In short: NARUTO NINJA CARDS, the first digital cards app in the Naruto franchise, launched worldwide on August 21, 2026, everywhere except Japan and mainland China. Free on iOS, Android and browser, it comes from Sekai, a twelve-person studio split between Paris and Tokyo, under license from TV TOKYO.
What exactly is NARUTO NINJA CARDS?
It is a digital card collecting app built around Naruto, subtitled The Digital Collection. You open scrolls that contain cards, complete character collections, and take on other players in real-time activities. There is no deck building and no Hearthstone-style dueling: the core of the game is the collection itself, which makes it far more approachable than a full trading card game.
The project did not come out of nowhere. A teaser posted on X in May 2025 racked up several hundred thousand views according to the studio, then the app ran in soft launch from February 5, 2026. The launch press release puts numbers on that phase: 500,000 downloads before the worldwide release, 93% of them organic, meaning without any advertising. For an app with no marketing campaign, that is demand talking.
Which countries and platforms is the app available on?
Everywhere, with two exceptions: Japan and mainland China, where the app is not distributed. The United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, all of Europe and Latin America have been covered since August 21, 2026. The download is free on the App Store and Google Play, with in-app purchases, and the game also runs straight in a browser from the game's website, no install needed.
One claim worth a second look: Sekai presents NINJA CARDS as the only free-to-play Naruto app on both stores. That is the press release wording, but Naruto x Boruto Ninja Voltage from Bandai Namco is still live and free as well. The first that actually holds up is the format: no app in the franchise had explored digital cards before.
Who is Sekai, the twelve-person studio behind the app?
An independent team of twelve people split between Paris and Tokyo, with members from France, Spain, Italy, the UK, Ukraine, China, Haiti, Algeria and Romania. A fan studio in the literal sense, and one that spent eighteen months winning over the Japanese rights holders. "We spent a year and a half in Japan convincing the IP owners to trust us," says Samy Therain, Sekai's CEO, in the launch press release.
That trust went a long way: TV TOKYO, the anime's historic broadcaster, not only granted the license but also invested in the studio, alongside Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park, NBA center Rudy Gobert, Makers Fund and 776 Ventures. Hiroaki Saiki of TV TOKYO sums it up: "the Sekai team's genuine passion for Naruto truly resonates with fans." That is not a lineup you often see behind a twelve-person studio.
What is in the app at launch?
Cards featuring the series' characters, hand-drawn artworks never shown before, and easter eggs made for people who know the show by heart. The press release also announces a progressive rollout of characters, from Naruto all the way to Boruto, so the collection will keep growing season after season.
The exclusive artworks are the strongest part of the pitch. The game's website shows several of them in two states, the working pencil sketch and the finished illustration, which gives the cards an animation-cel feel rather than a screenshot one:
The tone is not all solemn either: one of the illustrations shows Naruto caught on the toilet, mid summoning smoke. That is the kind of wink the studio calls its easter eggs, and it smells like a team that actually watched the show rather than licensed a stock image bank.
Mode-wise, the game revolves at launch around the collection, a mode called Scroll of Sounds, and weekly events with local and global leaderboards. The roadmap published on the game's site lists what comes next, with no dates: a solo mode with levels (Waterfall Trial), co-op clan bosses against the Tailed Beasts, adventures through the ninja villages (Journeys), a ranked mode with seasons, and a draft mode. All of that is a plan, not something playable today, and I would rather say so plainly.
NINJA CARDS or Bandai's Naruto Card Game: which one is for you?
They are not playing in the same league, and 2027 will see both exist side by side. NINJA CARDS is a collecting app available today, free. Bandai's Naruto Card Game, whose rules and schedule I broke down after its Gen Con demo, is a physical battling card game due in summer 2027 as a simultaneous worldwide launch.
| NARUTO NINJA CARDS | NARUTO CARD GAME (Bandai) | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Digital collecting app | Physical cards, battling game |
| Availability | Since August 21, 2026 | Summer 2027 |
| Entry price | Free, in-app purchases | Paid boosters and decks |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, browser | Tabletop, stores and tournaments |
| Publisher | Sekai, under TV TOKYO license | Bandai |
| Excluded regions | Japan, mainland China | None announced |
My shopkeeper's take: the app is the risk-free entry point. It costs nothing, it runs on the subway, and it will keep competitive players busy until the physical game lands. If you are torn between the two, start with the app, your wallet will thank you.
On the shop side, the Naruto shelf does just fine without a screen. The Akatsuki rings remain our most requested pieces, Itachi's ring holds 5 out of 5 across 26 reviews at 12.99 EUR, and I covered what their kanji mean and which one to pick first in a dedicated guide. And since the Kakashi artworks are the game's shop window, the Kakashi book accessory, 4.8 out of 5 across 17 reviews, is still the prop that gets a laugh at every convention. The rest of the shelf lives in the Naruto collection.
Frequently asked questions
Is NARUTO NINJA CARDS free?
Yes. The download is free on the App Store and Google Play, with optional in-app purchases, and a browser version runs from the game's website with no install. The model is free-to-play: you can collect without paying, purchases simply speed up scroll openings.
Which countries is the app available in?
Worldwide, except Japan and mainland China, where it is not distributed. The global release happened on August 21, 2026, after a soft launch that started on February 5, 2026 and had already gathered 500,000 downloads according to the studio.
Who develops NARUTO NINJA CARDS?
Sekai, an independent twelve-person studio based between Paris and Tokyo, under license from TV TOKYO. The Japanese broadcaster also invested in the studio, as did Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park and NBA center Rudy Gobert. The team spent eighteen months in Japan negotiating the license.
How is it different from Bandai's Naruto Card Game?
NINJA CARDS is a digital collecting app available since August 21, 2026, free. Bandai's Naruto Card Game is a physical battling card game, due in summer 2027 as a worldwide launch. One is played on a phone or browser, the other will be played on a table, in stores and at tournaments.
Can you face other players in the app?
At launch, the game offers real-time activities with friends, a Scroll of Sounds mode and weekly events with local and global leaderboards. A ranked mode with seasons, a draft mode and co-op clan bosses sit on the studio's roadmap, with no dates announced yet.
Antoine, founder of Bakashop. Facts checked on August 22, 2026 against the launch press release carried by Anime News Network, the Naruto franchise website and the pages published by Sekai. Prices and reviews read the same day on the product pages. Images: ©2002 Masashi Kishimoto, visuals published by Sekai for NARUTO NINJA CARDS. This article will be updated when the announced modes arrive.
