# Hnefatafl — The Game of the Vikings

> Ancient Scandinavian strategy board game of king capture and escape. (iPhone/iPad app by Philippe Schober.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hnefatafl/id1498725934 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Philippe Schober](https://appshunter.io/developer/1394832107)
- Category: Games, Board, Strategy
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.03/5 from 30 App Store ratings · 25 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 12.0 · 224 MB
- Languages: English
- Released: 2020-03-30
- Data updated: 2026-06-09
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hnefatafl/id1498725934/reviews.md

## What is Hnefatafl?

Hnefatafl is an ancient Scandinavian board game whose variants were played all over medieval Europe before chess was even invented. In those so called Tafl games two different sized armies fight each other. The invading black army tries to capture the white king, while the defending white army tries to protect their king and help him escape.

Often also called the Game of the Vikings Hnefatafl tells many stories, like the Moskowites invasion of Sweden or the Viking hordes pillaging Britain. But no matter what the story is one thing always stays the same: The hunt for the king.

Even though the rules aren't complicated the game offers fascinating strategies and rewards tactical play. Try to surround the enemy pieces, plan ahead, lay traps and force your opponent into surrender. Will you capture the king for gold and glory? Can the loyal guards hold back the invading forces and secure the flight of their king?

You can create your own custom variants -- with over 200,000 different variants possible! The online multiplayer supports crossplatform play. Play on any supported platform with just a single account*.

This game features:
- Variant "Hnefatafl"
- Variant "Hnefatafl - Copenhagen"
- Variant "Hnefatafl - Historical"
- Variant "Hnefatafl - Berserk"
- Variant "Hnefatafl - Fetlar"
- Variant "Old Hnefatafl"
- Variant "Simple Tafl"
- Variant "Sea Battle 11x11"
- Variant "Sea Battle 13x13"
- Variant "Tablut"
- Variant "Tablut - Historical ("Saami")"
- Variant "Linnaeus' Tablut"
- Variant "Foteviken Tablut"
- Variant "Ard Ri"
- Variant "Historical Ard Ri"
- Variant "Brandubh"
- Variant "Historical Brandubh"
- Variant "Magpie"
- Variant "Tawlbwrdd"
- Variant "Historical Tawlbwrdd"
- Variant "Tyr 13x13"
- Variant "Tyr 15x15"
- Variant "Tyr 19x19"
- Variant "Coppergate 15x15"
- Variant "Alea Evangelii"
- Variant "Historical Alea Evangelii"
- Custom variants for offline and Online Play*
- Offline play for two humans
- Offline play against various computer opponents
- Offline play between two computer opponents
- Online Play*
- Ingame Chat for Online Play*
- Crossplatform Online Play*
- Achievements*
- ELO scores*
- Match Browser to find the right opponent
- Match History to review your past matches
- Annotate and share matches
- Tutorial/Rules included

*) These features require the creation of a free Fellhuhn account, valid on all supported platforms.

This app is supported by advertisement which can be disabled through an one-time purchase of IAP.

## Key features

- Numerous historical and custom variants
- Offline play against AI or human opponents
- Online multiplayer with cross-platform support
- Ingame chat for online play
- Match browser and history
- Achievements and ELO scores

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $4.99 | one-time |


## Recent user reviews (10 of 25)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hnefatafl/id1498725934/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Excellent way to play other good human players!

*2025-09-06, version 3.93*

This app lets you play all the variants: four-piece(popular) or two-piece(historically accurate) king capture, board size from 7x7 all the way up to 19x19, different initial positions, edge or corner escape, neutral or hostile throne and/or corner squares…, so you can play the variant you think is best and most fun!

There are AI opponents that play the 7x7 well, but tend to be weak on larger board sizes. Fortunately however the real value of this app, is that it is popular enough to be able to play real humans from all over the world in real time(10, 20 or 30 minutes) or with correspondence time controls(1day, 2day, 1week etc). Plus there are ongoing tournaments of different variants, often with 64 participants.

### 1/5 — Too small on iPhone to play

*2025-05-25, version 3.93*

‘Nouf’ said. Moving on.

### 3/5 — Not following rules??

*2023-11-09, version 3.91*

I read that the king is captured when surrounded on all four sides unless it’s by a wall. Yet the game is taking my king when only surrounded on three sides and he has room to move. I’m new to this, so? Why am I losing when he’s not surrounded on all four sides?

### 4/5 — Good, but rather slow

*2023-09-07, version 3.91*

Great job, but it is so slow when playing against computer.

### 3/5 — Bug

*2023-06-24, version 3.91*

J’aime beaucoup se jeux et j’y joue lorsque j’ai pas d’adversaire dans la vrai vie mais votre jeux a des bug qui m’énerve plutôt beaucoup, pk mon roi se fait manger avec seulement 2 pion? Pk des pions saute par-dessus d’autre? et pk l’IA peut jouer plusieurs fois d’affilée. après je connais peut-être pas toute les règles mais ça m’étonnerais car je me suis bien renseigné.

