It’s been tricky to get hold of physical Disney Lorcana cards at times, and it can be even harder to play in-person games on the regular. It’s no wonder, then, that trading card game fans are looking for ways to play Disney Lorcana online. Great news – it’s possible! But there are a lot of extra steps – we’re here to help with that.
Below we’ll tell you all about Pixelborn, the current spot for all kinds of Lorcana online play. It won’t teach you the Disney Lorcana rules, but it does give you access to all the best Disney Lorcana cards – without the need for a brick-and-mortar trading card game store.
Here’s all you need to know about playing Disney Lorcana online:
Is there an official app for playing Lorcana online?
Right now, there is no official Disney Lorcana app for online play. You can only play Lorcana online with fan-made, unofficial apps – the most popular of which is Pixelborn (more below).
In January 2024, a LinkedIn post about internal software development led fans to believe that Ravensburger was working on a new Lorcan application. This theory was disproven by tabletop gaming journalist Christian Hoffer, who contacted Ravensburger to ask about the project.
It’s not that Ravensburger will never develop a way to play Lorcana online. It’s just not on the cards right now.
How to play Disney Lorcana online with Pixelborn
Pixelborn is a Magic: The Gathering Arena style application that lets you play against other Lorcana fans online. However, since it’s fan-made, it’s not immediately obvious how to access it. And there are multiple steps, crucial for making sure you can access all your favorite Lorcana cards.
Is Pixelborn legal?
The actual software running Pixelborn might not be a copyright infringement, but recreating the art and text on Disney Lorcana cards is a far iffier subject. Without getting into too much legalese, it seems pretty certain that Ravensburger could put a stop to Pixelborn if it really wanted to. Whether it will remains to be seen.
How to download Pixelborn
For the super-quick version, here’s a handy YouTube tutorial from EmptyApartment:
For those who prefer written tutorials, the first thing to do is join the Pixelborn Discord channel. The ‘how to setup’ channel includes a link to the game client files you’ll need.
Simply follow the link, and click on the platform you plan to play Lorcana on. We think Pixelborn works best on PC, but you can also run it on Apple and Android mobiles.
You’ll have downloaded a zip file, so right-click and extract the files inside. Operating systems like Windows come with their own default program for unzipping files, but a software like WinRAR or 7-Zip works too.
Next, simply launch the files to begin the download. If possible, it’s recommended that you run the files as administrator.
If you want to install the files on mobile, you’ll need to download APK first. This lets you run third-party applications that can’t be found on your typical app store.
This in and of itself needs a step-by-step tutorial. The short version is: head to your settings, choose a browser, and allow it to install unknown apps. Then download and open the Lorcana files through that browser.
That’s the application itself set up, but you’ll need to add the card images separately. To begin this process, launch the application.
Then, open the menu settings in the top-right of the screen, and paste the link provided in the Discord into the second box. There should be no spaces anywhere in the box. When you restart Pixelborn, the images should be uploaded. This method should work across all platforms, but if you’re having trouble, the Lorcana Discord offers alternative methods for users on PC, Mac, and Android.
How to use Pixelborn
If you want to play Lorcana on Pixelborn, the first thing you’ll need is a deck. The ‘Collection’ tab on the left-hand side includes a catalogue of every current Lorcana card – as well as confirmed cards from future sets. Head to the ‘Decks’ tab in the sub-menu, click ‘new deck’, and get building.
You can also import decks from other fan-made Disney Lorcana clients like Dreamborn or Lorcania. These applications have an ‘Export to Pixelborn’ option button, and this provides a code string which you can paste in the ‘import’ section of Pixelborn.
The ‘Collection’ tab also offers a limited number of alternative card backs and player boards. These are unlockable rewards that you can access later on.
With your deck ready to go, you’ll want to head to the ‘Play’ tab. This currently offers six options:
- Ranked – A tiered, competitive mode with eight possible ranks and points to earn.
- Lab – A casual game with no points or ranks, where your opponent is chosen at random.
- Custom – A casual game mode where you can test decks in a private game with friends.
- Leaderboard – See who the best Disney Lorcana player is, according to Pixelborn.
- Stats – See how good you are at Disney Lorcana, according to Pixelborn.
- Test – For development purposes only, so you’ll likely be leaving this alone.
For more TCG titbits, here are the most expensive Lorcana cards in the game right now. We can also tell you about all the Disney Lorcana sets coming up in Ravensburger’s release schedule.
Source: Wargamer
