AFK Journey review

This AFK Journey review is based on official sources and player reviews, not on our own play time. Lilith Games' 3D strategy card RPG, published by Farlight Games, sends the mage Merlin through a storybook open world with heroes from seven factions. It is free on Windows, Apple Silicon Macs, iOS and Android, with cross-platform accounts. Money buys Diamonds for hero recruitment and season extras; as of October 30, 2026, the top US App Store items cost $0.99 to $99.99.

What is AFK Journey?

AFK Journey is a 3D strategy card RPG developed by Lilith Games and published by Farlight Games. The official site says it launched in Europe and North America on March 27, 2024 and worldwide on August 8, 2024. You play the mage Merlin in the world of Esperia and collect heroes from seven factions: Lightbearers, Wilders, Maulers, Graveborn, Celestials, Hypogeans and Dimensional heroes.

Battles take place on a tile-based board. You place heroes from six roles (Tank, Warrior, Mage, Marksman, Support and Rogue), use terrain and faction buffs, and can cast ultimates by hand. Levels and equipment are shared across all heroes, so a new hero can join a team at once, and AFK stages keep collecting rewards while you are offline.

Content arrives in seasons; the official FAQ says a new one starts every four months. PvP includes the Arena, Supreme Arena, the cross-district Supreme League added in version 1.7.1, and Honor Duel, which uses a rotating hero list set by the developers. Guild modes such as Battle Drills and Clashfronts add team competition. App Store version 1.8.1.1, dated October 8, 2026, prepares the Veil of Memories season.

Is AFK Journey free to play?

Yes. Steam lists AFK Journey as Free To Play, and the App Store and Google Play list it as free with in-app purchases. The store descriptions headline 1,000 recruits and say you can log in to claim all launch heroes.

Several systems cut the grind for free players. Because levels and gear are shared, the publisher says you can try new formations at zero cost. Idle AFK rewards build up while you are away, and the 1.7.1 patch notes say the new Slumber Essence comes free through regular play and shop exchanges. Homestead goals also pay out Diamonds and Invite Letters.

Returning players get extra help. Farlight's Rekindled Glory program, described in January 2025, gave players who had been offline for at least 14 days Invite Letters and Diamonds over 30 days, plus a Season Boost that lifted heroes and equipment to level 240.

Recruitment also has guarantees. Per the official probability notice, All-Hero Recruitment gives a top-rarity hero at least once every 60 pulls, and Rate Up Recruitment gives the featured hero within 40.

Is AFK Journey pay to win? What money buys

As of October 30, 2026, the US App Store lists its top in-app purchases only by price, from $0.99 to $99.99, and Google Play shows $0.29 to $99.99 per item. Farlight also runs an official web store.

Diamonds are the premium currency, and an April 29, 2026 designer post says you spend them to recruit once Invite Letters run out. Patch notes name other paid items: Esperia Monthly subscriptions (Classic Gazette and Premium Gazette) that unlock Season Handbook rewards early, Noble Path purchases, a 1st Purchase Rewards hero, paid Instant AFK attempts and Diamond speed-ups for Homestead land. Some decor items require a VIP Level.

Apple shows a Loot Boxes notice. Farlight publishes recruitment odds, but only in a Korean-language notice on the official site, updated June 12, 2026. A top-rarity hero has a 0.72% base chance in All-Hero Recruitment, or 2.05% counting guarantees, and the featured Rate Up hero 0.97%, or 3.00%. Recruited heroes fight in the Arena and Supreme Arena, while Honor Duel uses a set hero list.

Based on what the official stores sell, we rate it as strongly pay to win; we will check this again when we play it ourselves.

AFK Journey on PC, Mac and mobile

AFK Journey has an official PC version in two forms. The official site's PC Download button installs the Farlight Games launcher, and Steam has carried the game since April 2026 as a free Windows title. Farlight's Steam FAQ says the Steam version has the same core content as the international version, gets updates at the same time and plays with users on other platforms.

Accounts carry over. The Steam launch notice says the Steam version supports cross-platform account login with the international PC and mobile versions, and players can link a Steam account under Settings, Others, Account, Link Social. The official FAQ also lists cross-platform play on PC, Android and iOS.

Google Play lists Windows as an available device, which means the Android version through Google Play Games on PC. On a Mac, the App Store says the iPhone and iPad app runs on macOS 11.0 or later with an Apple M1 chip or later, while Steam lists Windows only. The official site lists no console version.

AFK Journey system requirements

Steam lists the Windows requirements.

Minimum: 64-bit Windows 7 SP1 or later, an Intel Core i3 or AMD Ryzen 3, 8 GB of RAM, an NVIDIA GeForce GT 730 or AMD Radeon R7, DirectX 11 and 8 GB of storage.

Recommended: 64-bit Windows 10 or later, an Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5, 16 GB of RAM, an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 or AMD Radeon R9, DirectX 11 and the same 8 GB of storage. Farlight repeated these recommended specs in its Steam launch FAQ.

On Apple devices, the App Store version needs iOS or iPadOS 13.0 or later and is listed at 1.3 GB, and Macs need macOS 11.0 and an M1 chip or later. If you play the Android version through Google Play Games on PC instead of Steam or the Farlight launcher, Google's own PC requirements apply.

Games like AFK Journey

If you want another free hero-collection RPG with team building and PvP, these games from our catalog are the closest matches:

RAID: Shadow Legends: Plarium's turn-based collection RPG with more than 900 Champions, on Windows through Plarium Play, Steam, Epic and the Microsoft Store, on Mac through Plarium Play, and on iOS and Android.

Summoners War: Sky Arena: Com2uS's turn-based monster-collecting RPG with Arena and real-time PvP, free on iOS, Android and, through Steam, Windows.

MARVEL Strike Force: Scopely's turn-based squad RPG with Marvel heroes and villains, on iOS and Android, plus a web version for existing players.

Unlike AFK Journey, all three use turn-based combat rather than a tile-based board.

• RAID: Shadow Legends
• Summoners War: Sky Arena
• MARVEL Strike Force