Comparison

™ Chinese Chess vs Chess Royale

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

™ Chinese Chess

Experience the strategic depth of Chinese Chess (Xiangqi) with this app. Challenge AI opponents across five difficulty levels, customize your game with a board editor and various themes, and track your progress as you ascend to grandmaster status.

Highlights
  • AI opponents with 5 difficulty levels
  • Board editor for custom game setups
  • Customizable boards, pieces, themes, and sounds
  • Undo and Save/Load functionality
  • Timer-based matches
  • Experience points and ranking system
Features
Read full description

Chinese Chess brings Xiangqi strategy to your phone and tablet with online Game Center play, offline AI practice, and local two-player matches. Play classic Xiangqi your way: - Challenge other players online through Game Center. - Invite players or use Game Center matchmaking. - Practice offline against multiple AI difficulty levels. - Play local two-player matches on the same device. - Save and load games when you want to continue later. - Use the board editor to set up custom positions. - Play with timer options for faster, sharper matches. - Customize boards, pieces, avatars, themes, and sounds. Also known as Xiangqi, Co Tuong, Cờ Tướng, and Chinese chess, this is a timeless strategy board game built around generals, chariots, cannons, horses, elephants, advisors, soldiers, and the river between two armies. Whether you are learning the rules, practicing tactics, challenging another player online, or returning to a familiar classic, Chinese Chess is designed for quick games, focused study, and comfortable play.

About

Chess Royale

Engage in the classic game of chess with millions worldwide. This app offers AI challenges, multiplayer matches, and extensive training tools including puzzles and post-game analysis to improve your strategic skills.

Highlights
  • Play against AI
  • Multiplayer matches
  • Chess puzzles
  • Post-game analysis
  • Beginner and advanced training
  • Multiple game modes
Features
Read full description

► THE ONLY CHESS APP YOU NEED Whether you’re a complete beginner or a highly experienced player, Chess Royale has everything you could need to enjoy one of the world’s greatest board games on your mobile device. Play with the AI, with friends, or with millions of strangers all over the world, then train your chess skills with tutorials, puzzles, and post-game analysis. One of the greatest things about chess is that there’s always something new to learn, and this beautifully designed app will allow you to keep on discovering the magic of chess and enhancing your love of the game day after day. ► WHY CHESS? ◾ With a history that stretches back over millennia, chess is both a vital cultural artefact and a beloved pastime that brings together millions of players all over the world. ◾ Renowned as a fierce test of the intellect, chess provides incredible training for your brain. Regularly playing chess and solving puzzles can train your strategic skills, develop logical and lateral thinking, help with learning and understanding psychology, improve your analysis and enhance your memory. ◾ It’s fun! Chess may be intimidating for beginners, but the more you learn and the better you understand the game, the more entertaining and rewarding it becomes. There’s some reason why it has remained among the most popular board games in the world for centuries, after all. ► WHY CHESS ROYALE? ◾ It pays to be popular: With over 50 000 000 players across all popular platforms, Chess Royale ensures there’s always a real opponent of similar skill online and ready to play in a variety of multiplayer formats. ◾ Endless variations: Not only can you challenge real players of different skill levels, you can also play in eight different modes. Play blitzes with varying time limitations, use the notifications system to play with friends when they’re online, test yourself in private against the game’s AI, and enter and arrange tournaments of various formats for more multiplayer fun. ◾ More than just a game: Chess Royale boasts more than 5000 chess puzzles to help you train specific aspects of your game. The app also features analysis tools that you can use post-match to help with your learning and development. And there is a trainer for beginners and more advanced players to get a better grasp of this intensely rich and complex game. Despite the wonders of modern technology, you’ll be hard pressed to find a mobile game that’s as challenging, enjoyable, and intellectually satisfying as chess. Whether you’re looking for just a new game to play online or a trainer to help you take the very first steps in exploring the magic of chess, Chess Royale offers something extra. Download the app now to discover the ultimate mobile chess environment. ►Vip Subscription: - You can subscribe to Vip membership to play without any ads, unlock all purchasable deck packs and play infinite puzzles every day. Also you can use infinite hints while solving chess puzzles - You are able to choose from three subscription options: a weekly subscription (free for the first 3 days) for $4.99 USD, a monthly subscription for $14.99 USD, an annual subscription for $79.99 USD - Subscription payments will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of your purchase and upon commencement of each renewal term. Subscription with a free trial period will automatically renew to a paid subscription. You can cancel your subscription or free trial in the iTunes settings at least 24-hours before the end of the free trial period. The cancellation will take effect the day after the last day of the current subscription period and you will be downgraded to the free service. - Please note that any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when you purchase a premium subscription during the free trial period. - Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase Privacy Policy: https://say.games/privacy-policy Terms of Use: https://say.games/terms-of-use

Screenshots

™ Chinese Chess4 screens
Chess Royale4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: ™ Chinese Chess at none against Chess Royale's shown. ™ Chinese Chess also leads on review sentiment (91% vs 60%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Chess Royale's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 9 months) and ratings volume (20K vs 172). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. ™ Chinese Chess sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Chess Royale sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chess Royale holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess Royale has 20K ratings behind it against 172, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 91% of ™ Chinese Chess's written reviews are positive against 60% of Chess Royale's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

™ Chinese Chess ships an update every 9 months, Chess Royale every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
™ Chinese Chess versus Chess Royale: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter™ Chinese ChessChess Royale
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (172 ratings)4.5 (20K ratings) — better
Positive reviews90.9% of reviews — better59.5% of reviews
Number of ratings17220K — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size72 MB490 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVM Mobile TeamSayGames LTD

Customer experience

™ Chinese Chess

All ratings167 ratings
Positive84.4%
Neutral6.6%
Negative9.0%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive90.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative9.1%

Chess Royale

All ratings20,246 ratings
Positive88.1%
Neutral5.4%
Negative6.4%
Written reviews791 reviews
Positive59.5%
Neutral11.3%
Negative29.2%

Bugs and requests

™ Chinese Chess

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Chess Royale

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Incorrect puzzle solutions being marked as wrong
  • Game losses due to connection issues or app freezes
  • Inconsistent trophy/ranking system
  • Inability to report cheating or suspicious behavior

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to play longer timed games
  • Option to disable ads for a one-time fee
  • More advanced chess analysis and training features
  • Improved matchmaking to pair players of similar skill levels

In-app purchases

1 purchases

™ Chinese Chess

One-time1
  • Premium$3.99
9 purchases

Chess Royale

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly Vip3 Days trial2 variants$7.997 Days
  • Monthly Vip$19.991 Month
  • Annual Vip$39.991 Year
One-time6
  • Tiny Coins Pack$0.99
  • Tiny Gems Pack$1.99
  • Coins Pack Offer$3.99
Show 3 more
  • Disable Ads Forever$4.99
  • Medium Gems Pack$6.99
  • Large Gems Pack$19.99

Questions

Is ™ Chinese Chess free?
™ Chinese Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chess Royale free?
Chess Royale is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ™ Chinese Chess or Chess Royale?
Chess Royale is rated higher. ™ Chinese Chess averages 4.4 out of 5 from 172 ratings, while Chess Royale averages 4.5 from 20K ratings.
Do ™ Chinese Chess or Chess Royale have ads?
Chess Royale shows ads; ™ Chinese Chess does not.
Which is updated more often, ™ Chinese Chess or Chess Royale?
™ Chinese Chess ships an update every 9 months, and Chess Royale every 5 weeks. Most recently, ™ Chinese Chess was updated on November 2, 2026 and Chess Royale on November 4, 2026.

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