Come one, come all, to the 10th anniversary of Clash Royale! For the last decade, you and your troops have fought hand-in-hand, winning, losing, and evolving, to climb Trophy Road and compete against the very best. Today’s update, and the next few to come, celebrate that journey with brand-new events and meaningful gameplay changes.

We’ve been listening closely to all your feedback and suggestions surrounding Heroes, rewards, and progression, and we really appreciate everything you’ve shared! Some of the changes recently addressed in our Upcoming Changes article are rolling out today, with more arriving starting from March. Some changes take time, like more Evolutions and new cards, but they’re coming! You can find all the juicy details in full in the Changes & Improvements section.

TL;DR: In honor of the countless hours you’ve spent in the Arena, here are all the new features and improvements coming to Clash Royale:

• New Heroes: Barbarian Barrel & Magic Archer

• Album Event

• King’s Birthday Community Event

• Global Tournaments return

• Social Tab

  • Quickplay: Instantly Start a Friendly Battle

  • Add New Friends

• 4 New Trophy Road Arenas

• Changes & Improvements

  • February 23rd

    • Heroes Unlock at Arena 5

    • Fewer Max Level Duplicates in Lucky Chests

  • March 2nd

    • More Hero Fragments in Pass Royale

    • Pass Royale, Now with More Options!

  • Mid-March

    • Choose Your Heroes, No More Randoms or Repeats!

    • Hero Coins (formerly Hero Fragments)

    • Unlock a Free Hero

    • Deck Slot Rework: 1 Evo, 1 Hero, & 1 Wild

  • Other Changes

• Bug Fixes

What About Merge Tactics? You can find all the latest on Merge Tactics here!

Let the festivities begin!

NEW HEROES

This guy rocks…and rolls! Activate Hero Barbarian Barrel’s ability to have him barrel down the lane (again!) for a second chance to take out enemy troops.

Tap the ability button to have him dart backwards, leave a decoy in his place, and fire a triple-arrow shot on his next attack. What a way to rise through the ranks of Forest Gang!

Hero Magic Archer will be available as a FREE reward for completing the upcoming Album Event and will be in the summoning pool from the start of the season! Read more about the Album Event in the next section.

ALBUM EVENT

Introducing the all-new, picturesque Album Event!

Collect coveted pieces of historical images called Snippets, complete iconic Clash Royale Scenes from the past decade, and unlock amazing rewards, including the grand prize: Hero Magic Archer.

So, What Is This Album Event?

The Album Event is a limited-time seasonal event where you collect and complete images from Clash Royale’s history.

The Album is divided into multiple Scenes. Each Scene represents a full picture inspired by a memorable moment from the past 10 years.

But when you start, those pictures are incomplete. That’s where Snippets come in!

What Are Snippets?

Snippets are individual pieces of a Scene. Each Scene is made up of 9 Snippets. Once you’ve collected all of a Scene’s Snippets, the full artwork will be revealed and you’ll receive a prize for each Scene you complete!

There are two types of Snippets:

• Random Snippet: Grants 1 random Snippet or Duplicate

• Unique Snippet: Guarantees 1 new Snippet (as long as your Album isn’t complete)

Snippets come in four rarities:

• Common

• Rare

• Epic

• Legendary

Your goal is to collect every Snippet across all Scenes.

How Do I Get Snippets?

Snippets can be earned through:

• Daily Battle Rewards (up to 4 per day)

• Events

• Clan Voyage

• The Shop

• Special offers

What If I Get a Duplicate?

If you receive a Snippet you already own from a Random Snippet drop, it becomes a Duplicate.

But don’t worry, Duplicates still help you progress!

Every Duplicate contributes to the Unique Snippet progress bar, and the amount of progress added per Duplicate depends on its rarity:

When the bar fills up, you’ll automatically receive a Unique Snippet! All extra progress carries over, so nothing is wasted!

How Do I Complete the Album?

Complete all 9 Scenes, and you’ll have filled the entire Album! Once the Album is complete, you unlock the grand prize, which includes:

• Hero Magic Archer

• Hero Magic Archer Emote

• Anniversary Tower Skin

So progression works like this:

1. Collect Snippets

2. Complete Scenes

3. Complete the Album

4. Unlock the Grand Prize!

Where Can I Find the Album?

You can access the Album Event through a button on the home screen.

What Happens If I Finish the Album Early?

You can continue to earn Snippets after completing the album, but instead of going toward the event, they’ll convert into bonus rewards based on the type of Snippet Box opened.

So even after you finish, the river of rewards will continue to flow!

ANNIVERSARY PARTY

Because what’s a birthday without gifts?

His Royale Highness has made a decree! The 20 troops you voted as your all-time favorites have now been officially invited to the King’s grand birthday bash, and each will be bringing their own unique Gift.

Naturally, the King considered keeping all the gifts for himself… but knowing the best gifts are meant to be shared, he’s decided to let all of you share in the spoils!

