Simply Chess similar games & best alternatives

Simply Chess - simply-chess_1.avif
Simply Chess - simply-chess_2.avif
Simply Chess - simply-chess_3.avif
Simply Chess - simply-chess_4.avif
Simply Chess - simply-chess_5.avif
Simply Chess - simply-chess_6.avif

Simply Chess

Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac • 2015

Should you play it?

The classic board game comes to Steam with asynchronous online play and 100 levels of AI. If you are a chess enthusiast or someone who just likes to play a game now and again, this is what you've been looking for. This is Simply Chess.

What works

  • Free to play with optional premium
  • 100 ai difficulty levels
  • Online multiplayer with elo ranking
  • Simple, clean interface
  • Relaxing music

Things to keep in mind

  • Limited online player base and matchmaking issues
  • No game analysis or move history
  • Basic graphics and ui
  • Occasional bugs and crashes reported
  • No story or additional game modes

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feels the closest overall

  • Poker Championship

  • Puyo Puyo Champions

  • Just Xiangqi

  • NERTS! Online

  • Just Go

  • Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe

More violent

Games that feels like Simply Chess but with more combat and destruction

  • FPS Chess

  • Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate

  • Tiny Toy Tanks

  • Bomb Bots Arena

  • BombTag

  • Invisigun Reloaded

More fantastical

Games that feels like Simply Chess but with more imaginative fiction

  • 5D Chess With Multiverse Time Travel

  • Chess Ultimate

  • Chess for idiots

  • Hobs

  • Monster Tiles TD: Tower Wars

  • Super Sanctum TD

Less fellowship-oriented

Games that feels like Simply Chess but with less of a community feel

  • Gambonanza

  • Pawnbarian

  • Supaplex

  • Shift

  • You Have 10 Seconds 2

  • Babble Royale

Less survival-focused

Games that feels like Simply Chess but with less survival pressure

  • Pure Chess Grandmaster Edition

  • Yacht Dice

  • Chess Ultra

  • Hive

  • Gomoku Let's Go

  • Sagrada

More creative

Games that feels like Simply Chess but with more room to create and customize

  • Passant: A Chess Roguelike

  • Chess Evolved Online

  • Merge Maestro

  • Concrete Jungle

  • The Farmer Was Replaced

  • Hyper Chess

Choose your own criteria ->

Similarity map

How to compare these games

Compare nearby games

Each card is a nearby game on the similarity map, compared with Simply Chess. Swipe sideways to move between games. Titles already listed in What to play next are left out.

  • Cover and title: open that game’s page.
  • What works / keep in mind: the same highlights as the desktop comparison panel.
  • Bars: the main motivational differences versus this game.
How to use the graph

Similarity map

Each dot is a game placed from its motivation profile relative to this page’s game. Direction shows which motivation differs most; distance along that axis shows how large the gap is.

  • Purple star: this page’s game at the centre — everything is relative to it.
  • Direction: each axis is a main motivational difference vs this game (e.g. more / less competitive).
  • Distance on an axis: how large that difference is (ring scales show +/− points).
  • Coloured chips: click to highlight games that mainly differ on that motivation; click again to reset.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Hover a dot to preview that game in the panel on the right; click to keep that comparison.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom.

How to read the map This is a polar difference map: direction = which motivation differs, and distance = how much (same units as the sidebar deltas).

Swipe to compare nearby games with Simply Chess. These titles are not in What to play next.

Simply Chess: Less representative of its motivational profile, with noticeable differences. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Competition, Status, Story, Fantasy. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Domination. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Fantasy, Exploration.

Last update: 21/08/2026