Esfera Chess vs Thrive Board Game
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Esfera Chess
Experience chess on a unique 3D spherical board with 132 hexagonal and pentagonal cells. Enjoy familiar pieces with entirely new strategic possibilities due to the curved surface. Play against AI, a friend locally, or learn with an interactive tutorial.
- 132-cell geodesic sphere board
- Familiar chess pieces, new strategy
- Local AI and pass-and-play modes
- Interactive 10-step tutorial
- Animated piece movements
- Full iPad support
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Chess reimagined on a sphere. Two armies clash on a geodesic world of 132 hexagonal and pentagonal cells — familiar pieces, completely new strategy. Every piece you know from chess is here — kings, queens, rooks, bishops, knights, and pawns — but the curved surface changes everything. There are no edges, no corners, and no safe back rank. Attacks come from every direction. PLAY LOCALLY Challenge the built-in AI, or pass-and-play with a friend on the same device. Pick your color before every game. LEARN An interactive 10-step tutorial teaches every piece type hands-on. Tap a piece to see where it can move. An in-game rules reference is always available. FEATURES - 132-cell geodesic sphere with translucent surface - Pinch to zoom, swipe to rotate, two-finger twist - Animated piece movements with auto-rotating globe - Cinematic intro sequence - Sound effects for moves, captures, and check - Full iPad support - No ads. No pay-to-win. Just chess on a sphere.
Thrive Board Game
A two-player abstract strategy board game that reinvents classic gameplay with unique piece building and over 100 variable setups. Experience strategic depth with AI opponents, pass-and-play, and an innovative augmented reality mode.
- Abstract strategy gameplay
- Play vs AI
- Pass and Play mode
- Over 100 variable setups
- Augmented Reality Mode
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A board game for two players where beauty meets strategy. Your purpose is not simply to endure, but to Thrive. Build your own chess piece with classic abstract strategy game-play, reinvented. * Play vs AI * Pass and Play * Over 100 variable setups * Augmented Reality Mode
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Esfera Chess at Free against Thrive Board Game's $1.99. Esfera Chess also leads on ratings volume (11 vs 1). Thrive Board Game's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.4) and update cadence (every 42 months vs every 92 months). On ads, 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
Esfera Chess is free to download; Thrive Board Game costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Thrive Board Game holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Esfera Chess has 11 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Esfera Chess ships an update every 92 months, Thrive Board Game every 42 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Esfera Chess | Thrive Board Game |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $1.99 |
| Rating | 4.4 (11 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 84.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 11 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 92 months | Every 42 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 11.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 141 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Squz | Martin Grider |
Customer experience
Esfera Chess
Thrive Board Game
In-app purchases
Esfera Chess
No in-app purchases
Thrive Board Game
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Esfera Chess free?
Is Thrive Board Game free?
Which has better reviews, Esfera Chess or Thrive Board Game?
Do Esfera Chess or Thrive Board Game have ads?
Which is updated more often, Esfera Chess or Thrive Board Game?
Other comparisons
