Frequently asked questions
Frontier — frequently asked questions
Everything you might want to know before you play.
Is Frontier free?
Yes. Frontier is completely free to play, with no ads, no paywalls and nothing that lets a player pay to win. Every cosmetic is earned by playing, never bought.
Does Frontier have ads or in-app purchases?
No. There are no ads and no in-app purchases anywhere in Frontier. It is funded as a passion project, not by advertising or microtransactions.
Do I need an account or email to play?
No account is needed to start — solo, pass-and-play and guest online rooms work instantly. Create an account for a recoverable identity, friends, cross-device sync and persistent leaderboard progress; you can use email or continue with Google or Apple.
How do I play Frontier online with friends?
Create a private online room and share the invite link. Friends join in their browser or installed app, and you play together in real time or turn-by-turn — no downloads required to join.
How do async games over days work?
An online room can run one turn at a time over hours or days. When it is your move, Frontier sends a “your turn” notification instead of letting a bot take over, so a game fits around real life.
Can I play solo or offline?
Yes. Solo games against easy, medium or hard bots and pass-and-play on a single device work fully on your device, with no account and no connection needed once the page has loaded.
Is Frontier on iPhone or iPad?
Frontier runs in any modern browser on iPhone and iPad, and you can add it to your home screen (Share → Add to Home Screen) so it opens like an app. The App Store button appears here only after Apple approves the iPhone app.
Is Frontier on Android?
Yes. You can play Frontier in a modern Android browser and install its web app where supported. The Google Play button appears here only after that listing is approved.
Is there cross-play between devices?
Yes. Frontier is the same game in your browser, installed on your phone, or on a tablet, and your account carries your progress across all of them. Players on different devices can share the same online room.
How long does a game take?
A quick game against bots takes about 15–30 minutes. Online games can be played in one sitting or stretched out one turn at a time over several days, whichever suits the group.
How many players can play?
Frontier supports 2 to 8 players. Bots fill any empty seats, so a full game is always ready even if only one human is around.
Is Frontier like classic settlement board games?
If you enjoy settling territory, gathering resources and trading your way to victory, Frontier will feel familiar and immediately playable. It is an original, independent game — not affiliated with or derived from any commercial board game.
What is renown?
Renown is how you win. You earn it by building settlements and expansions, holding key routes and hitting milestones, and the first player to reach 10 renown wins the game.
How good are the bots?
Better than you might expect. Frontier's bots actively trade, counter near-miss offers and block your plans, and come in easy, medium and hard so there is a real challenge as you improve.
What data does Frontier collect?
As little as possible. Guest online play uses a pseudonymous session id; an optional account stores the sign-in details you choose, plus game stats and cosmetics. The game has no advertising SDK, and the marketing site uses cookieless visit analytics; see the Privacy Policy for diagnostics, feedback and optional service details.
What is the Elo ladder?
Online results feed a persistent Elo rating and a leaderboard, so competitive play has stakes and progression. Every game ends with a match summary showing exactly where it was won and lost.