Choose Checkmate Showdown
Choose Checkmate Showdown if you want an Action game with Steam Leaderboards. Checkmate Showdown launched in 2023.
Checkmate Showdown vs RPG Chess
Checkmate Showdown and RPG 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 3 years older than RPG Chess (2026). Checkmate Showdown is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; RPG Chess has no Deck rating yet. 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 RPG Chess
Choose RPG Chess if you want an Indie, Adventure, and RPG experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. RPG Chess launched in 2026.
Both Checkmate Showdown and RPG Chess sit in Strategy on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Online 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
 Checkmate Showdown |  RPG Chess | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2023 | 2026 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy | Strategy, Indie, Adventure, RPG, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | 19.99 USD | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 80.3% positive (157 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Multi-player |
| Developers | BadRez Games | Oskar Aleksander Melbye |
Side by side
- Both are Strategy games on Steam.
- Checkmate Showdown (2023) is 3 years older than RPG Chess (2026).
- Checkmate Showdown is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; RPG Chess has no Deck rating yet.
Checkmate Showdown vs RPG Chess — FAQ
- Should I play Checkmate Showdown or RPG Chess first?
- If you want chronology, Checkmate Showdown (2023) came out before RPG Chess (2026). 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 RPG 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.
- Does Checkmate Showdown run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Checkmate Showdown is rated Deck Playable by Valve. RPG Chess doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.