meters or pay-walled characters.
Where you fight
Nine biomes, from the first hayfield to the last bastion.
Rivers with one ford, keeps with one gate, a wood that closes in around a trail. These are real screenshots from the game.
Play with a friend
Co-op or versus, over Wi-Fi or online. No sign-up.
Host on one phone
One device opens a game, on your Wi-Fi or online. Nobody makes an account.
The other one just sees it
The lobby lists the games it can find. Tap one to join.
Split a team, or take sides
Co-op gives you two units each against the game. Versus pits your roster against theirs on one of 74 maps that can be fought fairly from both ends.
Questions
Before you download
Does it need an internet connection?
No. The campaign and skirmishes work offline. Cloud save, online play and adverts need a connection. Nobody needs an account.
Is there randomness in combat?
Some, and it is never hidden. Attacks have a hit chance and a crit chance, and the forecast shows both, with the damage and the counter, before you confirm. Terrain, position, weapon and speed decide the odds.
Does it cost anything?
The game is free. There is an occasional advert between battles once you are past the opening chapters, and optional rewarded adverts for bonus experience or to bring back a unit that fell. A one-off purchase removes adverts for good.
Do I need an account?
No sign-up, no login, no profile. Your progress is saved on your own device, with an optional anonymous cloud copy so a reinstall or a new phone does not lose it — see the privacy policy for exactly what is stored and what is not.
What if I delete the game or get a new phone?
Reinstalling on the same device brings your save back on its own. To move to a new phone, make a recovery code in Settings, Cloud save, Backup, and enter it on the new one. The save moves rather than copies: the old phone is signed out and starts a new game, so there is only ever one copy.
Can I choose when it syncs?
Yes. Cloud save syncs automatically when the game starts, after a battle and when you leave the app, or you can switch to Manual and tap Sync now. It never syncs during a battle.
Is it a gacha, or does it have energy timers?
Neither. There are no loot boxes, no summon rates, no stamina bar and nothing that stops you playing until tomorrow. Heroes join by clearing chapters, by meeting Wanderers on the road and recruiting them, or by beating hard bosses who then join you.
What are Wanderers?
44 roaming characters you can meet after skirmish wins. The chance is shown and rises each time you miss them. Recruit them with the land's Renown, or by doing the feat they set. The best of them are only met on Hard.
Can I play in landscape?
Yes. The battles, world map, camp and menus work upright or sideways. Lock one way in Settings, Orientation.
What does the camp do?
It is your home between battles: the party rests round the fire, and signs open the next chapter, your company, training drills, the trader, the Notice Board and the Company Chest.