Comparison

Hnefatafl vs Shogi Do

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

Head to head
About

Hnefatafl

Experience an ancient Scandinavian strategy board game where one army tries to capture the king while the other defends him. Offers deep tactical gameplay with numerous historical and custom variants. Play against AI, friends offline, or other players online with cross-platform support.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
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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.

About

Shogi Do

Features
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Shogi Do brings authentic Japanese chess to your phone — full rules, real AI, no shortcuts. REAL SHOGI, DONE RIGHT Every piece moves exactly as it should, including piece drops, promotion, and the subtle rules that separate shogi from Western chess: nifu (you can't drop a second pawn on a file that already has one) and uchifuzume (you can't drop a pawn to deliver instant checkmate). Both are enforced automatically, so every game is a legal game. DROP AND PROMOTE Capture an enemy piece and it joins your hand — drop it back onto the board as your own on a later turn, exactly like the real game. Pieces that reach the far three ranks can promote to a stronger form, with the app prompting you when promotion is optional and applying it automatically when it's forced. PLAY YOUR WAY - Three AI difficulty levels: Easy, Normal, Hard - Clean, fast board with legal-move highlighting and a tap-to-drop hand tray - No ads, no gambling, no real-money wagers — just the game - Works completely offline Whether you're learning shogi for the first time or you've played for years, Shogi Do gives you a rules-accurate opponent any time, anywhere.

Screenshots

Hnefatafl4 screens
Shogi Do4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: Hnefatafl at 3 against Shogi Do's 1. On price, update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Hnefatafl sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Shogi Do sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hnefatafl ships an update every 2 weeks, Shogi Do fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Hnefatafl versus Shogi Do: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHnefataflShogi Do
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (31 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews68.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings31 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size206 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPhilippe SchoberQuyen Ngo

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Hnefatafl

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$4.99
1 purchases

Shogi Do

One-time1
  • Shogi Do Pro$2.99

Questions

Is Hnefatafl free?
Hnefatafl is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shogi Do free?
Shogi Do is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Hnefatafl or Shogi Do have ads?
Neither Hnefatafl nor Shogi Do shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hnefatafl or Shogi Do?
Hnefatafl ships an update every 2 weeks, and Shogi Do fortnightly. Most recently, Hnefatafl was updated on November 3, 2026 and Shogi Do on November 5, 2026.

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