A 2-player strategy game to play online with a friend

Battle of Castles lets two friends play a real-time strategy match against each other from two different devices: free, in the browser or on Android, with no account, and nothing to download in the browser. You each create a team, one challenges the other with its code, the other accepts, and the match starts. It also works as teammates: two friends on the same side, against another pair.

Open Battle of Castles and send this page to your friend.

Strategy games to play with friends online: what you need

• Two devices with an internet connection. A computer, an Android phone, or one of each: a phone and a computer can meet in the same match.
• A web browser, at app.battleofcastles.com, or the Android app on Google Play.
• Nine minutes for a 1v1, twelve for a 2v2.
• On a phone, hold it in landscape.

Nothing to install on a computer, no sign-up, and no payment: the game is free, with no ads on our site or in the Android app.

Challenge a friend 1v1, step by step

1. You both open the game.
2. You both press With friends on the home screen. The Play with friends panel opens.
3. You each press Create a team. Each of you gets a code of five characters.
4. One of you types the other's code in Opposing team code, under the line "or challenge a friend one on one: 1v1", and presses Challenge.
5. The other sees "your friend is challenging you!" and presses Accept challenge. The match starts.

⚠️ For a 1v1, do not use Join with your friend's code, and do not open their team link: that puts you on the same team, which is the 2v2 path below.

If the challenge gets no answer, it expires after a short while; send it again.

Play 2v2 with a friend, on the same side

1. One of you presses With friends, then Create a team, and shares the code, or presses Copy link and sends the link.
2. The other presses With friends, types the code in Friend code and presses Join, or simply opens the link.
3. The friend who joined presses I'm ready.
4. The one who created the team, the host, presses Play as a team. The game finds an opposing team for you.

Four friends? Make two teams of two. When both are complete and ready, one host types the other team's code under "or challenge another team of friends" and presses Challenge; the other host accepts. It is the same code system as the 1v1, with two people on each side.

What changes in a match against a friend

A challenge between friends is a friendly match: your rating (Elo) does not move, whoever wins. You can rematch as often as you like without anything to lose on the ladder.

The rest is the normal game. You each start with one castle. Point at a road and your castle sends half its garrison down it, every second, until you call the order off. Take the grey neutral castles, since each castle you hold produces troops and experience. Put a wall, a tower or a catapult on your roads. Each level gives you a point to spend on a power, up to the super attack. You win by taking every enemy castle, or by holding the most castles when time runs out.

A guided tutorial teaches you the basics. If your friend has never played, let them do it first: the match will be closer.

2-player strategy games online, free, on a phone

On Android, the Google Play app and the browser give the same game. On a computer, open it in your browser. A match between a phone and a computer is a normal match: the same map, the same rules, the same clock.

What Battle of Castles does not do

• No same-screen play. Each player needs their own device.
• No in-game chat or voice. Keep your usual call or messaging app open.
• Four players at most, as two teams of two.
• No offline play. Matches run on our servers.
• No App Store app. On Android there is the Google Play app; on a computer, the browser.

If you want two players on one screen, a split-screen game such as Mushroom Wars 2 on Steam is a better fit. We compare it with other games of the same family in Games like State.io you can play online.

FAQ

Is it free?

Yes. Battle of Castles is free, with no ads on our site or in the Android app. Matches pay in-game gold, won or lost, and gold only buys decorative castles: none hits harder than the one you start with.

Do we need an account?

No. Open the game and play. At any time, an e-mail link lets you keep your progress on another device.

Can we play 1v1 on a phone?

Yes, on Android with the Google Play app or in the browser, held in landscape. Your friend can be on a computer.

How long is a match?

Nine minutes in 1v1 and twelve in 2v2, unless one side takes every enemy castle before the end.

Can two friends play against each other on the same device?

No. Each player needs a device. For that, see the split-screen games in our comparison.