Choose This Is Not Chess
Choose This Is Not Chess if it matches what drew you to this matchup. This Is Not Chess launched in 2020.
This Is Not Chess vs Bandit Life
This Is Not Chess and Bandit Life 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. Both support cooperative play. 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 Bandit Life
Choose Bandit Life if you want a RPG game with Online PvP and Online Co-op.
Both This Is Not Chess and Bandit Life 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 |  Bandit Life | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2020 | — |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Early Access | Strategy, Indie, RPG, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 7.99 USD | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 1 reviews | — |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op |
| Developers | Courtney Dawson | CIG |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie, Early Access on Steam.
- Both support cooperative play.
This Is Not Chess vs Bandit Life — FAQ
- Are This Is Not Chess and Bandit Life 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 Bandit Life 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; Bandit Life ships Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op.