Choose The Chess Variants Club
Choose The Chess Variants Club if you want a Sports game with Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Shared/Split Screen PvP. The Chess Variants Club launched in 2020.
The Chess Variants Club vs POPOP!
The Chess Variants Club and POPOP! both land in Strategy, Indie, Simulation on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Strategy, Indie, Simulation on Steam. The Chess Variants Club (2020) is 1 year older than POPOP! (2021). POPOP! is currently ~80% cheaper on Steam than The Chess Variants Club (0.99 USD vs. 4.99 USD). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose POPOP!
Choose POPOP! if it's currently about 80% cheaper on the Steam Store. POPOP! launched in 2021.
Both The Chess Variants Club and POPOP! sit in Strategy, Indie, and Simulation on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 The Chess Variants Club |  POPOP! | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2020 | 2021 |
| Genres | Sports, Strategy, Indie, Simulation, Casual | Strategy, Indie, Simulation, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 4.99 USD | 0.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 95.7% positive (23 reviews) | 2 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Single-player only |
| Developers | Minimol Games | Ammonite Design Studios Ltd |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie, Simulation on Steam.
- The Chess Variants Club (2020) is 1 year older than POPOP! (2021).
- POPOP! is currently ~80% cheaper on Steam than The Chess Variants Club (0.99 USD vs. 4.99 USD).
The Chess Variants Club vs POPOP! — FAQ
- Should I play The Chess Variants Club or POPOP! first?
- If you want chronology, The Chess Variants Club (2020) came out before POPOP! (2021). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are The Chess Variants Club and POPOP! similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Indie, Simulation on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Does POPOP! have multiplayer like The Chess Variants Club?
- No. The Chess Variants Club supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player), while POPOP! is listed as single-player only.