IMHO.

Chess Ultra vs Chess Cubed

Chess Ultra and Chess Cubed both land in Sports, 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 Sports, Strategy, Indie on Steam. Chess Ultra (2017) is 1 year older than Chess Cubed (2018). Chess Cubed is currently ~23% cheaper on Steam than Chess Ultra (9.99 USD vs. 12.99 USD). 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 an Action, Adventure, and RPG game with Steam Turn Notifications, Tracked Controller Support, and VR Supported. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 1,040 Steam reviews back the pick.

Choose Chess Cubed

Choose Chess Cubed if you want an Early Access game with Shared/Split Screen. On Steam, it's currently about 23% cheaper on the Steam Store. Chess Cubed launched in 2018.

Both Chess Ultra and Chess Cubed sit in Sports, Strategy, and Indie on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and Shared/Split Screen 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 Ultra vs Chess Cubed — Steam metadata comparison
Chess Ultra — Steam game coverChess UltraChess Cubed — Steam game coverChess Cubed
Released20172018
GenresAction, Sports, Strategy, Indie, Adventure, Simulation, RPG, CasualSports, Strategy, Indie, Simulation, Early Access
PlatformsWindowsWindows, macOS, Linux
Steam DeckDeck VerifiedUnrated
Price12.99 USD9.99 USD
Steam reviews73.7% positive (1,040 reviews)4 reviews
MultiplayerMulti-player, Cross-Platform MultiplayerMulti-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer
DevelopersRipstoneDefault Software LLC

Side by side

Chess Ultra vs Chess Cubed — FAQ

Should I play Chess Ultra or Chess Cubed first?
If you want chronology, Chess Ultra (2017) came out before Chess Cubed (2018). 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 Ultra and Chess Cubed similar?
They overlap on Sports, 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.
Does Chess Ultra run on Steam Deck?
Yes — Chess Ultra is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Chess Cubed doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.
Chess Ultra vs Chess Cubed — Verdict (2026) · imho.run