Card's launch in the publishing industry was with science fiction books (Hot Sleep and Capitol) and later the fantasy book (Hart's Hope). However, he remains best known for the seminal novel Ender's Game, which has remained popular since its publication in 1985.

Ender's Game and its sequel Speaker for the Dead were both awarded the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award, making Card the only author (as of 2006) to win both of Science Fictions top prizes in consecutive years. Card continued the series with Xenocide, Children of the Mind, Ender's Shadow, Shadow of the Hegemon, Shadow Puppets, and the 2005 release of Shadow of the Giant. Card has also announced a 'Christmas in Battle School' book, a book that connects the "Shadow" series and "Speaker" series together, and a book that takes place after Shadow of the Giant and before Card's short story "Investment Counselor". Furthermore, Card recently announced that Ender's Game will soon be made into a movie (see Ender's Game (film)).

He has since branched out into contemporary fiction, such as Lost Boys, Treasure Box and Enchantment. Other works include the novelization of the James Cameron film The Abyss, the alternate histories The Tales of Alvin Maker and Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus, the comic book Ultimate Iron Man for Marvel Comics' Ultimate Marvel Universe series, and Robota, a collaboration with Star Wars artist Doug Chiang.

His writing is dominated by detailed characterization and moral issues. As Card says, "We care about moral issues, nobility, decency, happiness, goodness - the issues that matter in the real world, but which can only be addressed, in their purity, in fiction."

Some of his novels have stories explicitly drawn from scripture or church history. For example, Stone Tables is about the life of the Biblical prophet Moses. His Women of Genesis novels address the lives of Old Testament women Rachel, Sariah, and Ruth, while The Folk Of The Fringe stories and Saints are about Latter-day Saint pioneers. In some of his other writings the influence of his Mormon beliefs is less obvious. For example, parallels can be made between Card's Homecoming and Alvin Maker sagas and the story line in the Book of Mormon and the life of LDS founder Joseph Smith, Jr.

In addition to his novels and short stories, Card has had an active career as a nonfiction writer. He helped create the scripts for the "Dramatized Church History" series radio play type productions telling the story of the LDS church from its inception to the mid 1980s.