### 5/5 — Игра супер

*2023-05-28, version 3.91*

Батя показал игру , я решил скачать и не пожалел 👍🏻

### 5/5 — Capture du roi

*2023-05-02, version 3.91*

Bonjour, j’aime beaucoup ce jeu il est vraiment superbe.  

Je viens de commander le jeu en réel, il aura le même nombre de cases que le vôtre. 

Votre jeu va  me permettre de m’entraîner et de continuer à y jouer quand je n’ai pas d’adversaire. 

J’ai une question concernant la capture du roi, je précise que je ne suis pas une experte étant donné que j’ai commencé que hier soir…

J’ai lu sur Wikipédia et ailleurs, que pour capturer le roi, quand il était au milieu du plateau, qu’il devait être entouré par 4 pions, dans la version de votre jeu il se fait prendre en sandwich avec seulement 2 pions, comme pour les pions blancs. 

Je n’ai pas reçu encore l’autre jeu et je ne voudrais pas être en désaccord avec mon adversaire quand on va commencer à jouer. 😁 

Merci encore de nous avoir créé ce très beau jeu.

### 1/5 — Wrong rules

*2023-04-15, version 3.91*

the rules all wrong. For the king to be taken you need for pieces around him. Not this two thing. And the pieces also need to be right next to the other pieces to take the opposite person pawn.

### 5/5 — Супер

*2022-11-06, version 3.90*

Спасибо за старания в переносе замечательной игры на телефон!

### 5/5 — Great game

*2022-07-16*

Having lots of fun in the tournaments for the different versions of the game. Great game play. Easy to learn against the computer players. Then develop into playing people online. Just watch out for people make one sided games to boost there player rating.

## Frequently asked questions about Hnefatafl

### What is Hnefatafl?

Hnefatafl is an ancient Scandinavian strategy board game played in medieval Europe before chess. It involves two armies: an invading force aiming to capture the king, and a defending force trying to protect the king and help him escape.

### What are the key features of this app?

The app offers a wide array of historical and custom Hnefatafl variants, offline play against AI or human opponents, and online multiplayer with cross-platform support. It also includes features like ingame chat, a match browser, match history, achievements, and ELO scores.

### How is the app monetized?

The app is free to download and play and is supported by advertisements. Users can disable ads through a one-time in-app purchase.

### What platforms is Hnefatafl available on?

The description mentions cross-platform play, implying availability on multiple platforms. A single Fellhuhn account is required for online features across all supported platforms.

### What are some common use cases for Hnefatafl?

This app is ideal for those seeking a mentally stimulating strategy game, fans of Viking history, or individuals looking for a challenging two-player experience. It's suitable for both casual play and competitive online matches.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 3.93 — 2024-08-12

Fixed the problem with server connections due to certificate errors.
The AI should now prefer a quick victory over annihilating the whole enemy army.

### 3.91 — 2022-11-23

-Long Clicking (or right clicking) an offline match in the main menu will now offer the option to rename matches. 
- Added the option to always display the remaining time in an online match that has a timeout set. This was previously only available for quick matches.
- Updated the translations.
- When searching for opponents for new online matches the ignore button now also works.
- When using the "Next Match" button it will now respect the selected order for online matches.
- Tournament matches that timed out will now be shown in a different

### 3.90 — 2022-08-15

Added the first version of the Hungarian translation.
Updated third party libraries to improve stability and support for newer hardware.
The tournament list will now be limited to display ten tournamets at a time with the option to load more. This should prevent any problems once there are even more tournaments.
When creating a new match the variant selection images will now show the individual setups of the pieces.
Added a new setup for 9x9 custom variants.

### 3.88 — 2021-08-23

Improved the stability of the game which should reduce the chance of matches getting corrupted.

### 3.86 — 2021-08-10

Improved the cordon detection in case the black piece stands directly next to a hostile corner tile.
Added the "no moves left" rule to the ingame rules summary.
Fixed the default color of the timeout display in the match browser to increase the readability.

## Apps similar to Hnefatafl

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Gomoku Five in a Row](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gomoku-five-in-a-row/id6444699700) | 4.7 (3) | Free | Games |
| [Backgammon Offline Board](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/backgammon-offline-board/id1567037080) | 3.2 (6) | Free | Games |
| [Gaia Project](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gaia-project/id1572302140) | 4.0 (38) | $9.99 | Games |
| [Chapayev 2: Best 3D Board game](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chapayev-2-best-3d-board-game/id1572491320) | 5.0 (2) | Free | Games |
| [LyingMafia](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lyingmafia/id1594067460) | — | Free | Games |
| [Journey of Greed](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/journey-of-greed/id1627207860) | 4.4 (23) | Free | Games |

## More apps by Philippe Schober

- [Troll Patrol](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/troll-patrol/id1394832108)
- [Fidchell](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fidchell/id1506068742)
- [Wehrschach](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wehrschach/id1534485190)

All apps by Philippe Schober: https://appshunter.io/developer/1394832107

## Related topics

[viking chess](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/viking-chess) · [hnefatafl](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/hnefatafl)

---

*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 2026-06-09.*