Frequently asked questions

Yes. Matchimals is completely free — there are no ads, no in-app purchases, and no subscriptions. Download it from the App Store or play it in your browser at matchimals.fun.

No. Matchimals contains no advertisements of any kind, and nothing in the game asks for money.

1 to 4 players can play Matchimals together on a single device, taking turns pass-and-play style. You can also play solo.

Matchimals is made for kids of all ages. If you can spot two matching animals, you can play — no reading is required, and grown-ups genuinely enjoy the strategy too.

No. The iOS app works completely offline — perfect for airplanes, road trips, and waiting rooms. The browser version at matchimals.fun only needs internet to load.

Matchimals is available for iPhone and iPad on the Apple App Store, and it runs in any modern web browser at matchimals.fun.

Players take turns placing the top card from the deck next to cards already on the table. Every edge that touches another card must show the same animal. Each match scores that animal's point value, and the player with the most points when the deck runs out wins.

Have the most points when the last card is placed. Bigger animals are worth more — a cat or dog match scores 10 points, while a bat scores 1 — and placing a card that matches two or more neighbors at once scores all of them.

Yes. There are no ads, no chat, no in-app purchases, and no account or personal information required. The app collects only anonymous usage statistics to help improve the game.

Matchimals' gameplay is inspired by Busy Bee, a card game from 1959. It plays like a mix of dominoes and Qwirkle, with animals instead of numbers and shapes.

Yes. The complete source code is published under the MIT license at github.com/chrisheninger/matchimals.fun, and the game doubles as a learning resource for React Native and boardgame.io.