Games like Chess Survivors
If Chess Survivors is your kind of game, the closest matches are Orbs of Chaos, Noobs Want to Live and Unexplored — picked from the ranked list below. Reviewers single out its polished despite indie development, challenging and contemplative. Each pick is ranked by what players of this game also play, shared genres and tags, and review-mined similarity — not a generic popularity list.
Get personalized picks →About Chess Survivors: Chess Survivors is a grid based, quick-turn, roguelike where you outmaneuver and destroy an ever growing horde of chess based enemies. Combine abilities, upgrades, and relics to create game-breaking builds. Think fast, die, learn, repeat!
Players who liked Chess Survivors also play
Steam players who put hours into Chess Survivors also tend to own these titles — a signal called collaborative filtering. imho.run cross-references millions of library ownership patterns to surface games whose real audiences overlap, regardless of whether their genre tags match.
Orbs of Chaos
WHY THIS
Shares an intense mood with Chess Survivors.
Top pick for Chess Survivors fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with Chess Survivors.
Harness the Orbs of Chaos! Choose 3 orbs each run to create 10 overpowered spells in real time in this noisy action roguelite. Slay Lovecraftian horrors and face deadly bosses every 3 minutes. Embrace the Chaos and uncover the unholy secrets of a grotesque world, all set to a haunting soundtrack.
Noobs Want to Live
WHY THIS
Second-strongest match for Chess Survivors fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with Chess Survivors.
Noobs Want to Live is a fast-paced roguelike featuring several characters and a large pool of skills to choose from (that synergize with one another, too!) Fight, kill, grow. Each run is a new chance to create a steamrolling build!
Unexplored
WHY THIS
Shares a contemplative mood with Chess Survivors.
Third-strongest match for Chess Survivors fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with Chess Survivors.
The ROGUELITE that feels like a ROGUELIKE. Praised for its fantastically generated dungeons, real-time combat and surprising amount of content and depth. One of the BEST GAMES OF THE YEAR according to PC Gamer and VICE Waypoint.
Dungeon Souls
WHY THIS
Shares a challenging mood with Chess Survivors.
Ranked #4 for Chess Survivors fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with Chess Survivors.
Dungeon Souls is an action-adventure roguelike dungeon crawler which draws heavy inspiration from Nuclear Throne, Risk of Rain, and Overture. Explore vast procedurally generated dungeons, collect loot, and slay hordes of challenging enemies!
Choo Choo Survivor
WHY THIS
Ranked #5 for Chess Survivors fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with Chess Survivors.
Drive your train to safety while shooting down endless hordes of zombies blocking your way. Upgrade your weapons and abilities and become absurdly powerful!
Bronana
WHY THIS
Shares an intense mood with Chess Survivors.
Ranked #6 for Chess Survivors fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Strategy with Chess Survivors.
Bronana is a thrilling and hilarious survival roguelike. Embody the spirit of a fearless banana warrior to take down waves of vicious snack monsters. Through a rich variety of random events, grow stronger, evolve abilities, and face off against challenging bosses to save the homeland.
Grim Horde
WHY THIS
Shares a tense mood with Chess Survivors.
Ranked #7 for Chess Survivors fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with Chess Survivors.
Gather your minions, conquer the lands and become the Darklord! Grim Horde is a fast arcade game with rogue-lite elements, where you lead your armies through the lands of the mortals, raze villages and claim souls. Die and rise again from your ashes and learn new summoning spells.
Realm of the Mad God Exalt
WHY THIS
Shares a tense mood with Chess Survivors.
Ranked #8 for Chess Survivors fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with Chess Survivors.
Embark on an exhilarating journey into the pixelated Realm of the Mad God! Join, an action-packed, free-to-play MMO bullet hell game. Discover a world with danger, challenges, and hidden treasures as you battle through waves of enemies. Team up with players and conquer dungeons to become a legend!
Reviewers mention these as similar to Chess Survivors
Surfaced from review text: when other players write 'if you liked X, try Y', we catch the name and resolve it back to a Steam game.
Vampire Survivors
WHY THIS
Shares a challenging mood with Chess Survivors.
Reviewers of Chess Survivors cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action and Indie with Chess Survivors.
Mow down thousands of night creatures and survive until dawn! Vampire Survivors is a gothic horror casual game with rogue-lite elements, where your choices can allow you to quickly snowball against the hundreds of monsters that get thrown at you. Be the bullet hell!
Nomad Survival
WHY THIS
Shares a challenging mood with Chess Survivors.
Reviewers of Chess Survivors cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action and Indie with Chess Survivors.
Battle against hordes of enemies, conquer Boss encounters, and explore various character and skill combinations in this time-based auto-attacking Roguelite in your quest to become stronger and defeat the most menacing of creatures that lay in wait at the end of each run.
Soulstone Survivors
WHY THIS
Reviewers of Chess Survivors cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action and Indie with Chess Survivors.
Face the Lords of the Void and their endless minions, collect their Soulstones and become a god! In this Action Roguelite, unveil secret spells, craft mighty weapons, unlock multiple characters, discover game-breaking synergies and conquer the power of the void.
MAK: Survival
WHY THIS
Reviewers of Chess Survivors cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Indie with Chess Survivors.
Survive and evolve in the open world of Oratius. Build, craft, fight creatures, explore hidden locations, ride mounts, and progress from the stone age to modern tech — alone or with friends. Create worlds, complete quests, and uncover the secrets of Mak Survival.
Crypt of the NecroDancer
WHY THIS
Shares an intense mood with Chess Survivors.
Reviewers of Chess Survivors cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action and Indie with Chess Survivors.
Crypt of the NecroDancer is an award winning hardcore roguelike rhythm game. Move to the music and deliver beatdowns to the beat! Groove to the epic Danny Baranowsky soundtrack, or select songs from your own MP3 collection!
