I lost hours to this roguelike card-based city builder even though I had no idea how all of those words could fit together
Toxic Frontier is a newly announced card-based roguelike city builder that defies genre expectations by successfully merging three seemingly incompatible gaming styles. Initially skeptical about how such a combination could work, PC Gamer’s reviewer found themselves compulsively playing multiple rounds.
The game features a hexagonal grid layout reminiscent of Settlers of Catan, creating a familiar framework for strategic placement. Players draw cards representing various environmental and structural elements—villages, forests, sheep, mountains, lakes, and more—and work to identify synergies between different combinations. Rather than trading with other players as in Catan, players focus on discovering card combinations that create effective city-building strategies.
The game was just revealed at PC Gaming Show Tokyo Direct, marking its official announcement to the gaming community. The reviewer’s account suggests the gameplay loop is compelling enough to consume significant playtime despite—or perhaps because of—its unconventional genre blend.