It took Sad Socket one update to make the title literal. The game launched with six of its nine kings still locked; the King of Nomads arrived in August 2025, and the King of Time landed in October 2025 as what the studio called the ninth king that finally makes 9 Kings live up to its name. Today the roster is complete: nine playable kings, each with a nine-card deck, a base with its own personality, and a perk tree.
The roster, in selection order
| # | King | Deck theme | Unlock task (community wiki) | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | King of Nothing | Balanced starter, no unique decrees | None: he is the default | Coming soon |
| 2 | King of Spells | Enchantments and tomes, timing-heavy | Use 9 Spells | Coming soon |
| 3 | King of Greed | Gold engine: earn late, spend late | Spend 999 gold | Coming soon |
| 4 | King of Blood | Sacrifice and summons | Kill 9,999 enemy units | Guide |
| 5 | King of Nature | Beasts and exponential health | Train 999 units | Coming soon |
| 6 | King of Nomads | No castle, always moving | Use 99 troop cards | Coming soon |
| 7 | King of Stone | Towers, walls, patience | Build 99 buildings | Guide |
| 8 | King of Progress | Upgrade snowball | Level up 299 plots | Guide |
| 9 | King of Time | Reality-bending, timing is everything | Added October 2025 | Guide |
The unlock numbers above are what the community wiki records; the official mechanism behind them is confirmed. Tasks appear on the locked king's card, you complete them during normal runs, and a cleared task pops the new king at the end of the run.
The Kingdoms
Battles
Two kings you cannot play
Beyond the nine sit two special rulers who exist to fight, not to be picked:
- The Rainbow King appears once in every standard run with an over-tuned deck, and its cards can surface in shops. Beating it earns a special card.
- The Chaos King never takes the field himself, but his Jack of Chaos invades endless mode with twisted variants of the normal kings' cards.
Which king should you play first?
The community consensus is blunt: start with the King of Nothing. He is deliberately even-handed, and his lack of unique decrees makes the Royal Council predictable while you learn the card types and the gameplay loop. From there, Blood is the community favorite for a second pick, and our tier list keeps track of where the meta settles after each patch.
FAQ
How many kings are in 9 Kings?
Nine playable kings. The roster was completed in October 2025 when the King of Time arrived, one year and five months after Early Access began.
Who is the best king in 9 Kings?
It shifts with patches. King of Blood is the perennial community favorite for aggressive runs, while King of Progress rewards players who survive its difficult opening. Our tier list tracks the current answer, with the patch number it applies to.
What are the unlock conditions for each king?
Each locked king shows a task, such as spending 999 gold for the King of Greed. The tasks are recorded by the community wiki; the official news posts confirm the mechanism: finish the task, win the run, the king unlocks.