# Goban3D — Making Go accessible to all

> 3D and 2D Go game with strong AI, online, and local play. (iPhone/iPad app by Adam Gibbons.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/goban3d/id6550923415 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Adam Gibbons](https://appshunter.io/developer/1757328884)
- Category: Games, Board, Strategy
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 5.00/5 from 1 App Store ratings
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 26.0 · 246 MB
- Languages: American English, Arabic, Bangla, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Canadian French and 38 more
- Released: 2026-04-06
- Data updated: 2026-08-10
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/goban3d/id6550923415/reviews.md

## What is Goban3D?

Goban3D brings the ancient game of Go — also known as 囲碁 (igo), 바둑 (baduk), or 圍棋 (wéiqí) — to iPhone and iPad. Play on a beautifully rendered 3D goban or switch instantly to a clean 2D board. Local matches, private online games with friends via Game Center requested matches, and the world's strongest Go AI, KataGo, all in one app.

Whether you've never placed a stone before, want a private match with a friend or club-mate, or are ready to test your skills against the strongest Go engine on the planet — Goban3D is for you.

KATAGO AI (FREE, 100% OFFLINE)
• The world's strongest open-source Go engine, running natively on Apple Silicon — no internet, no account, no data sent anywhere. The AI is fully on-device
• Board sizes 9×9, 13×13, and 19×19
• 26 skill levels: 20 Kyu (complete beginner) through 5 Dan, plus full-strength AI for serious study
• Weaker levels use KataGo's Human-style network (trained on human games) so the AI plays like a real person at your rank — not a crippled superhuman
• Full-strength mode runs the latest strongest KataGo network published on katagotraining.org as of 15 April 2026
• There's an old Go proverb: "Lose your first 50 games as quickly as possible." Start on 9×9 at 20 Kyu — after 2 or 3 games, winning comes easier than you might think. Each time you win, raise the skill by 1 or 2. KataGo is the best Go teacher ever built, and it speaks every language

ONLINE PLAY WITH FRIENDS
• Private matches over Game Center with people already in your contacts
• Invite a specific friend — no public matchmaking, no strangers
• All online games are untimed — take your time and enjoy the game

LOCAL PLAY
• Two players on one device, pass-and-play
• Board sizes: 9×9, 13×13, 19×19
• Handicap stones (0–9) with automatic komi adjustment
• Japanese scoring with 6.5 komi — mark dead stones, confirm the score
• Untimed by default — take your time and enjoy the game

BOARD & VISUALS
• 3D board powered by RealityKit — physically-based materials, 60 fps animations for every placement and capture
• Instant 2D mode in SwiftUI for low-power play
• 4 board textures, 8 stone textures, multiple ground and gridline options — all free
• Haptic feedback and authentic wooden stone sound effects
• NHK broadcast-style move announcements with optional Go terminology (atari, tsuke, hane, nobi...)

ACCESSIBILITY — GO FOR EVERYONE
Goban3D makes Go genuinely accessible — across ability, skill level, device, region, and language. No other Go app on the App Store declares any accessibility features. Goban3D has 100% coverage across all seven Apple categories: VoiceOver with full board-position labels, Voice Control, Dynamic Type, Reduce Motion, Reduce Transparency, Sufficient Contrast, and Differentiate Without Color. The app starts in 2D by default, and the 2D SwiftUI board is where the full accessibility stack lives — including complete VoiceOver board navigation. When VoiceOver is on, the 3D toggle is disabled to keep the accessible experience front and centre. A dedicated high-contrast mode and adjustable grid-line thickness help players with low vision.

DEVICES
• Also runs on Mac and visionOS via "Designed for iPad"
• Minimap on smaller iPhones ensures every intersection meets Apple's 44pt minimum tap target, even on 19×19

Free to play, with gameplay that is always ad-free. A brief ad appears on launch and just before scoring mode, so your time on the board is never interrupted. Remove all ads with an optional yearly subscription.

Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Privacy Policy: https://goban3d.com/en-US/privacy.html

## Key features

- Play Go in 3D or 2D
- Offline AI play with KataGo
- Online matches with friends
- Local pass-and-play mode
- Multiple board sizes (9x9, 13x13, 19x19)
- Extensive accessibility features
- Customizable board and stone textures

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads (Yearly) | $7.99 | per year |



## Frequently asked questions about Goban3D

### What is Goban3D?

Goban3D is a mobile application that brings the ancient game of Go to iPhone and iPad. It offers both 3D and 2D board views, offline AI play, online matches with friends, and local multiplayer options.

### Can I play Goban3D offline?

Yes, Goban3D features the KataGo AI, which is 100% offline and runs natively on Apple Silicon. You can play against the AI without an internet connection or sending any data.

### How does online play work in Goban3D?

Online play is facilitated through Game Center, allowing you to challenge specific friends for private matches. There is no public matchmaking, ensuring you only play with people you invite.

### What board sizes are available in Goban3D?

Goban3D supports three standard board sizes for Go: 9x9, 13x13, and 19x19. These are available for both AI and local play.

### Does Goban3D have ads?

The provided data indicates that Goban3D has a subscription plan to 'Remove Ads (Yearly): $7.99/P1Y', suggesting that the app does contain advertisements in its free version.

### What are the accessibility features in Goban3D?

Goban3D offers comprehensive accessibility features, including VoiceOver support with full board-position labels, Voice Control, Dynamic Type, Reduce Motion, Reduce Transparency, Sufficient Contrast, and Differentiate Without Color, making it accessible to a wide range of users.

### What is the age rating for Goban3D?

Goban3D has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for young children and up. The game's mechanics are generally easy to grasp for beginners.

### How often is Goban3D updated?

Goban3D was last updated on April 29, 2026, indicating a recent update. The app was initially released on April 6, 2026.

## Version history (last 4 releases)

### 1.3 — 2026-04-29

KataGo — the world's strongest Go AI — is now free and fully offline in Goban3D.

NEW IN 1.3
• KataGo AI support — 26 skill levels from 20 Kyu to full strength, all on-device with no internet or account required
• Human-style AI at weaker ranks, so the computer plays like a real person at your level — not a crippled superhuman
• 8 new Indian language locales: Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu
• Mexican Spanish (es-MX) added
• Filled in missing translations across many languages
• Improved right-to-left layout for Arabic and Hebrew
• Choose your 2D board colour: classic brown or bright yellow
• Offline indicator when Game Center is unreachable
• Better HUD layout on small iPhones — info panel collapses neatly out of the way

FIXES
• KataGo handles pass and resign cleanly
• More reliable coordinate parsing for AI moves (no more silent A1 fallbacks)

Thank you for playing. Feedback and bug reports: support@goban3d.com

### 1.2 — 2026-04-11

Première version de Goban3D !

• Magnifique rendu de goban en 3D et 2D épuré
• Jeu local à deux joueurs sur gobans 9x9, 13x13 et 19x19
• Accessibilité complète : VoiceOver, Contrôle vocal, Texte dynamique, Réduire les animations, Réduire la transparence, Contraste suffisant, et Différencier sans la couleur
• Mode haut contraste pour la malvoyance
• 4 textures de goban et 8 textures de pierres incluses gratuitement
• Retour haptique et effets sonores
• Mini-carte sur les iPhone plus petits pour un jeu 19x19 précis
• iPhone, iPad et Mac (Catalyst natif)

Le Go accessible à tous.

### 1.1 — 2026-04-07

Fix house ads not displaying on app start-up, fallback For AdMob and AdSense

### 1.0 — 2026-04-06

No release notes.

## Related topics

[gobubble](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/gobubble) · [gobuid](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/gobuid)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-10.*