Choose Fantasy Strike
Choose Fantasy Strike if you want an Indie, Free To Play, and Casual experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. 1,517 Steam reviews back the pick.
Fantasy Strike vs Checkmate Showdown
Fantasy Strike and Checkmate Showdown both land in Action 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 Action games on Steam. Fantasy Strike (2019) is 4 years older than Checkmate Showdown (2023). Checkmate Showdown scores higher on Steam reviews (80.3% positive) than Fantasy Strike (64.7% 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 Checkmate Showdown
Choose Checkmate Showdown if you want a Strategy game with Steam Leaderboards. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 80.3% positive across 157 reviews.
Both Fantasy Strike and Checkmate Showdown sit in Action on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Online 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
 Fantasy Strike |  Checkmate Showdown | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2019 | 2023 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Free To Play, Casual | Action, Strategy |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Deck Playable |
| Price | Free to play | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 64.7% positive (1,517 reviews) | 80.3% positive (157 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer | Multi-player |
| Developers | Sirlin Games | BadRez Games |
Side by side
- Both are Action games on Steam.
- Fantasy Strike (2019) is 4 years older than Checkmate Showdown (2023).
- Checkmate Showdown scores higher on Steam reviews (80.3% positive) than Fantasy Strike (64.7% positive).
- Fantasy Strike is free; Checkmate Showdown is paid (19.99 USD).
- Checkmate Showdown is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Fantasy Strike has no Deck rating yet.
Fantasy Strike vs Checkmate Showdown — FAQ
- Which is better, Fantasy Strike or Checkmate Showdown?
- On Steam reviews Checkmate Showdown scores higher (80.3% positive) than Fantasy Strike (64.7% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Checkmate Showdown is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Fantasy Strike or Checkmate Showdown first?
- If you want chronology, Fantasy Strike (2019) came out before Checkmate Showdown (2023). 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 Fantasy Strike and Checkmate Showdown similar?
- They overlap on Action 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.
- Is Fantasy Strike free?
- Yes — Fantasy Strike is a free-to-play Steam title. Checkmate Showdown is paid (19.99 USD).