From March 2nd – 11th, you can decide which Gift will be opened next by casting your vote every day. That’s 10 days, 10 Gifts, and 10 chances to see what your favorite troop got you. Keep in mind, you can only claim Gifts for the days on which you voted!

The invitations are sent. The Gifts are ready. Now the only question is… which one will you open first?

Global Tournaments Are Back

Global Tournaments have officially returned with a fresh new look!

We know many of you have missed Global Tournaments, so we’ve been hard at work making sure their return would fit into the recent changes implemented into the game. The competitive core you love hasn’t changed, but we wanted to use this opportunity to refresh.

You can now access Global Tournaments directly through the game mode switcher!

The New Global Tournaments

You’ll notice right away that Global Tournaments now feel much closer to challenges. The structure and visuals have been updated to create a more consistent and intuitive experience.

Global Tournaments remain high-stakes, limited-time events and will appear at least once per season, but they won’t always follow the same format. You can expect different game modes, rewards, and even rules.

We’re kicking things off with a special anniversary tournament starting March 27th!

How Global Tournaments Work

The fundamentals remain unchanged:

• Battle until you reach five losses, and once you do, your tournament run ends

• Each win grants you a reward until you finish the reward track

• If you complete the entire reward track and haven’t hit five losses yet, you can keep playing. At that point, it’s all about leaderboard position. The more you win, the higher you climb!

The competition doesn’t stop just because the rewards do!

What’s Changed?

While the fundamentals remain the same, there have been a few changes.

• Along with other game modes, Global Tournaments are no longer unlocked by King Level. They now unlock at Arena 3, giving players earlier access and creating a more consistent unlock experience throughout the game.

• Global Tournaments will now require you to use cards you own when building your deck. Card levels will continue to be fixed at Level 11.

• The reward system has also been updated. Bonus rewards that used to be unlocked with Gems have been removed. Now, every reward in the tournament can be earned through wins alone.

• The leaderboard has also been improved:

  • If you rank below the Top 10,000, you will see your placement as a percentile.

  • Once you break into the Top 10,000, your exact rank becomes visible.

  • And if you reach the Top 1,000, congrats! You’ve earned your spot in the Hall of Fame amongst the best of the best.

We know many players enjoy using tournaments to experiment with different strategies. However, fully unrestricted decks also made it easier to create alternate accounts for repeated tournament runs, which reduced the competitive value of the leaderboard over time. Our aim is to keep the competition fair for everyone.

We’ll continue monitoring feedback to make sure Global Tournaments remain both enjoyable and meaningful.

What About Badges?

Badges are coming back too, but with their own twist:

• Completing the reward track now grants you a Legendary Badge

• Finish in the Top 1,000 to earn yourself the prestigious Champion Badge

And it doesn’t stop there! By winning multiple Global Tournaments, your badges will level up, showcasing your consistent performance.

SOCIAL TAB

The new and improved Social tab now holds everything you need to chat with your Clanmates, start friendly battles, and add new friends!

Quickplay

It’s never been easier to instantly start a match with the person next to you! Scan the Quickplay QR code to start a match with whoever scans it. You can play different game modes too, such as 1v1, 3x Elixir, Sudden Death, and lots more!

Get your deck ready, tap Quickplay or scan a Quickplay code, and see who’s really the better player! Quickplay matches are capped at Level 11.

Add Friends

To instantly add a friend in the game, share the link or have them scan the QR code. By adding friends in-game, you can more easily partner up or battle against each other in a friendly match.

Has someone beaten you one too many times? Will they not stop spamming you with battle invites? Don’t worry, you can still remove them from your friends list just like before.

Please note! Links and codes last for about 12 hours from when you first open the popup.

TROPHY ROAD EXTENSION

4 new Arenas are being added to Trophy Road, pushing progression even further and giving you more milestones and more rewards on your journey to 14,000 Trophies.

More Milestones = More Rewards

With these new Arenas, you can expect additional rewards along the way, including another 5-Star Lucky Chest and 5-Star Evolution Box waiting at the very end of Trophy Road!

New Arenas & Trophy Requirements

Unlocking Ranked

Just like with the last Trophy Road extension, unlocking Ranked will continue to follow your Trophy Road progression.

The required number of Trophies to unlock Ranked will adjust accordingly over the next few seasons:

• March: 12,000 Trophies

• April: 12,500 Trophies

This ensures Ranked remains aligned with overall progression as players continue to climb Trophy Road.

CHANGES & IMPROVEMENTS

We’ve heard you loud and clear! Here are more big changes coming throughout next season…

CHANGES COMING FEBRUARY 23RD

Heroes Unlock at Arena 5

With this update, you’ll unlock your first and only Hero Slot at Arena 5. Once the unlock system changes in mid-March (more details below), reaching Arena 5 will reward you with 200 Hero Fragments for you to choose your first free Hero and help you on your heroic journey climbing Trophy Road.

Heroes are the most recent addition to the Collection, so we wanted to make them more accessible to newer players who would’ve otherwise had a long road ahead of them.

