Choose Check vs Mate
Choose Check vs Mate if it matches what drew you to this matchup. Check vs Mate launched in 2012.
Check vs Mate vs Chess Ultra
Check vs Mate and Chess Ultra both land in Action, Strategy, Casual 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 Action, Strategy, Casual on Steam. Check vs Mate (2012) is 5 years older than Chess Ultra (2017). Chess Ultra scores higher on Steam reviews (73.7% positive) than Check vs Mate (66.4% 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 Ultra
Choose Chess Ultra if you want a Sports, Indie, and Adventure game with Steam Turn Notifications, Online PvP, and Tracked Controller Support. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 73.7% positive across 1,040 reviews.
Both Check vs Mate and Chess Ultra sit in Action, Strategy, and Casual on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen 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
 Check vs Mate |  Chess Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2012 | 2017 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Casual | Action, Sports, Strategy, Indie, Adventure, Simulation, RPG, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Deck Verified |
| Price | 24.99 USD | 12.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 66.4% positive (211 reviews) | 73.7% positive (1,040 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer |
| Developers | Targem Games | Ripstone |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Strategy, Casual on Steam.
- Check vs Mate (2012) is 5 years older than Chess Ultra (2017).
- Chess Ultra scores higher on Steam reviews (73.7% positive) than Check vs Mate (66.4% positive).
- Chess Ultra is currently ~48% cheaper on Steam than Check vs Mate (12.99 USD vs. 24.99 USD).
- Chess Ultra is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Check vs Mate has no Deck rating yet.
Check vs Mate vs Chess Ultra — FAQ
- Which is better, Check vs Mate or Chess Ultra?
- On Steam reviews Chess Ultra scores higher (73.7% positive) than Check vs Mate (66.4% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Chess Ultra is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Check vs Mate or Chess Ultra first?
- If you want chronology, Check vs Mate (2012) came out before Chess Ultra (2017). 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 Check vs Mate and Chess Ultra similar?
- They overlap on Action, Strategy, Casual 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.