The Gundam Card Game is the newest member of the BANDAI CARD GAMES family, and Bandai is betting big on it. In July 2025 it became the first game in the lineup to launch worldwide in Japanese, English, and Simplified Chinese on the same day. A year later, with five boosters out and the World Championships 26-27 season underway, it is a good time to learn what the noise is about.
The goal itself is simple: two players, four card colors, one battlefield. You win by dealing battle damage while your opponent has no cards left in their shield area, or by running their deck to zero. Six face-up cards from the top of your deck start the game as your shields, which is a nice touch: you can see the obstacles you will have to break.
Deck building
Your main deck is exactly 50 cards in one or two of the four colors (blue, green, red, white), with up to four copies of any one card number. Cards come in four types: Units (your mobile suits, the RX-78-2 included), Pilots, Commands, and Bases.
Alongside the main deck sits a separate 10-card resource deck, and it is the game's cleverest idea.
Resources that build themselves
Most card games make you draw your mana and hope. Gundam instead gives every player a dedicated resource deck, and each turn's resource phase puts one card from it straight into play. Your economy grows every single turn, on its own, with no such thing as being stuck on land.
Every card lists a Level (how many resources you need before you can play it) and a Cost (how many you rest, sideways, to pay for it). The second player starts with one EX Resource to balance the first turn, and EX Resources cap out at five.
Shields and the win condition
Your six shield cards are your life total. A Unit attacks with its AP, and damage pops the top shield; destroyed shields flip over and reveal Burst effects you may play for free. Land a hit while no shields are left and the match is yours. Bases sit in the same zone and absorb hits instead of shields, and if your deck runs dry you lose the same way.
Pilots and Link Units
Units deploy to the battle area, up to six at a time, each with Attack Points (AP) and Hit Points (HP). A Unit cannot attack on the turn it lands, unless a matching Pilot is paired with it, which makes it a Link Unit that strikes immediately. Pilots tuck under their Unit, add AP and HP, and usually carry an effect that only works while paired. The three keywords to know: Repair (heal at end of turn), Breach (extra shield damage when you destroy an enemy Unit), and Support (rest your Unit to buff a friendly one).
Where the game stands now
Boosters have shipped about once a quarter: Newtype Rising (Gundam Unicorn), Dual Impact, Steel Requiem, Phantom Aria (where Victory Gundam and Turn A Gundam debuted), and the first-anniversary Freedom Ascension, which brought Strike Freedom, the Nu Gundam, and first-time cards from G Gundam, Wing: Endless Waltz, and Char's Counterattack. Starter decks have run from Gundam 00 to last month's four-deck wave.
A starter deck costs $11.99 and includes the ready 50-card deck, 10 resources, tokens, a damage counter, and a bonus pack, and the free official teaching app walks you through a full match. Bandai Namco has said it wants the whole BANDAI CARD GAMES brand to become the number-two card game publisher in the world, with Gundam as the spearhead, and the game is good enough to deserve the push.
Grab a starter, run the tutorial once, and bring a second player along. The battlefield is waiting. The Gundam Card Game is the newest member of the BANDAI CARD GAMES family, and Bandai is betting big on it. It launched worldwide in July 2025, the first game in the lineup to ship day-and-date in Japanese, English, and Simplified Chinese. A year later — five boosters in, World Championships 26-27 underway — it is a good time to learn what the noise is about. The goal itself is simple: two players, four card colors, one battlefield. You win by dealing battle damage while your opponent has no cards left in their shield area, or by running their deck to zero. Six face-up cards from the top of your deck start the game as your shields — a nice touch, since you can see the obstacles you will break. Most card games make you draw your mana and hope. Gundam instead gives everyone a dedicated resource deck, and each turn's resource phase simply puts one more card into play. No mana screw, ever. Every card lists a Level (how many resources you need before you can play it) and a Cost (how many you rest, sideways, to pay for it). The player going second starts with an EX Resource to balance turn one; EX Resources cap at five. Your six shield cards are your life total. A Unit attacks with its AP, and damage pops the top shield; destroyed shields flip over and reveal Burst effects you may play for free. Land a hit while no shields are left and the match is yours. Bases sit in the same zone and take hits intended for shields, and if your deck runs dry, you lose too. Units deploy to the battle area, up to six at a time, each with Attack Points (AP) and Hit Points (HP). A Unit cannot attack on the turn it lands, unless a matching Pilot is paired with it — that makes it a Link Unit, which strikes immediately. Pilots tuck under their Unit, add AP and HP, and usually carry an effect that only works while paired. Keywords to know: Repair (heal at end of turn), Breach (extra shield damage when you destroy a Unit), and Support (rest to buff a friend). A starter deck costs $11.99 and includes the 50-card deck, 10 resources, tokens, a damage counter, and a bonus pack; a free official teaching app also walks you through a full match. Bandai Namco has said it wants the whole BANDAI CARD GAMES brand to become the number-two card game publisher in the world, with Gundam as the spearhead — and the game is good enough to deserve the push. The goal is simple: two players, four card colors, one battlefield. You win by dealing battle damage while your opponent has no cards left in their shield area, or by running their deck to zero. Six face-up cards from the top of your deck start the game as your shields — a nice touch, since you can see the obstacles you will break. A separate 10-card resource deck sits beside the main deck — the game's cleverest idea. Every card lists a Level (how many resources you need before you can play it) and a Cost (how many you rest sideways to pay for it). The player going second starts with an EX Resource to balance turn one; EX Resources cap at five. Units deploy to the battle area, up to six at a time, each with Attack Points (AP) and Hit Points (HP). A Unit cannot attack on the turn it lands unless a matching Pilot rides it — that makes it a Link Unit, which strikes immediately. Pilots tuck under their Unit, add AP and HP, and usually carry an effect that only works while paired. Keywords to know: Repair (heal at end of turn), Breach (extra shield damage when you destroy a Unit), and Support (rest to buff a friend). Grab a starter and run the tutorial once. The battlefield is waiting. The Gundam Card Game is the newest member of the BANDAI CARD GAMES family, and Bandai is betting big on it. It launched worldwide in July 2025, the first game in the lineup to ship day-and-date in Japanese, English, and Simplified Chinese. A year later — five boosters in, Worlds 26-27 underway — it is a great time to jump in.