I Tried Rips, the Card-Pack App Where Users Spend Thousands Chasing Pricey Pokémon
Key takeaways
- These digital card packs, primed for fast ripping and even faster rewards, are rising in popularity.
- Rips exemplifies the current online moment where I’m bombarded with new and inventive ways to digitally gamble everything away.
- Even before I tried Rips, I was well acquainted with the platform from incessant TikTok ads.
Why this matters: a development in AI with implications for how people work, create, and decide.
Courtesy of Reece Rogers Comment Loader Save Story Save this story Comment Loader Save Story Save this story After I tripled my money by pulling pricey Pokémon cards out of digital packs on the Rips app, I immediately knew what I had to do next: keep on ripping. It was time to lock in, boost my volatility settings, and start spending real money opening even more expensive packs.
These digital card packs, primed for fast ripping and even faster rewards, are rising in popularity. People have downloaded the Rips app over 6 million times since its launch in October 2025, with half of those downloads happening in the past two months, according to data from Apptopia. You pay money to rip digital packs and win physical cards, but you also have the instant option to sell them back.
Rips exemplifies the current online moment where I’m bombarded with new and inventive ways to digitally gamble everything away. From sports betting to prediction markets, the smartphone in my pocket is the hottest place to lose it all while trying to make a quick buck. Rips did not respond to WIRED’s request for comment.