Istanbul launches on iOS and Android, PC release still expected despite developer ban

Rüdiger Dorn’s 2014 winner of the Kennerspiel des Jahres has arrived on mobile. That’s Istanbul – not Constantinople.

The digital edition of the acclaimed dice-rolling trading game was announced last year and ran a beta test earlier this year. The full game is now out on both the App Store and Google Play, priced at £7.

The port is a one-for-one translation of the board game, with the rules making the virtual leap completely intact.

There’s the option to play against computer opponents with three levels of difficulty and varying strategies, or take on your fellow humans in pass-and-play or online multiplayer – including cross-platform support between iOS and Android and both synchronous and asynchronous modes.

The app allows the selection of preset or randomly-generated game board layouts before starting a match, plus the chance to replay your opponents’ last moves to improve your own play. A colourblind mode is another welcome addition.

Istanbul: Digital Edition was originally announced for both mobile and PC, but its arrival on the latter platform has been thrown into uncertainty after developer Acram Digital – which previously adapted Steam: Rails to Riches and Eight-Minute Empire for digital – was banned from Steam for posting fake reviews.

Despite the blacklisting, Acram remains optimistic about bringing Istanbul to Steam in the future, including the platform in its launch announcement, but adding that the release might take place “maybe a little bit later”.