Really Bad Chess vs Card Thief
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Really Bad Chess
This app reimagines chess with completely randomized pieces, offering a fresh strategic challenge. It's perfect for both seasoned players seeking a new puzzle and beginners looking to learn the fundamentals in a fun, accessible way.
- Randomized chess piece sets
- AI opponent challenges
- Ranked, Daily, and Weekly modes
- Freeplay practice mode
- Local multiplayer (with IAP)
- Alternate color palettes (with IAP)
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Really Bad Chess is just like chess, but with totally random pieces. Try 8 Knights, 4 Bishops, and 3 pawns — why not? As heard on NPR's Weekend Edition 5 out of 5 Stars "An essential puzzle experience for anyone even remotely interested in strategy games" - TouchArcade Whether you play chess daily, or quit just after learning the rules, this small twist will open the door to an entire new world of chess. ------WHATS IN THE “BOX”? The free version of Really Bad Chess lets you compete vs. an AI in Ranked, Daily, or Weekly Challenges. Improve your skills using the included Freeplay mode. A single in-app purchase unlocks Versus Mode so you can compete against your friends locally! It also removes ads, displays captured pieces, and adds soothing alternate color-palettes to choose from. ------REALLY BAD PRESS "Makes chess fun even if you’re really bad" - The Verge "Feels more modern than chess has ever felt" - Applenapps "Really Bad Chess takes a really bad idea and somehow manages to make it a lot of fun." - Pocket Gamer "Really good fun" - MacLife ------A WORD FROM THE DEVELOPER Chess is one of those games I always wished I enjoyed, but its commitment to beauty, elegance, and perfect balance always turned me away. Really Bad Chess removes these boring restrictions and flips chess on its head. As much as random pieces change the game in some ways, I was really surprised to notice how much the game remains the same, and how powerful some pieces are — you've never truly struggled against a pawn until you've struggled against a pawn in the back row. For chess pros, Really Bad Chess will give you a new type of challenge — the pieces & the moves are the same, but you'll have to throw out your openings and your understanding of normal patterns of play. For novice chess players (like most of us), Really Bad Chess greatly opens up the game. Instead of starting by studying openings, in your first games you'll get to discover the joy (and challenge!) of learning how to checkmate. I hope you have as much fun with Really Bad Chess as much as I did making it. -zach
Card Thief
A solitaire-style stealth game where you play as a master thief. Sneak through darkness, steal treasure, and escape without getting caught. It offers deep strategy and roguelike replayability in short, engaging sessions.
- Solitaire-style stealth gameplay
- 4 unique heists
- Unlockable equipment cards
- Hireable thieves with special rules
- Mini deck-building mechanics
- Daily Heist mode with leaderboards
- Roguelike replayability
- Offline play
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Card Thief is a solitaire-style stealth card game that transforms your deck into a shadowy world of cunning heists and daring escapes. Sneak through the darkness as a master thief. Extinguish torches, pickpocket guards, and steal precious treasure without getting caught. Every card you flip is a calculated risk. Every move could be your last. From the makers of Card Crawl, the hit indie card dungeon crawler, Card Thief distills the tension of classic stealth games into a sleek, strategic card game you can play in minutes. Easy to learn, endlessly deep. Plan. Steal. Escape. Repeat. With a rich layer of tactical decision-making, risk/reward choices, and roguelike replayability, Card Thief is the perfect pick-up-and-play strategy card game for fans of stealth, puzzle games, and solo card games alike. Features - Solitaire-style stealth gameplay with no internet required - 4 unique heists with distinct enemies, traps, and obstacles - 12 unlockable and upgradable equipment cards with unique abilities - Hire 10 thieves, each with special gameplay rules - Mini deck-building mechanics for deep strategic customization - Daily Heist mode with global leaderboards - Roguelike replayability so every run plays differently - Perfect session length of 2 to 3 minutes per game - Offline play, great for travel
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Card Thief at 4.7 against Really Bad Chess's 3.8. Card Thief also leads on review sentiment (70% vs 46%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). Really Bad Chess's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Really Bad Chess sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Card Thief sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Card Thief holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.6K and 1K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 46% of Really Bad Chess's written reviews are positive against 70% of Card Thief's.
Really Bad Chess ships an update every 3 weeks, Card Thief every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Really Bad Chess | Card Thief |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.8 (1.6K ratings) | 4.7 (1K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 46.3% of reviews | 69.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.6K — better | 1K |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 125 MB | 161 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Zach Gage | Arnold Rauers |
Customer experience
Really Bad Chess
Card Thief
User reviews
Really Bad Chess
From 1.6K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Addictive and fun gameplay
- 🤔 Unique and innovative concept
- 👍 Challenging and engaging
- ⭐ Great way to learn chess
Room to improve
- 🐛 Bugs and crashes
- 🕰️ Slow AI response times
- 💰 Paywalls for essential features
- 📺 Intrusive and excessive ads
- 🔁 Repetitive AI moves leading to stalemates
Card Thief
From 1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Great game
- 👍 Fun and unique stealth mechanics
- 👍 Very fun for offline gaming
- 👍 New favorite card game
- 👍 Creative and addictive game
Room to improve
- ❓ What is the goal?
- 🐛 Issueee
- 🐛 Buggy
- 🐛 Crashes on load
- 🐛 Cannot select path
Bugs and requests
Really Bad Chess
Reported bugs
3 issues- Pieces unable to move as per chess rules
- Game freezes and crashes
- Incorrect checkmate detection
Requested features
5 requests- Add draw conditions and stalemate rules
- Implement online/multiplayer mode
- Provide more difficulty settings
- Allow custom piece arrangements
- Sync progress across devices
Card Thief
Reported bugs
9 issues- Crystals which you can get when playing are useless
- Notch covers game information on iPhone X+
- Ads error prevents chest opening
- Hideout heists have unrealistically high scores
- Can't open hideout, game crashes
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- Crashes right after starting on M1 iPad Pro with iPadOS 14.7.1
- Crashes all the time
- Login screen freezes
- Incompatible with older devices
Requested features
9 requests- More enemies or traps to deal with
- More equipment to try out
- 4x4 layout rather than 3x3
- Endless mode
- Multiplayer compatibility
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- Sync game data between Android and iOS
- Shop to use crystals
- More levels, incentives, and variations in the Hideout games
- Ability to cash in stolen goods for new tool cards or special cards
In-app purchases
Really Bad Chess
- 100 Undos$0.99
- Full Game Unlock$3.99
Card Thief
- Unlock Card Thief$4.99
Questions
Is Really Bad Chess free?
Is Card Thief free?
Which has better reviews, Really Bad Chess or Card Thief?
Do Really Bad Chess or Card Thief have ads?
Which is updated more often, Really Bad Chess or Card Thief?
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