Choose Chess Knights: Shinobi
Choose Chess Knights: Shinobi if you want an Indie experience. Chess Knights: Shinobi launched in 2020.
Chess Knights: Shinobi vs Samurai Chess
Chess Knights: Shinobi and Samurai 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. Chess Knights: Shinobi (2020) is 1 year older than Samurai Chess (2021). Chess Knights: Shinobi scores higher on Steam reviews (84.9% 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 Samurai Chess
Choose Samurai Chess if you want a Simulation experience. On Steam, it's currently about 33% cheaper on the Steam Store. Samurai Chess launched in 2021.
Both Chess Knights: Shinobi and Samurai Chess sit in Strategy and 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: Shinobi |  Samurai Chess | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2020 | 2021 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Casual | Strategy, Simulation, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 2.99 USD | 1.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 84.9% positive (53 reviews) | 80% positive (20 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Minimol Games | Minimol Games |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Casual on Steam.
- Chess Knights: Shinobi (2020) is 1 year older than Samurai Chess (2021).
- Chess Knights: Shinobi scores higher on Steam reviews (84.9% positive) than Samurai Chess (80% positive).
- Samurai Chess is currently ~33% cheaper on Steam than Chess Knights: Shinobi (1.99 USD vs. 2.99 USD).
Chess Knights: Shinobi vs Samurai Chess — FAQ
- Should I play Chess Knights: Shinobi or Samurai Chess first?
- If you want chronology, Chess Knights: Shinobi (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: Shinobi and Samurai 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.