IMHO.

Chess Knights: Viking Lands vs Samurai Chess

Chess Knights: Viking Lands and Samurai Chess both land in 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 are Casual games on Steam. Chess Knights: Viking Lands (2020) is 1 year older than Samurai Chess (2021). Chess Knights: Viking Lands scores higher on Steam reviews (93.2% positive) than Samurai Chess (80% positive). 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 Chess Knights: Viking Lands

Choose Chess Knights: Viking Lands if you want an Indie experience. Chess Knights: Viking Lands launched in 2020.

Choose Samurai Chess

Choose Samurai Chess if you want a Strategy and Simulation experience. On Steam, it's currently about 33% cheaper on the Steam Store. Samurai Chess launched in 2021.

Both Chess Knights: Viking Lands and Samurai Chess sit in Casual 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

Chess Knights: Viking Lands vs Samurai Chess — Steam metadata comparison
Chess Knights: Viking Lands — Steam game coverChess Knights: Viking LandsSamurai Chess — Steam game coverSamurai Chess
Released20202021
GenresIndie, CasualStrategy, Simulation, Casual
PlatformsWindows, macOSWindows
Steam DeckUnratedUnrated
Price2.99 USD1.99 USD
Steam reviews93.2% positive (44 reviews)80% positive (20 reviews)
MultiplayerSingle-player onlySingle-player only
DevelopersMinimol GamesMinimol Games

Side by side

Chess Knights: Viking Lands vs Samurai Chess — FAQ

Should I play Chess Knights: Viking Lands or Samurai Chess first?
If you want chronology, Chess Knights: Viking Lands (2020) came out before Samurai 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 Chess Knights: Viking Lands and Samurai Chess similar?
They overlap on 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.
Chess Knights: Viking Lands vs Samurai Chess (2026) · imho.run