Choose The Chess Variants Club
Choose The Chess Variants Club if you want a Sports and Simulation experience. On Steam, it's currently about 50% cheaper on the Steam Store. The Chess Variants Club launched in 2020.
The Chess Variants Club vs Shogi 3D
The Chess Variants Club and Shogi 3D both land in Strategy, Indie, 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, Indie, Casual on Steam. The Chess Variants Club (2020) is 5 years older than Shogi 3D (2025). The Chess Variants Club is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than Shogi 3D (4.99 USD vs. 9.99 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 Shogi 3D
Choose Shogi 3D if you want an Early Access experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2025) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Shogi 3D launched in 2025.
Both The Chess Variants Club and Shogi 3D sit in Strategy, Indie, and Casual on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Shared/Split Screen 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 |  Shogi 3D | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2020 | 2025 |
| Genres | Sports, Strategy, Indie, Simulation, Casual | Strategy, Indie, Casual, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 4.99 USD | 9.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 95.7% positive (23 reviews) | 1 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Multi-player |
| Developers | Minimol Games | Hard Shark Games |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie, Casual on Steam.
- The Chess Variants Club (2020) is 5 years older than Shogi 3D (2025).
- The Chess Variants Club is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than Shogi 3D (4.99 USD vs. 9.99 USD).
The Chess Variants Club vs Shogi 3D — FAQ
- Should I play The Chess Variants Club or Shogi 3D first?
- If you want chronology, The Chess Variants Club (2020) came out before Shogi 3D (2025). 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 Shogi 3D similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Indie, 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.