Charles Games’ Playing Prague wins top mobile game award
The digital game Playing Prague, part of the city’s tourism campaign, has just won the 2025 Central & Eastern European Game Award for Best Mobile Game. Developed by Charles Games in collaboration with Prague City Tourism, the free app has attracted tens of thousands of players eager to explore the Czech capital in a new way. Radio Prague International spoke to Ondřej Paška from Charles Games about the game and its upcoming update.
What was the main idea or goal behind creating Playing Prague?
“We were contacted by the Prague City Tourism Office, who wanted to include a mobile game in this year’s marketing campaign for Prague.
“We were excited about this opportunity to showcase the city we live and work in, to present it in the best possible light, and to introduce it to people around the world through a mobile game.
“We worked closely with the Prague City Tourism Office, aiming to include as many interesting facts and details about Prague and its former and current inhabitants as possible.”
How does the game work? What do players actually do in Playing Prague?
“Players visit different parts of Prague across various levels. The game uses a metaphor of exploring the city by placing cards side by side.
“Sometimes players need to unlock a monument in a level, which serves as the main objective. Mostly, though, they try to construct a specific card pattern to earn a score.
“This combines logical gameplay with exploration, allowing players to uncover monuments and learn about famous inhabitants of Prague through the in-game encyclopaedia.”
Which parts of the city or which monuments are featured in the current version? And what new locations do you want to include in the upcoming expansion?
“Currently, players can explore what is called the Královská cesta, or the King’s Way, starting at the Old Town Clock and the Old Town Hall.
“They can then visit Charles Bridge, the Lesser Quarter with St. Nicholas Church, and finally reach the most difficult level at Petřín Hill and the Petřín Tower.
“I cannot specify all the locations for the expansion yet, but Prague has so many beautiful monuments that we will likely include several new places.”
The game has already reached around 80,000 downloads. What do you think makes it so appealing to people?
“Many mobile games today are very focused on monetization, with simple, colourful, and somewhat childish mechanics.
“What we offer is a premium experience with high-quality graphics, a mature look, and engaging gameplay.
“Importantly, the game is completely free and contains no advertisements, which allows players to appreciate its real value.”
Finally, how important is it for you to have won the CEEGA award?
“It’s really amazing, and completely unexpected. Being listed among the winning titles alongside high-budget games like Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Cyberpunk is a huge honour.
“It also encourages us to continue what we’re doing, which is addressing important topics and presenting them through video games for millions of players to experience.”
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