Fewer Max Level Duplicates in Lucky Chests

We’re also making a few improvements to Lucky Chests to give you better rewards that cater to your individual needs. Here’s what you need to know:

• If you have less than 60 Max Level cards in your Collection, you won’t receive any copies of your Max Level cards 

• If you have more than 60 at Max Level, the drop weight of Max Level cards is reduced by 90%

If you have enough card copies to upgrade the card to Max Level, but haven’t yet done so, the card is still counted toward the 60 Max Level card threshold. This also includes Tower Troops.

This rework is designed to make Lucky Chests feel more rewarding by reducing the chances of receiving cards you don’t currently need. This also helps with your progression by removing the chance to get Crystals until most of your Collection is at Max Level.

CHANGES COMING MARCH 2ND

More Hero Fragments in Pass Royale

We heard your feedback regarding random amounts of Hero Fragments from Hero Boxes, so we’ve made the switch from boxes to fragments to ensure you get a set amount of Hero Fragments each season. 

Starting from the March season, all seasonal Hero Fragments will be available in the Free Pass, making them easier to access. The number of fragments guaranteed in the pass each season will be 75 Hero Fragments from now on.

Occasionally, more Hero Fragments may also be available through events.

Pass Royale, Now With More Options!

Starting with the new season, the upgraded pass will no longer be divided into two separate versions. From now on, everyone will have access to the same pass, with a few tweaks to improve flexibility and rewards.

The biggest change is the addition of reward choices on select tiers:

• The first tier will now offer 4 options to choose from

• Other tiers that include a choice will offer two reward options

For example, if you don’t need any Gold right now, you’ll be able to choose a different reward, like random cards, instead of claiming a Gold Crate. This gives you more control over your progression and helps you tailor rewards to what you need most.

But that’s not all! We have another update coming mid-March with even more changes!

CHANGES COMING MID-MARCH

Choose Your Heroes

Launching with the update in mid-March, Heroes will no longer be summoned at random. Instead, you’ll be able to choose exactly which Hero you want to unlock!

With this new system, Hero Fragments are also being renamed and are now called Hero Coins.

Hero Coins

Hero Coins are used to unlock the Hero of your choice! Once you have 200 Hero Coins, go to the Magic Items tab and find the Heroes sections. From there, you can choose which Hero to spend your Hero Coins on.

Going forward, Hero Coins will be capped at 200, so summon your next Hero as soon as you’ve got enough! Overflow Hero Coins will convert into Gems, with 1 Hero Coin equal to 1 Gem.

Unlock a Hero for Free!

When this change arrives, you’ll also be able to unlock a Hero for free! Every player will receive 200 Hero Coins to choose the Hero most worthy of joining their team. 

If your storage is almost at capacity, worry not, as these Hero Coins will exceed your capacity to help you progress toward your next Hero. 

If you’ve already unlocked Heroes, you’ll have 3 months to claim your Hero Coins after the mid-march update drops, and if you’re new to the game, you'll receive the 200 Hero Coins upon reaching Arena 5.

We know Heroes have had a rocky start, so we wanted to give you the opportunity to unlock and play with your favorite Hero, or at least the last one that caught your eye!

Deck Slot Reduction

After receiving lots of feedback, collecting data, and testing this feature, we’re reducing the number of special deck slots from 4 to 3 in Trophy Road, Ranked, and challenges. There will now be:

• 1 Evo Slot

• 1 Hero Slot

• 1 Wild Slot

Wild Slot? Use the Wild Slot to activate an Evolution, Hero, or Champion as you like!

Our goal is to maintain deck-building flexibility while reducing some of the friction created by the current 4-slot setup.

Other Changes & Improvements

• Seasonal Lucky Chests are taking a break for a while, but before they do, we’re sending them off with one final celebration: an anniversary-themed Lucky Chest packed entirely with cosmetics! Expect emotes, banners, and tower skins from January 2025 – present!

• You can now progress milestone events without returning to the event between battles

• There is now a button on each card’s info page to view their individual Level 11 stats

• News is now located in the hamburger menu, next to Settings

• Matchmaking in various seasonal game modes no longer requires you to have a valid Trophy Road deck

• Troops no longer switch lanes when one opposing Princess Tower is destroyed

• Level indicators have been removed from ghost Skeletons in Skeleton Army Evolution

• Your Crystal balance is now visible in the Crystal Shop

BUG FIXES

• Sparky’s charge no longer resets after Hero Knight’s taunt ability expires

• Hero Knight’s taunt now affects Goblin Giant’s Spear Goblins and Ram Rider

• Tornado now pulls Phoenix Egg and meditating Monk

• In Mega Draft, Spirit Empress is now available at both her 3- and 6-Elixir forms

• Mirror info page now correctly displays lower-level Legendary and Champion cards

• Skeleton King will now correctly collect souls when placed in the left deck slot of a deck with 2 Champions or Heroes

Last, but certainly not least, please continue to provide your feedback on our socials! We always want to hear your thoughts and suggestions, so head over to our Discord, Reddit, or any of our other platforms to share what you think about what’s happening in Clash Royale!

See you in the Arena,
The Clash Royale Team