Where to play Commander (MTG) online in 2026

Where to play Commander online depends on what your MTG pod is willing to do first: point a webcam at the paper decks, install a client, make accounts, or none of those. This page lists the places I know of, grouped that way, with what each one asks of you and what it gives back.

I build one of them, EDHMat, so weigh my description of it accordingly. The rest are described from their own sites and documentation, as of September 2026. For what EDHMat does in detail, see MTG Commander online; for how to set each kind of tool up, see how to play Commander online.

Where to play Commander online, in short

With your paper cards and a webcam

SpellTable is Wizards' own webcam table. It runs in the browser, it's free, and you log in with a Wizards account. Each player points a camera at their playmat, and the app recognises a card when you click on it in the video. Voice is built in, and since March 2026 it runs through an AI moderation pilot, which is why some pods keep their call in Discord instead.

Convoke works the same way (webcam, real cards, card recognition in the browser) and adds a friends list and public lobbies to meet new people.

Both are right for a pod that owns its decks and wants to play with the cardboard. Neither can show a card you don't physically have.

In the browser, with digital cards

These deal cards from a decklist you paste or import, so you can play a deck you've never bought. None of them enforce the rules: you move your own cards, as at a real table.

EDHMat, mine. Free, no accounts of any kind, up to six seats. One person opens a table, sends the link, and everyone who clicks it is seated. It counts commander tax, has a shared stack in the middle of the table, and writes every action into a log the whole table reads. There is no voice or video and no matchmaking; your pod brings its own call and its own players.

TableCommander. Free with guest play, so you can start without an account. Six-seat tables and voice chat per table are part of its paid Patreon tier. It imports from Moxfield, Archidekt and plain text, and has a public lobby.

Playgroup Live. Free, in the browser, 2 to 6 seats, with voice chat built in. Multiplayer needs a free Playgroup.gg account, which also records your games for stats and ratings.

There are more browser tables than these three; the SpellTable alternatives page goes through the rest.

In Wizards' own clients

Magic Online is the only Wizards client with multiplayer Commander, and the rules are enforced by the game. New accounts are free and come with a starter collection that includes a ready-to-play Commander deck; everything beyond that is a digital collection you build up by buying, trading or renting cards. If your pod already plays on MTGO, it's the obvious choice.

MTG Arena doesn't have multiplayer Commander. It has Brawl and Historic Brawl, which use a commander and a singleton deck, but only for two players. Wizards has said multiplayer Commander is in development and has not given a release date.

Free clients that enforce the rules

XMage is free and open source, a Java desktop client. It enforces the rules for tens of thousands of cards, plays multiplayer Commander, and has computer opponents. On its public server you pick a username and play, with no registration.

Forge is also free, open source and a download. Its strength is single-player: an AI opponent that plays back, which none of the browser tables have.

Choose one of these if missed triggers and "can you do that?" are what spoil your games. A browser table, mine included, won't fix that.

Desktop and sandbox

Cockatrice is a free, open-source desktop client for Windows, macOS and Linux. Like the browser tables it doesn't enforce the rules, and you register an account on a public server to play online. It has been around for a long time and has a loyal following.

Tabletop Simulator is a physics sandbox on Steam. Every player buys a copy, and Magic is played through community mods. In return, anything goes: any card, any layout, any house rule. It takes the most setup of anything on this page.

Where I would start

• You want to be playing a few minutes after someone suggests a game: EDHMat. Nobody signs up for anything; one person opens a table and sends the link.
• Your pod owns paper decks and wants to see them: SpellTable or Convoke.
• You want the rules enforced: XMage or Forge for free, or MTGO if you already have a collection there.

Finding people to play with

Most of the places above assume you bring your own pod. If you want more people to play with:

• The EDHMat Discord is small, but you can post there when you're looking for players for a game.
• PlayEDH is a Discord community for webcam Commander. Staff rate decks into power tiers, and its SpellBot bot matches you with players of a similar level.
• Public lobbies on Playgroup Live, TableCommander and Convoke let you join a stranger's table.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I play Commander online for free?

SpellTable, Convoke and the browser tables (EDHMat, TableCommander, Playgroup Live) cost nothing to play, and neither do XMage, Forge and Cockatrice. Tabletop Simulator costs money, and on Magic Online you pay for most of the cards.

Can you play Commander on MTG Arena?

Not multiplayer Commander, as of September 2026. Arena has Brawl and Historic Brawl, which use a commander and a singleton deck, but only for two players. Wizards has said multiplayer Commander on Arena is being worked on and has not given a date.