IMHO.

Tafl Champions: Ancient Chess vs Japanese Style Tien Gow

Tafl Champions: Ancient Chess and Japanese Style Tien Gow both land in Strategy 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 Strategy games on Steam. Tafl Champions: Ancient Chess (2021) is 2 years older than Japanese Style Tien Gow (2023). Tafl Champions: Ancient Chess is free; Japanese Style Tien Gow is paid (7.99 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 Tafl Champions: Ancient Chess

Choose Tafl Champions: Ancient Chess if you want a Free To Play game with Shared/Split Screen, Steam Turn Notifications, and Shared/Split Screen PvP. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. Tafl Champions: Ancient Chess launched in 2021.

Choose Japanese Style Tien Gow

Choose Japanese Style Tien Gow if you want an Indie and Casual game with Custom Volume Controls, Playable without Timed Input, and Mouse Only Option. Japanese Style Tien Gow launched in 2023.

Both Tafl Champions: Ancient Chess and Japanese Style Tien Gow sit in Strategy on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and 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

Tafl Champions: Ancient Chess vs Japanese Style Tien Gow — Steam metadata comparison
Tafl Champions: Ancient Chess — Steam game coverTafl Champions: Ancient ChessJapanese Style Tien Gow — Steam game coverJapanese Style Tien Gow
Released20212023
GenresStrategy, Free To PlayStrategy, Indie, Casual
PlatformsWindows, macOSWindows, macOS
Steam DeckDeck PlayableUnrated
PriceFree to play7.99 USD
Steam reviews8 reviews2 reviews
MultiplayerMulti-player, Cross-Platform MultiplayerMulti-player
DevelopersGritstone GamesCastle Box Games, Arpaggers

Side by side

Tafl Champions: Ancient Chess vs Japanese Style Tien Gow — FAQ

Should I play Tafl Champions: Ancient Chess or Japanese Style Tien Gow first?
If you want chronology, Tafl Champions: Ancient Chess (2021) came out before Japanese Style Tien Gow (2023). 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 Tafl Champions: Ancient Chess and Japanese Style Tien Gow similar?
They overlap on Strategy 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.
Is Tafl Champions: Ancient Chess free?
Yes — Tafl Champions: Ancient Chess is a free-to-play Steam title. Japanese Style Tien Gow is paid (7.99 USD).
Does Tafl Champions: Ancient Chess run on Steam Deck?
Yes — Tafl Champions: Ancient Chess is rated Deck Playable by Valve. Japanese Style Tien Gow doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.
Tafl Champions: Ancient Chess vs Japanese Style Tien Gow · imho.run