Choose Checkmate Showdown
Choose Checkmate Showdown if you want an Action game with Online PvP. Checkmate Showdown launched in 2023.
Checkmate Showdown vs Chess
Checkmate Showdown and Chess 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. Checkmate Showdown (2023) is 1 year older than Chess (2024). Chess scores higher on Steam reviews (81.8% positive) than Checkmate Showdown (80.3% 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
Choose Chess if you want a Casual game with Playable without Timed Input, Keyboard Only Option, and Mouse Only Option. On Steam, it's currently about 60% cheaper on the Steam Store. Chess launched in 2024.
Both Checkmate Showdown and Chess sit in Strategy on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Steam Leaderboards, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (80.3% vs 81.8% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Checkmate Showdown |  Chess | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2023 | 2024 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy | Strategy, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 7.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 80.3% positive (157 reviews) | 81.8% positive (33 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Multi-player |
| Developers | BadRez Games | Popoko VM Games |
Side by side
- Both are Strategy games on Steam.
- Checkmate Showdown (2023) is 1 year older than Chess (2024).
- Chess scores higher on Steam reviews (81.8% positive) than Checkmate Showdown (80.3% positive).
- Chess is currently ~60% cheaper on Steam than Checkmate Showdown (7.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Both are Deck Playable.
Checkmate Showdown vs Chess — FAQ
- Should I play Checkmate Showdown or Chess first?
- If you want chronology, Checkmate Showdown (2023) came out before Chess (2024). 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 Checkmate Showdown and Chess 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.