Choose This Is Not Chess
Choose This Is Not Chess if it's currently about 20% cheaper on the Steam Store. This Is Not Chess launched in 2020.
This Is Not Chess vs Heroes Project
This Is Not Chess and Heroes Project both land in Strategy, Indie, Early Access 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, Early Access on Steam. This Is Not Chess (2020) is 5 years older than Heroes Project (2025). This Is Not Chess is currently ~20% cheaper on Steam than Heroes Project (7.99 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 Heroes Project
Choose Heroes Project if you want a RPG experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2025) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Heroes Project launched in 2025.
Both This Is Not Chess and Heroes Project sit in Strategy, Indie, and Early Access 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
 This Is Not Chess |  Heroes Project | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2020 | 2025 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Early Access | Strategy, Indie, RPG, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 7.99 USD | 9.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 1 reviews | — |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Courtney Dawson | Heroes Project by Robert Tamioła |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie, Early Access on Steam.
- This Is Not Chess (2020) is 5 years older than Heroes Project (2025).
- This Is Not Chess is currently ~20% cheaper on Steam than Heroes Project (7.99 USD vs. 9.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
This Is Not Chess vs Heroes Project — FAQ
- Should I play This Is Not Chess or Heroes Project first?
- If you want chronology, This Is Not Chess (2020) came out before Heroes Project (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 This Is Not Chess and Heroes Project similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Indie, Early Access 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.
- Do both This Is Not Chess and Heroes Project have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: This Is Not Chess ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op; Heroes Project ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op.