Choose 3D Chess
Choose 3D Chess if you want the Online PvP side of the pairing. 3D Chess launched in 2016.
3D Chess vs The Chess Variants Club
3D Chess and The Chess Variants Club both land in Sports, Strategy, Simulation 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, Simulation on Steam. 3D Chess (2016) is 4 years older than The Chess Variants Club (2020). The Chess Variants Club scores higher on Steam reviews (95.7% positive) than 3D Chess (48.9% 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 The Chess Variants Club
Choose The Chess Variants Club if you want an Indie game with Shared/Split Screen PvP. On Steam, it's the newer release (2020) and ships with the modern feature baseline. The Chess Variants Club launched in 2020.
Both 3D Chess and The Chess Variants Club sit in Sports, Strategy, and Simulation on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, 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
 3D Chess |  The Chess Variants Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2016 | 2020 |
| Genres | Sports, Strategy, Simulation, Casual | Sports, Strategy, Indie, Simulation, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 4.99 USD | 4.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 48.9% positive (47 reviews) | 95.7% positive (23 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Multi-player |
| Developers | bumblebee | Minimol Games |
Side by side
- Both share Sports, Strategy, Simulation on Steam.
- 3D Chess (2016) is 4 years older than The Chess Variants Club (2020).
- The Chess Variants Club scores higher on Steam reviews (95.7% positive) than 3D Chess (48.9% positive).
- The Chess Variants Club is currently ~0% cheaper on Steam than 3D Chess (4.99 USD vs. 4.99 USD).
3D Chess vs The Chess Variants Club — FAQ
- Should I play 3D Chess or The Chess Variants Club first?
- If you want chronology, 3D Chess (2016) came out before The Chess Variants Club (2020). 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 3D Chess and The Chess Variants Club similar?
- They overlap on Sports, Strategy, Simulation 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.