ARChess vs Blocks Away
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ARChess
Experience classic chess with an augmented reality twist. Enjoy a realistic 3D design and interactive gameplay on any flat surface. Take back moves, automatically rotate the board, and reposition it during your game.
- Augmented reality chess board projection
- Realistic 3D design
- Hot-seat multiplayer mode
- Play against AI
- Take back moves
- Automatic board rotation
- Board repositioning
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Something simple and fundamental, like classic chess game, gets a real AR boost in this app. Now all chess fans can shift from their regular boards and enjoy the game on the phone. With super cool 3D design, it’s now more realistic than ever. For starters, the functionality is limited to hot-seat game mode, i.e. two players play on 1 device or 1 player conduct a battle with the machine. We decided to leave something from a classic indoor game, at least players can discuss the game in real or beat a computer genius. In the future versions, it will be possible to support multi device mode to play the game by two players remotely on one chess board. Furthermore, chess tournaments, results saving ranking table are in the plan. We’ve used the ARKit in surface recognition (any contrasting horizontal surface can be used for chess board projection). Besides, we’ve taken into account the main complaints and wishes on the chess app market. Unlike the majority on the App Store, our app allows: - taking back moves (if you accidentally drop the piece on the wrong square, now there is an option to correct it) - automatically turning board around when playing - repositioning a board during the game Chess is our favorite office game. This ARChess app gives a new life to the classic game, moving it to the ‘new dimension’.
Blocks Away
A relaxing block-dropping puzzle game where you clear lines to score points and earn rewards. Enjoy daily rewards and power-ups to enhance your gameplay. Perfect for unwinding and clearing your mind.
- Block dropping gameplay
- Line clearing mechanics
- Score accumulation
- Reward system (rotates, undos)
- Daily rewards
- High score challenges
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Turn on, switch off and tune out with Blocks Away — the latest block dropping, line clearing craze. Make some “you-time”, recharge your batteries and clear your mind with this super simple block puzzle. Simply drop blocks, clear lines, amass points and earn rewards. R E W A R D S — Win rotates, reshuffles, undos and point multipliers. Come back each day for a free daily reward, or win them by clearing lines and beating your high score. So what are you waiting for — Go get your blocks in order. NEED HELP? If you need help or want to make a suggestion, just drop us an email — https://www.EighteenDegrees.com/Help
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Blocks Away at 4.8 against ARChess's 4.2. ARChess's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 13 months). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Blocks Away holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 16 and 6 respectively.
ARChess ships an update every 5 weeks, Blocks Away every 13 months. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and June 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ARChess | Blocks Away |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (16 ratings) | 4.8 (6 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 16 — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 13 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 12.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 308 MB | 61 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | CHISW Development LTD | Adam Wasiak |
Customer experience
ARChess
Blocks Away
In-app purchases
ARChess
No in-app purchases
Blocks Away
No in-app purchases








