Choose Duelyst
Choose Duelyst if you want a Free To Play experience. 3,201 Steam reviews back the pick.
Duelyst vs Five Elements Chess
Duelyst and Five Elements Chess both land in Strategy, Indie 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 on Steam. Duelyst (2016) is 10 years older than Five Elements Chess (2026). Duelyst scores higher on Steam reviews (81% positive) than Five Elements Chess (78.9% 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 Five Elements Chess
Choose Five Elements Chess if you want a Casual game with Shared/Split Screen, Shared/Split Screen PvP, and DualShock Controller Support. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Five Elements Chess launched in 2026.
Both Duelyst and Five Elements Chess sit in Strategy and Indie on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online 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
 Duelyst |  Five Elements Chess | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2016 | 2026 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Free To Play | Strategy, Indie, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | Price unknown | 14.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 81% positive (3,201 reviews) | 78.9% positive (19 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer |
| Developers | Counterplay Games Inc. | Candleman Games |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie on Steam.
- Duelyst (2016) is 10 years older than Five Elements Chess (2026).
- Duelyst scores higher on Steam reviews (81% positive) than Five Elements Chess (78.9% positive).
Duelyst vs Five Elements Chess — FAQ
- Should I play Duelyst or Five Elements Chess first?
- If you want chronology, Duelyst (2016) came out before Five Elements 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 Duelyst and Five Elements Chess similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Indie 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.