# Viking Chess: Hnefatafl Online — From beginners to advanced.

> Asymmetrical Viking board game for online and local strategic play. (iPhone/iPad app by Daichi Yanuki.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/viking-chess-hnefatafl-online/id1526949864 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Daichi Yanuki](https://appshunter.io/developer/1394142083)
- Category: Games, Entertainment, Board, Strategy
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.67/5 from 172 App Store ratings · 31 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 12.0 · 121 MB
- Languages: English
- Released: 2020-08-21
- Data updated: 2026-08-26
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/viking-chess-hnefatafl-online/id1526949864/reviews.md

## What is Viking Chess?

Hnefatafl Online:
A Deeply Strategic Online Board Game


Game Description:
Hnefatafl Online, also known as Viking Chess, is an asymmetrical board game where players engage in battle as either attackers or defenders.

This ancient board game, beloved by Vikings a thousand years ago, has been resurrected in the modern era to offer real-time online competition across multiple platforms. Enjoy a deeply strategic board game experience through online battles.


Local Matches:
- Player vs. Computer
Enjoy local matches against an AI opponent. There is no timer in this mode, so it is perfect for learning the game and testing strategies at your own pace.

- Player vs. Player
This match mode allows you to play against another player on just one smartphone. Enjoy Hnefatafl casually on the go or at a café with just a single smartphone.


Multi-Platform Online Matches:
With the online match feature activated, you can wait for other players while enjoying a local match. After an online match concludes, you can resume the interrupted local match from where you left off. Embrace the ancient strategies as if you were a Viking, engaging with players in a historic battle of wits.

- Random Match:
Play Hnefatafl with players from around the world in real-time.

- Private Match:
Easily create a private match by entering a secret code.

## Key features

- Asymmetrical board game
- Online real-time matches
- Local player vs. computer
- Local player vs. player
- Private match creation
- AI opponent for practice

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| FullLifeRecovery | $0.99 | one-time |
| RemoveAds | $3.99 | one-time |


## Recent user reviews (10 of 31)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/viking-chess-hnefatafl-online/id1526949864/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Great Coding

*2026-08-08, version 10.1.4*

Get this guy a contract. As a board game designer who has a game being digitized, this is a testament to true skill in code. Great game here!

### 4/5 — A Splendid Review!

*2026-07-10, version 10.1.4*

For quite a bit of the Viking chess games this has to be the most polished one.

### 5/5 — Love it

*2026-05-31, version 10.1.4*

Really fun to play

### 5/5 — Challenging Game

*2025-11-06, version 10.1.4*

First game victory - great concept - enjoyed the game more than standard Persian chess

### 5/5 — Computer Player needs some work on 3rd difficulty

*2025-07-20, version 10.1.4*

I found a feedback loop where the king just kept jumping from one side of the board to the other because it had me in a position where if I didn’t defend it could win. It wouldn’t make another move, just aggressively tried to push the corner even if it lead to no new moves. Seems like an easy fix, just add a code limiter to seek new moves if stalemate occurs. I can tell the developers actually care and do update the game because some of the reviews have been corrected already. Other than this, it seems great. Thanks for the hard work

### 4/5 — Fun game

*2025-05-28, version 10.1.4*

I like this game and love playing it online, though I would like for there to be an option for the 9x9 board too instead of just the 11x11 and 7x7 boards.

### 5/5 — Fun

*2025-05-28, version 10.1.4*

Viking fun

### 5/5 — Fun

*2025-05-28, version 10.1.4*

Easy to play, bots are kinda stoopid, would be nice to have alternative game board designs

### 1/5 — Dumb board movement design!

*2025-05-25, version 10.1.4*

The center of the board is the axis of rotation! Dumb, real dump. Are you 12 years old or something?! So no matter what you do, the center of the board is ALWAYS in the middle. Deleted.

### 1/5 — Paid to removed ads, ads still there

*2025-02-21, version 10.1.4*

I paid to remove ads, the ads didn't go away. I selected restore purchase, nothing happened. I requested a refund. Refund denied. Really great system, super awesome. Really really great. 10/10

## Frequently asked questions about Viking Chess

### What is Viking Chess: Hnefatafl Online?

Viking Chess: Hnefatafl Online is a digital adaptation of Hnefatafl, an ancient Viking board game. It features asymmetrical gameplay where one player defends a king and the other attacks to capture him. The app allows for both local and real-time online multiplayer matches.

### How can I play Hnefatafl Online?

You can play Hnefatafl Online in several ways: against an AI opponent locally for practice, against another player on the same device, or against players worldwide in real-time random online matches. You can also create private matches with friends using a secret code.

### Is Viking Chess: Hnefatafl Online free to play?

The app is free to download and play, but it does include in-app purchases and advertisements. This allows for continued development and provides options for users who wish to enhance their experience or remove ads.

### Can I play Hnefatafl Online without an internet connection?

Yes, you can play offline. The app offers local match modes, including player vs. computer and player vs. player on a single device, which do not require an internet connection.

### What makes Hnefatafl different from regular chess?

Hnefatafl is an asymmetrical game, unlike the balanced nature of chess. One side aims to escape with their king, while the other side's objective is to capture the king. This fundamental difference in objectives creates unique strategic challenges and gameplay.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 10.1.4 — 2024-06-27

Supports 11 languages

### 10.1.3 — 2024-05-07

Massive update underway!

- Fixed a movement-related bug
- Changed settings to turn off auto-matching when exiting a match

### 10.1.2 — 2024-05-07

Massive update underway!

- Fixed a movement-related bug
- Changed settings to turn off auto-matching when exiting a match

### 10.1.0 — 2024-04-28

Massive update underway!

- Now you can toggle time limits and the help button on/off in private matches.

### 10.0.10 — 2024-04-08

Massive update underway!
Game speed has been adjusted, now you can enjoy unlimited online matches!

- Implemented a help button that displays a convenient guide

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## More apps by Daichi Yanuki

- [Latrones Online](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/latrones-online/id1562805701)

All apps by Daichi Yanuki: https://appshunter.io/developer/1394142083

## Related topics

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

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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 2026-08-26.*
