Clash Royale card upgrade costs
What it costs in gold and cards to upgrade every rarity, level by level, up to level 16, and how to spend gold so it wins you the most games.
Numbers updated November 7, 2026.
What it costs to max one card
Each rarity starts at a different level, but they all finish at level 16, and the last upgrades cost the same gold whatever the rarity. That is why the gold to max a card is almost the same for every rarity: from 335,000 to 365,625. The number of cards is what differs, by a long way.
| Rarity | Levels | Gold to max | Cards to max |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common | 1 → 16 | 365,625 | 23,086 |
| Rare | 3 → 16 | 365,600 | 4,786 |
| Epic | 6 → 16 | 364,400 | 596 |
| Legendary | 9 → 16 | 355,000 | 67 |
| Champion | 11 → 16 | 335,000 | 41 |
The final step, level 15 to 16, costs 120,000 gold on its own. The last two upgrades together are 57.4% of all the gold a common card needs from level 1. Most of the cost of a max-level card is in its last two levels.
What a whole deck costs
The most played deck among top players right now is the Goblin Barrel + Wall Breakers deck: three epics, two rares, one legendary, two commons. Taking all eight of its cards from their starting level to 16 costs 2,910,650 gold, before counting evolutions. That is why most players max one deck at a time rather than a collection.
Upgrade costs level by level
Gold, then cards, for each upgrade. A dash means the rarity does not exist at that level: a legendary card starts at level 9, so it has no upgrade below that.
| Level | Common | Rare | Epic | Legendary | Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 → 2 | 5 gold · 2 | — | — | — | — |
| 2 → 3 | 20 gold · 4 | — | — | — | — |
| 3 → 4 | 50 gold · 10 | 50 gold · 2 | — | — | — |
| 4 → 5 | 150 gold · 20 | 150 gold · 4 | — | — | — |
| 5 → 6 | 400 gold · 50 | 400 gold · 10 | — | — | — |
| 6 → 7 | 1,000 gold · 100 | 1,000 gold · 20 | 400 gold · 2 | — | — |
| 7 → 8 | 2,000 gold · 200 | 2,000 gold · 50 | 2,000 gold · 4 | — | — |
| 8 → 9 | 4,000 gold · 400 | 4,000 gold · 100 | 4,000 gold · 10 | — | — |
| 9 → 10 | 8,000 gold · 800 | 8,000 gold · 200 | 8,000 gold · 20 | 5,000 gold · 2 | — |
| 10 → 11 | 15,000 gold · 1,000 | 15,000 gold · 300 | 15,000 gold · 30 | 15,000 gold · 4 | — |
| 11 → 12 | 25,000 gold · 1,500 | 25,000 gold · 400 | 25,000 gold · 50 | 25,000 gold · 6 | 25,000 gold · 2 |
| 12 → 13 | 40,000 gold · 2,500 | 40,000 gold · 550 | 40,000 gold · 70 | 40,000 gold · 9 | 40,000 gold · 5 |
| 13 → 14 | 60,000 gold · 3,500 | 60,000 gold · 750 | 60,000 gold · 100 | 60,000 gold · 12 | 60,000 gold · 8 |
| 14 → 15 | 90,000 gold · 5,500 | 90,000 gold · 1,000 | 90,000 gold · 130 | 90,000 gold · 14 | 90,000 gold · 11 |
| 15 → 16 | 120,000 gold · 7,500 | 120,000 gold · 1,400 | 120,000 gold · 180 | 120,000 gold · 20 | 120,000 gold · 15 |
To total a card from its current level, use the card upgrade calculator, which also adds up a whole deck.
Which cards to upgrade first
Gold is the limit for almost every player, so the question is where each upgrade does the most work. A few rules hold up:
- Your win condition first. It is the card that has to survive the trip to the tower, and one level can decide whether it gets there.
- Then your spells. A spell's damage grows with its level, and one level short can be the difference between killing a troop and leaving it alive with a sliver of health. Spells are also the cards you keep across decks: Barbarian Barrel is in 30.0% of top decks, Arrows is in 23.4% of top decks, Zap is in 23.3% of top decks.
- Cards that work in many decks. Cheap cycle cards and common support troops move with you when you change deck. A niche card upgraded for one deck is gold you may not use again.
- Do not spread gold thin. Eight cards at the same level play better than four maxed cards and four far behind. The weakest card is the one the opponent's deck is built to punish.
Season card boosts: levels you do not pay for
Every season Clash Royale boosts a few cards: from King Tower 7 up, they play at your King Tower level for the whole season, whatever level you have them at. The boost is the same for every player and ends with the season, when the cards drop back to their real level and new ones take over. Seasons start on the first Monday of the month.
This season's boosted cards: Giant and Mirror, until December 7, 2026.
Two things follow for your gold. A boosted card is a free chance to try a deck at full level before you spend anything on it: if the deck suits you, you know the upgrade is worth it. And upgrading a card only because it is boosted buys nothing this season, since it already plays at tower level; that gold pays off only after the season ends. ClashDeckster's deck builder counts boosted cards at your tower level while the season lasts.
Rarity in top decks
Commons are cheap to collect but cost as much gold as anything else to max. Top decks are not built from legendaries alone: by share of deck slots in the decks top players run, the split is Common 31.0%, Rare 24.0%, Epic 25.0%, Legendary 17.7%, Champion 2.3%. Every rarity carries its weight, so a strong collection of commons and rares at high level takes you a long way.
Measured from 300 decks run by 25,031 top Path of Legends players, recomputed daily. Upgrade costs as in the game's upgrade table, which the calculator uses too.
Questions
How much gold does it take to max a card in Clash Royale?
Between 335,000 and 365,625 gold depending on rarity, from the card's starting level to level 16.
How much does level 15 to 16 cost?
120,000 gold for every rarity, plus the cards for that rarity's last step.
What are boosted cards in Clash Royale?
Cards the game plays at your King Tower level for a whole season, from King Tower 7 up. This season: Giant and Mirror, until December 7, 2026.
Which cards should I upgrade first?
Your win condition, then your spells, then cards you use in more than one deck. Keep the eight cards of your main deck close in level.
More guides
- How to build a Clash Royale deck
- Clan war decks: how to build four with no repeats
- Clash Royale deck archetypes
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