Choose The Chess Variants Club
Choose The Chess Variants Club if you want a Sports, Indie, and Simulation game with Shared/Split Screen and Shared/Split Screen PvP. The Chess Variants Club launched in 2020.
The Chess Variants Club vs Absurd Chess
The Chess Variants Club and Absurd Chess both land in Strategy, Casual 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, Casual on Steam. The Chess Variants Club (2020) is 1 year older than Absurd Chess (2021). Absurd Chess is currently ~0% cheaper on Steam than The Chess Variants Club (4.99 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 Absurd Chess
Choose Absurd Chess if you want the Online PvP side of the pairing. Absurd Chess launched in 2021.
Both The Chess Variants Club and Absurd Chess sit in Strategy and Casual on Steam and both list Multi-player and PvP, 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 |  Absurd Chess | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2020 | 2021 |
| Genres | Sports, Strategy, Indie, Simulation, Casual | Strategy, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Deck Playable |
| Price | 4.99 USD | 4.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 95.7% positive (23 reviews) | 5 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Multi-player |
| Developers | Minimol Games | Pretty Absurd |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Casual on Steam.
- The Chess Variants Club (2020) is 1 year older than Absurd Chess (2021).
- Absurd Chess is currently ~0% cheaper on Steam than The Chess Variants Club (4.99 USD vs. 4.99 USD).
- Absurd Chess is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; The Chess Variants Club has no Deck rating yet.
The Chess Variants Club vs Absurd Chess — FAQ
- Should I play The Chess Variants Club or Absurd Chess first?
- If you want chronology, The Chess Variants Club (2020) came out before Absurd Chess (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 Absurd Chess similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Casual 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.