Choose Chess Empire
Choose Chess Empire if you want an Indie experience. Chess Empire launched in 2025.
Chess Empire vs Animal Times
Chess Empire and Animal Times 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. Chess Empire (2025) is 1 year older than Animal Times (2026). 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 Animal Times
Choose Animal Times if you want a Free To Play game with Custom Volume Controls, Playable without Timed Input, and Mouse Only Option. Animal Times launched in 2026.
Both Chess Empire and Animal Times sit in Strategy 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
 Chess Empire |  Animal Times | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025 | 2026 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie | Strategy, Free To Play |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 2.99 USD | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 2 reviews | — |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Multi-player |
| Developers | Blue Alpaca Games | Fusion 29 |
Side by side
- Both are Strategy games on Steam.
- Chess Empire (2025) is 1 year older than Animal Times (2026).
Chess Empire vs Animal Times — FAQ
- Should I play Chess Empire or Animal Times first?
- If you want chronology, Chess Empire (2025) came out before Animal Times (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 Chess Empire and Animal Times 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.