Tue Aug 25 2026
- We've fixed a bunch of crashes based on user reporting, thanks for the feedback!
- Updated the reporting popup so it will only show once if you keep getting the same crash repeatedly.
- Fixed issues with the unlock track that could cause decks to re-lock themselves when the app was restarted.
Dogpile takes the irresistible satisfaction of Suika-style physical merging games and elevates it with real roguelike deckbuilding depth. Dropping dogs and watching identical breeds merge into giant, goofy canines never gets old. However, the inclusion of custom card traits and modifier Dog Tags turns simple matching into a rich strategy experience.
Transitioning from Steam to touch devices feels completely natural, with responsive controls and sleek iPad formatting. Offering a free trial deck allows players to sample the mechanics before purchasing the full game expansion. It is charming, immensely satisfying, and easily one of the best puzzle releases on iOS.
Physics-based merging gameplay combined with deckbuilding strategy
Dog Wash customization system for assigning card traits
Synergistic Dog Tags that alter card rules and score multipliers
Adapted seamlessly from the hit PC Steam release with touch controls
Free starter deck trial with a single full version unlock available
Drop dog cards carefully onto the board grid. Match identical dog breeds on touch contact to evolve them into larger canine species while keeping the play area from overflowing.
Visit the Dog Wash to apply specialized traits like Barky, Sleepy, or Cool to your cards. Equip complementary Dog Tags to boost scoring combos and board clear effects.
Combine Suika-style physical drop puzzles with deckbuilding mechanics, controlling physics bounces to clear board space.
Draft new dog cards and modify trait synergies between rounds to build high-scoring canine decks.
The app is free to download and includes a full starter deck trial, with a one-time purchase to unlock all decks and game modes.
They instantly merge into a single, larger dog breed with higher score value.
I love this game soooo much!!! I originally had it for steam and when I found out that they were making it for my phone I knew I was going to grab it. I love that it’s free to play the first deck and you can purchase the game after trying it. You will get addicted to the game and the other decks are 1000% percent worth it!
As a free game, it’s fun and addicting, and while you won’t win every time, you can win frequently enough to keep coming back for more. If you pay to unlock the all game modes, what you actually get is the opportunity to unlock the rest of the game modes. Unfortunately, most people will only actually get one additional game mode. After 30+ games, and looking at guides, I can confidently say that the only way to beat the 2nd mode is to get perfect RNG on the free tags in the first trip to the store, make no mistakes, and then earn enough $ and bones to get a chance to get the perfect supporting tags to complete the game. Most of the tags needed to build one of the winning strategies are rare — a few I’ve seen only once, and others I have never seen. So if you like frustrating RNG games, or you’d like to reward the devs for a good free game, then you probably won’t mind paying to “unlock” the game. If you want to try out all the other modes, then don’t bother unlocking, as you will probably delete the game long before you’ll ever unlock anything beyond one. Suggestion to the devs: how about starting these harder modes with a choice of strategies, where the choice would weight the RNG for certain synergistic tags, possible also granting one of the core tags for the strategy up front? This would allow for lots of variation of play and make winning more achievable without making it too easy.
Way too easy to get sucked into playing this for hours, even with only the free version. Nothing motivates you to play another game of dog balatro like almost-but-not-quite winning a game of dog balatro. Tactile gameplay, fun art style, and deceptively complex strategy options. One complaint is that, as another review noted, the "eyeball" button doesn't work, so you can't view your yard while in the shop. Also, the mechanics are 99.9% consistent, but occasionally a power-up will fail to trigger. Some dogtag descriptions could stand to be clarified, like the tennis ball that "rouses the hounds", and nearly half have so little effect as to be virtually useless. I also feel like endless mode ramps up the difficulty much too fast; the curve should be a bit more gradual. Finally, the game does seem to drain your battery pretty fast for what it is, so optimizations in that area would be nice.
Still really awesome and will definitely keep playing. But it might be a good idea to mention that there’s more content locked behind a paywall cause some people might be upset finding that out only after downloading
I love this game so much. The designs are super cute and it’s really simple but in a good way. The only problem though is that every once in a while, the tags won’t really work and certain trainer items (non dog cards) won’t do what they say they’ll do… but other than that, it’s such an amazing cute game to play, even without the expansion pack!!!
It’s another late night and I can’t put you down. What are you doing to me?? Seriously though this game is great fun. Something’s weren’t clear to me and couldn’t find more details in game. Had to check Steam community for more info. Could use a quick rundown screen in menu.
No ads, great art and sound design, simple but addictive gameplay. There’s tons of replayability in the free version alone. Don’t get turned off by it being called a merge game, it’s nothing like those other ones. If you like Gubbins, also by Studio Folly, this is a no-brainer. It has the same hand-drawn feel but crashes less and runs better. If you like Balatro, Dogpile seems to have begun in a Balatro-style game jam, so there are some dynamics that will feel familiar. Instead of buying jokers from the shop at the end of a round, you’ll get dog tags. It’s fun, play it. :)
A stupidly cute time-suck. Paid to unlock the different decks, beat it all over a few days, and now I can finally put it down. The free version is 100% worth getting with no annoying ads or micro transactions.