Chess vs Arctictopia
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Chess
This app offers a high-quality chess experience for players of all levels, from beginners to professionals. It features a strong engine, analysis tools, and learning resources to improve your game.
- Simulated human opponents for beginners
- Top-tier chess engine for experts
- Real-time game analysis
- 1 or 2-player game support
- Opening Library and PGN Database
- Position Editor
- Rated games and progress tracking
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tChess Pro is the high-quality, critically acclaimed chess game with the richest features for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. It's perfect for every player: Beginners: Not everybody is a chess master! Most chess games are too strong or just make random mistakes at easier levels. tChess Pro has unique algorithms to simulate human opponents. Experts: tChess Pro has a top-tier chess engine. (Over 380 ELO points stronger than Caissa Chess.) Enthusiasts: tChess Pro's Analysis Mode is like having a chess master in your pocket. You can get the engine's "expert opinion" about any game or position in real-time: which side is winning, and the best sequence of moves. Just like a professional desktop chess package. More key features: - Perfect for 1- or 2-player games - Strong computer opponent - Play against any ELO rating from 500 to 2500 - Integrated "Learn Chess" e-book app (Apple Staff Favorite!) - Opening Library feature lets you explore chess opening theory as you play - PGN Database feature lets you download and view PGN files - Support for 3-stage time controls with Fischer increments - Position Editor to enter positions from books, newspapers, etc. - Save and load games; export them in standard PGN format - Use the Profile feature to play rated games against the computer and track your progress tChess Pro is developed by Tom Kerrigan, author of the TSCP and Stobor chess engines.
Arctictopia
Guide a mother polar bear across a melting Arctic landscape to reunite with her cub. Solve intricate puzzles with unique mechanics across 150 levels. Enjoy a charming, hand-drawn world with relaxing gameplay and adorable animal friends.
- 150 captivating levels
- 10 unique mechanics
- Hand-drawn Arctic world
- Melting ice puzzle element
- Relaxing gameplay with undo
- Adorable animal characters
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///// Achievements ///// ・2021 - Kyoto BitSummit The 8 Bit | Official Selection ///// Introduction ///// Arctictopia is a puzzle game set in the Arctic Ocean. Plan your moves carefully to help a mother polar bear reach her cub across the melting ice. As the ice sheets melt away, their journey home becomes even more perilous... ///// Features ///// ・10 unique mechanics across 150 captivating levels. ・Immerse yourself in a hand-drawn, picture book-style (but frosty!) Arctic world as you cross the icy ocean. ・Think through every move — with each step, the ice beneath your paws melts a little. ・Relax and take your time solving puzzles. You can easily undo moves or try a different level. Chill out and enjoy the challenge. ・Meet adorable friends — a playful cub, a curious seal, and a cheerful puffin. ///// Languages ///// English, 繁體中文, 简体中文, 日本語, 한국어, Deutsch, Français, Русский, Español, Português, Italiano, Türkçe, Polski, ไทย, Tiếng Việt, हिन्दी, Norsk, Svenska, Suomi, Nederlands //////////////////// Terms of Use: https://gamtropy.com/term-of-use-en/ Privacy Policy: https://gamtropy.com/privacy-policy-en/ © 2021 Gamtropy Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: Chess at 251 against Arctictopia's 4. Arctictopia's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and price ($4.99 vs $7.99). On update cadence, ads, 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
Chess costs $7.99 and Arctictopia $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Arctictopia holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess has 251 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of Chess's written reviews are positive against 100% of Arctictopia's.
Chess ships an update every 4 months, Arctictopia every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and August 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Chess | Arctictopia |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $7.99 | $4.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (251 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 88.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 251 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 272 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Tom Kerrigan | Gamtropy Co., Ltd. |
Customer experience
Chess
Arctictopia
Bugs and requests
Chess
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes when creating annotations
- Zoomed-in screen issue when returning to the app
- Difficulty settings not accurately reflecting the AI's strength
Requested features
6 requests- Add chess puzzles
- Provide more board and piece style options
- Implement a resign feature and draw offer
- Add a move evaluation bar
- Improve the online multiplayer experience
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- Provide a way to organize and navigate through game databases
Arctictopia
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Chess
No in-app purchases
Arctictopia
No in-app purchases









