“Do you Clash?” is a question heard frequently around the school. The popularity of the mobile game Clash Royale has increased significantly amongst students. According to Statista, the number of downloads surged to 25.5 million in July 2025.

The widespread appeal of Clash Royale is partly due to its marketing success. Freshman Mason Trilck claims that he and his peers were drawn to the game by online content.

“I saw an ad for [Clash Royale] on YouTube shorts, and then I started playing it from there,” Trilck said.

After this surge in popularity, many students began playing Clash Royale at school, including during class time. According to junior Nikoah Hampton, this increasing appearance of the game is not a major concern on its own, but it becomes an issue when it distracts from lessons.

“Overall, I’d say [Clash Royale has] been very good to help students connect over a mutual thing,” Hampton said. “But I think it can also be seen as negative, due to some focus

being taken away from school and onto the game. I only see teachers get mad about students playing in class when they’re trying to teach, or [when] you’re not supposed to have your phone at all in their class.”

The multiplayer design of Clash Royale has an impact on social life in school. Sophomore Adam Kuchynka describes how the game encourages his friends to talk more.

“A lot of people talk about what decks they run or play [together] at lunch,” Kuchynka said.

Clash Royale is beloved by students because of its wide variety of content.

“It’s the fact that there’s just so much to do in the game,” Hampton said. “It’s very versatile there. It’s been out for a very long time. I think it’s actually executed very well.”