Comparison

Warlord Chess Lite vs Really Bad Chess

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

Head to head
About

Warlord Chess Lite

A chess variant for 2-4 players with familiar pieces and moves, enhanced by special board spaces and visual effects. Offers AI challenges and local play for mixed skill levels.

Highlights
  • 2-4 player chess variant
  • Familiar pieces and moves
  • Special board spaces with unique moves
  • 3 levels of AI opponents
  • Local multiplayer with friends
  • Team play (2 vs. 2)
  • Undo and confirm move options
Features
Read full description

Warlord Chess is a stunning chess variant for 2 to 4 players. The pieces and their moves will be familiar to anyone that has played standard chess, which makes this an ideal game for players of all skill levels. Certain spaces on the board allow pieces to make special moves, some of which are simply mind-blowing. Special visual effects and sounds enhance play. You can play locally with friends or challenge yourself against 3 levels of artificial intelligence. You can play alone or in teams of 2 vs. 2. If you like chess or chess variants, you can hardly afford to miss out on Warlord Chess. But I don’t know 4 good chess players... Don’t worry! Using the unique tabletop interface, you can select games with 2, 3, or 4 players in them. You can add computer/AI players as needed. Most importantly, because of the nature of the game, people of mixed skill levels can enjoy playing together. You don’t need to be a chess star to have fun with Warlord Chess. In a 4-player free-for-all, the best player does not necessarily win! That is a crazy looking board... That’s true! It needed to be to fit 4 full armies. Plus, it allowed us to add special spaces that make for some incredible moves. The Chaos Symbol: the symbol in the center of the board gives a special move to Pawns, Kings, and Knights. If one of those pieces begins its move from one of the spaces touched by the symbol – then they can begin their move *from* any one of those spaces. This helps the Pawn and King a bit…but it works wonders for the Knight. Don’t believe us? Just look at the screenshots below! The Castle: each player begins with their army surrounding their castle. A castle is made up of three spaces known as The Throne, the Great Hall, and the Courtyard. These spaces enhance the way the Bishop, Rook, and Queen move. Beware the Queen in the Courtyard! But I’m Just Learning/No Good at Chess/Easily Confused... Then we have the *perfect* chess game for you. The interface was designed for everyone. Just touch a piece to see all the moves it can possibly make. Then tap the space you want it to move to. If you don’t like it you can Cancel that move and try another. When you are sure of your move, you can press a button to Confirm it. If you need practice, play a local game against a single opponent and set the AI to Easy. Increase the difficulty and number of players as you get better. You can even play team games and learn from your partner. There are so many options! What Have You Got For Us Experienced Players? We’ve got a lot. If you are *very* familiar with chess, then Warlord Chess will provide you with a brand new challenge. It is nearly impossible to control a board this big, especially against 3 players who are out to get you. So good luck with that. You can set the AI to “Hard” in order to play against opponents that can see multiple moves ahead. We’ve also provided you with tools for analyzing your Warlord Chess games. You can save and load up to five games. With our Rewind, Forward, Start, and End buttons you can move through those games step-by-step so you can figure out why you lost, brainstorm some killer new moves, or relive past glories. What Else Have You Got? We’ve got a board that hovers and rotates over a roaring field of flame. We’ve got special attacks for each of the four colors in the game. We’ve got Secret Passages and a cool scoring system. And we’ve got more on the way. Enjoy! http://warlordchess.com http://hammerdog.com http://bddig.com

About

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.

Highlights
  • Randomized chess piece sets
  • AI opponent challenges
  • Ranked, Daily, and Weekly modes
  • Freeplay practice mode
  • Local multiplayer (with IAP)
  • Alternate color palettes (with IAP)
Features
Read full description

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

Screenshots

Warlord Chess Lite4 screens
Really Bad Chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Warlord Chess Lite at none against Really Bad Chess's 2. Warlord Chess Lite also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (8.1 vs 15.0). Really Bad Chess's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 8 months) and ratings volume (1.6K vs 13). On price 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Really Bad Chess sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Warlord Chess Lite asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Really Bad Chess holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Really Bad Chess has 1.6K ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 30% of Warlord Chess Lite's written reviews are positive against 46% of Really Bad Chess's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Warlord Chess Lite ships an update every 8 months, Really Bad Chess every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Warlord Chess Lite versus Really Bad Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWarlord Chess LiteReally Bad Chess
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (13 ratings)3.8 (1.6K ratings) — better
Positive reviews30.0% of reviews46.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings131.6K — better
Update frequencyEvery 8 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.1 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size95 MB125 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBD Digital Inc.Zach Gage

Customer experience

Warlord Chess Lite

All ratings13 ratings
Positive53.8%
Neutral7.7%
Negative38.5%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive30.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative50.0%

Really Bad Chess

All ratings1,633 ratings
Positive66.6%
Neutral9.0%
Negative24.4%
Written reviews611 reviews
Positive46.3%
Neutral16.4%
Negative37.3%

Bugs and requests

Warlord Chess Lite

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or 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

In-app purchases

None

Warlord Chess Lite

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Really Bad Chess

One-time2
  • 100 Undos$0.99
  • Full Game Unlock$3.99

Questions

Is Warlord Chess Lite free?
Warlord Chess Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Really Bad Chess free?
Really Bad Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Warlord Chess Lite or Really Bad Chess?
Really Bad Chess is rated higher. Warlord Chess Lite averages 3.5 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while Really Bad Chess averages 3.8 from 1.6K ratings.
Do Warlord Chess Lite or Really Bad Chess have ads?
Really Bad Chess shows ads; Warlord Chess Lite does not.
Which is updated more often, Warlord Chess Lite or Really Bad Chess?
Warlord Chess Lite ships an update every 8 months, and Really Bad Chess every 3 weeks. Most recently, Warlord Chess Lite was updated on September 25, 2026 and Really Bad Chess on October 12, 2026.

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