Chess has recently been enjoying a spike in popularity. This is predominantly thanks tothe Netflix seriesQueen’s Gambit, as well as the rise of chess streamers and chess competitions on Twitch that have featured big names like xQc, Mr. Beast, and Pokimane. Chess also has its own set of popular streamers like Gothamchess, Hikaru Nakamura, and the Botez sisters, who have brought more eyes to the sport than ever before.
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Now is a particularly interesting time for chess, as the World Chess Championship is currently taking place between Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi. Although the majority of chess takes place over real boards or online on sites like Chess.com and Lichess, there have been a handful of excellent chess video games released over the years.
The majority of these games simply offer a video game iteration of traditional chess, though there have been a few games over the years that have flipped the script andincluded some other interesting mechanics.
Updated on July 6th, 2023, by Jack Pursey:With the abundance of chess websites and apps letting players try their hand at the classic game for free, one might question the purpose of splashing the cash on a chess video game. Although chess video games are indeed a harder sell today than they were in the 80s and 90s, there are still some games that justify their price tag by offering a high-quality iteration of the classic game fit with stellar visuals, wonderfully well-designed pieces, and extra content like lessons and puzzles. Alternatively, some chess video games are worth purchasing for the interesting spin on the classic game that they provide. To shine a spotlight on some more of thebest chess video games, this list has been updated to add more entries.
1Chessmaster 3D
Chessmaster 3Dis part of the long-runningChessmasterseries, which began in 1986 withThe Chessmaster 2000and hasreceived over ten sequels since.Chessmaster 3Dwas released on the original PlayStation in 1995 and used the same engine asChessmaster 4000,which was released on Windows 95 earlier the same year.
TheChessmastergames use various versions of The King engine. The King engine is notable for being able to implement various chess personalities, and the more recentChessmaster 9000version was given a2718 Elo rating from the SSDF.
2Lego Chess
BeforeLego Star Warswas released andLego’s gaming venturesbegan life down a different pathway,Legovideo games were spread across a range of different genres such as the kart racerLego Racers, action-adventureLego Island, real-time strategyRock Raiders, and, of course,Lego Chess.
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Lego Chessdoes exactly what it says on the tin, offering traditional chess gameplay but with Lego figures taking center stage. The game features a story mode that lets players choose between a pirate or Western theme, and although it can be difficult at first to remember which piece is which, the Lego themes are well-designed and make the game a great option for children wanting to learn the board game.
35D Chess With Multiverse Time Travel
5D Chess with Multiverse Time Travelwas released in July 2020 on PC. Prior to its release, many people thought that the game was simply trying to cash in on the “4D Chess” memes, though it soon became clear after its release that5D Chess with Multiverse Time Travelis one of the best chess variants of all time, exemplified by itsOverwhelmingly Positive All Reviews score on Steam.
If, for some reason, the endless complexities of chess aren’t head-scratching enough, then Thunkspace’s game provides the perfect solution.5D Chess with Multiverse Time Travelbegins with a traditional game of chess but will soon start branching off into multiple alternative timelines, forcing players to play on multiple boards at a time from the past, present, and future.
4Pure Chess Grandmaster Edition
Pure ChessGrandmaster Editionis on the other end of the chess video game spectrum to the aforementioned5D Chess With Multiverse Time Travel, as it takes things back to basics and simply offers a traditional chess experience.
Pure Chess Grandmaster Editionoffers multiple beautifully designed sets and locations where the games take place.Pure Chessalso features several excellent tutorials that are ideal for beginners and even intermediate players and is available at a relatively low price.
5Battle Chess
Battle Chesswas developed and published by Interplay Productions and is the oldest game on this list.Battle Chessfirsthit stores in 1988on the Amiga and was subsequently released on a wide range of systems, including Atari ST, Commodore 64, and NES.
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Although it may not seem like much today, the game’s visuals and animations were incredible for the time, earningBattle Chessthe accolade of Best Graphics Achievement In A Non-Graphics Product from the Software Publishers Association. Impressively, the 80s animations were good enough to make various references, including a knight vs. knight animation that references the famous black knight fight fromMonty Python and the Holy Grail.
Battle Chess received a modern remake in 2015 withBattle Chess: Game of Kings, which is available on Steam.
6Battle Vs. Chess
Not to be confused with the previous entry,Battle Vs. Chesswas originally released by TopWare Interactive in May 2011. Unfortunately for TopWare Interactive, however, Interplay Productions didn’t take too kindly to the name similarity, andTopWare was soon battling a lawsuit for copyright infringement, which resulted in the company having to pay Interplay $200,000 plus interest. The settlement also meant that the game could be released in North America in August 2012 under the new nameCheck vs. Mate.
The game stands out with its beautiful visuals and surprisingly detailed animations that feel like they’re straight out ofa modern RPG.
7Chess Ultra
Chess Ultrawas released in June 2017 and is available on PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox One, HTC Vive, Oculus, and Nintendo Switch. The game features beautiful 4K visuals and meticulously designed boards, pieces, and rooms where the games take place, makingChess Ultrathe best way to play traditional chess today in video game form.
Chess Ultrafeatures multiple AI levels, online play, and numerous puzzles. The game also gives players the chance to revisit classical games and attempt to think like a grandmaster.