Passant: A Chess Roguelike
WHY THIS
Shares an intense mood with Chess Survivors.
Reviewers of Chess Survivors cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Strategy and Indie with Chess Survivors.
Passant is a chess roguelike that changes all the rules. Progress through challenging rounds while collecting powerful pieces and game-changing items to seize victory.
Cheaper alternatives
Games in the same vein priced at least 40% below Chess Survivors at current Steam store prices.
POSTAL 2
WHY THIS
Priced ~80% under Chess Survivors on Steam right now. Shares Action and Indie with Chess Survivors.
Live a week in the life of "The POSTAL Dude"; a hapless everyman just trying to check off some chores. Buying milk, returning an overdue library book, getting Gary Coleman's autograph, what could possibly go wrong?
The Test
WHY THIS
Priced ~60% under Chess Survivors on Steam right now. Shares Indie and RPG with Chess Survivors.
You will answer a series of questions that will reveal truths from deep within. These questions may make you uncomfortable, but with great knowledge comes great sacrifice. Can you make it all the way through The Test, and if you do, are you sure you want the answers you seek?
Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk
WHY THIS
Priced ~70% under Chess Survivors on Steam right now. Shares Indie with Chess Survivors.
A short story about what sort of challenges everyday little things can be. Help the girl buy milk, be the first not to disappoint her.
Blood and Bacon
WHY THIS
Priced ~80% under Chess Survivors on Steam right now. Shares Action and Casual with Chess Survivors.
This Co-op Shooter , has Day and Night levels, multiple maps, players will take on 25 enemy types and numerous bosses, like Gargantuan Monsters and Minibosses every 10 days as you explore, shoot and run for your life against the onslaught of porcine monstrosities.
Placid Plastic Duck Simulator
WHY THIS
Priced ~60% under Chess Survivors on Steam right now. Shares Casual with Chess Survivors.
The ultimate high-tech rubber duck simulation, Placid Plastic Duck brings you dangerous levels of relaxation. With chill music, dreamy 3D graphics, and many different happy ducks, your only priority is to float around. Zero Ducks given.
Peggle Deluxe
WHY THIS
Priced ~80% under Chess Survivors on Steam right now. Shares Casual with Chess Survivors.
Take your best shot with energizing arcade fun! Aim, shoot, clear the orange pegs, then sit back and cheer as 10 whimsical teachers guide you to Peggle greatness.
STAR WARS™ Republic Commando™
WHY THIS
Priced ~50% under Chess Survivors on Steam right now. Shares Action with Chess Survivors.
You are the leader of an elite squad of Republic Commandos, your mission is to infiltrate, dominate, and ultimately, annihilate the enemy. Your squad will follow your orders and your lead, working together as a team - instinctively, intelligently, instantly. You are their leader. They are your weapon.
shapez
WHY THIS
Priced ~80% under Chess Survivors on Steam right now. Shares Strategy and Indie with Chess Survivors.
shapez is an easy-going, minimalistic factory building game about the automation of shapes through extraction and satisfying production lines. Adapt to increasingly complex shapes and grow your factory across an infinitely expanding map. Your only limitation is your creativity!
Free alternatives
Free-to-play games that recommended players of this title also tend to enjoy.
Grimm's Hollow
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie and RPG with Chess Survivors.
A spooky, freeware RPG where you search the afterlife for your brother. Reap ghosts with your scythe, explore haunted caves, and eat ghostly treats on your journey through death.
Magic Archery
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie and RPG with Chess Survivors.
Train a commoner to become the greatest archer in this short incremental game! Increase your stats, gather wealth from quests, buy upgrades, and infuse your arrows with magic.
Eternal Senia
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Action and Indie with Chess Survivors.
Thoughts and expectations ARPG
Disfigure
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Action and Indie with Chess Survivors.
Disfigure is a grim-dark action rogue-like where you battle relentless hordes of monsters lurking in the shadows. Unlock powerful weapons, craft god-like builds with hundreds of upgrades, slay colossal bosses, and push your limits in intense 20–30 minute survival runs!
Paper Lily - Chapter 1
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie and RPG with Chess Survivors.
Paper Lily is an RPG horror game in which you can solve puzzles in different ways. Explore a hidden world, meet strange characters, and guide Lacie as she attempts to find answers about her unusual condition.
Project Kat - Paper Lily Prologue
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie and RPG with Chess Survivors.
Project Kat is a short, unconventional RPG horror game in which there is always another way. Solve puzzles, make friends (or not), and guide Kat as she attempts to uncover the mystery behind a strange golden letter.
Princess Remedy in a World of Hurt
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Action and Indie with Chess Survivors.
Remedy, a recent graduate from the Saturnian healing school, must descend to Hurtland and use her powers to heal everyone from stray ducks to dark lords, and finally cure the ailing Prince Hingst. It's a short, whimsical adventure with plenty of heart(s).
Narrow it down
Head-to-head comparisons
Frequently asked about Chess Survivors
- How much does Chess Survivors cost?
- Chess Survivors is listed on Steam at 4.99 USD (current store price; Steam sales may reduce this temporarily).
- What games are most similar to Chess Survivors?
- Based on Steam play patterns and shared genres/tags, the games most often recommended alongside Chess Survivors are Orbs of Chaos, Noobs Want to Live, Unexplored.
- Who developed Chess Survivors?
- Chess Survivors was developed by Aarimous.
imho.run ranks Steam game alternatives using a mix of collaborative filtering (ALS / iALS / EASE / LightGCN), content scoring over genres, categories, Steam tags, developers, and publishers, plus AI-extracted vibes mined from review text. The page above is generated in seed mode anchored on Chess Survivors.
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