Choose Hive
Choose Hive if it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. Hive launched in 2014.
Hive vs Simply Chess
Hive and Simply Chess both land in Strategy, Indie, 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 Strategy, Indie, Casual on Steam. Hive (2014) is 1 year older than Simply Chess (2015). Simply Chess scores higher on Steam reviews (83.3% positive) than Hive (81.5% 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 Simply Chess
Choose Simply Chess if you want a Free To Play experience. Simply Chess launched in 2015.
Both Hive and Simply Chess sit in Strategy, Indie, and Casual on Steam and both list Multi-player, Steam Leaderboards, and Steam Turn Notifications, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (81.5% vs 83.3% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Hive |  Simply Chess | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2014 | 2015 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Casual | Strategy, Indie, Free To Play, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 9.99 USD | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 81.5% positive (173 reviews) | 83.3% positive (48 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer |
| Developers | BlueLine Games | BlueLine Games |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie, Casual on Steam.
- Hive (2014) is 1 year older than Simply Chess (2015).
- Simply Chess scores higher on Steam reviews (83.3% positive) than Hive (81.5% positive).
- Hive is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Simply Chess has no Deck rating yet.
Hive vs Simply Chess — FAQ
- Should I play Hive or Simply Chess first?
- If you want chronology, Hive (2014) came out before Simply Chess (2015). 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 Hive and Simply Chess similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Indie, 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.
- Does Hive run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Hive is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Simply Chess doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.