Queen's Court: A Duel of Dignitaries
Aristocratic animals, wild Queens and a card game decided by the smallest gap.
By The Lady and Loaf Games Co.. Out now on PC, Linux.
Play and Install open the Steam app on this computer
1 / 6Queen's Court: A Duel of Dignitaries is a competitive card game with a regal animal theme, built around one unusual win condition: the smallest gap between your two piles takes the round. It is developed and published by The Lady and Loaf Games Co. and launched on Steam for Windows and Linux on 30 October 2026.
Every player tends two face-up piles, and anyone can play a card onto anyone's pile, which turns each turn into a choice between fixing your own spread and wrecking a rival's. Queens are wild, gloves lock a pile shut, and the first player to win two rounds takes the game. Online matches put rank points on the line, with antes and per-game challenges, while local play keeps it casual for family and friends. The art leans into oil-painting portraits of deer, frogs and other dignitaries in powdered wigs.
Gameplay
Each player starts with two face-up cards that form their piles, three cards in hand and a glove card set aside, with the rest forming a shared draw deck. Your spread is the difference between the top cards of your two piles: a 5 and a 2 is a spread of 3, while two 9s make a zero-sum spread, the best result. Lowest spread at the end of the round wins.
In the first half of a round, players take turns clockwise placing one card on any pile, including opponents', then drawing a replacement. Landing a zero-sum spread earns an extra draw. Queens are wild and copy the adjacent pile for an instant zero, but a Queen on both piles is the worst hand in the game and an automatic loss.
Once the deck runs out, the second half begins and everyone receives their glove. A glove locks any pile for the rest of the round, and players who empty their hand lock in their spread. Ties go to whoever has fewer cards across their piles. Win two rounds to win the game. Online, each round won or lost moves 100 rank points per opponent, hosts can set an ante, and three challenges per game pay out 50, 100 or 200 bonus points.
Key Features
- Win with the smallest spread between your two piles
- Play cards onto rival piles to wreck their spread
- Use wild Queens for instant zero-sum hands, at a risk
- Lock any pile for the round with your glove card
- Climb online rank points with antes and bonus challenges
- Keep local games casual, with no rank points at stake
- Enjoy oil-painting portraits of wigged animal dignitaries
Platforms & Availability
Queen's Court is on Steam for Windows 11 and Linux, which also covers SteamOS. It offers single-player and online PvP, and online play needs a broadband connection. Steam lists 8 GB of RAM and 500 MB of storage as the minimum. The interface is English only. Pricing on 1 November 2026: US$3.99, RM10.99 in Malaysia, S$4.75 in Singapore, ₱139 in the Philippines, Rp 39,499 in Indonesia and ฿88 in Thailand.
Why it matters
Most digital card games ask you to build a deck and learn hundreds of cards. Queen's Court asks you to learn one rule, the spread, and then gives you plenty of ways to sabotage everyone else's. That makes it an easy teach for family game nights and a surprisingly sharp duel online, where rank points and antes add stakes. It suits players who like short tactical games such as Tiles of Grimmwoods or the card-play side of Slay the Spire 2, and it costs about as much as a mamak dinner in Malaysia.
Queen's Court: A Duel of Dignitaries guides
System requirements
| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 11 | |
| Memory | 8192 MB RAM | |
| Storage | 500 MB available space |
Questions
How do you win a round in Queen's Court?
Have the lowest spread, meaning the smallest difference between the top cards of your two piles, when the round ends.
What do Queens do in Queen's Court: A Duel of Dignitaries?
Queens are wild and match the adjacent pile for a zero-sum spread, but Queens on both of your piles is an automatic loss.
Does Queen's Court have online multiplayer?
Yes. It supports online PvP with rank points, host-set antes and three bonus challenges per game, plus local play without ranking.
Does Queen's Court run on Linux or Steam Deck?
Steam lists a native Linux build alongside Windows, so it runs on SteamOS and Steam Deck without needing Proton.
How much is Queen's Court in Southeast Asia?
On 1 November 2026 Steam listed it at RM10.99 in Malaysia, S$4.75 in Singapore, ₱139 in the Philippines and ฿88 in Thailand.
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Checked 1 Nov 2026. Key art and screenshots: The Lady and Loaf Games Co. via Steam.