Comparison

CelestialChess vs Dragon River

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

Head to head
About

CelestialChess

Features
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CelestialChess is a fully offline Chinese Chess (Xiangqi) game against an on-device AI. The all-new 2.0 update removes every ad and refreshes the whole interface, so you can play a match anytime, anywhere. MULTI-LEVEL AI ‧ Five levels: Beginner, Easy, Normal, Hard, Master ‧ Lower levels make human-like slips so newcomers can win; higher levels play tight and challenge veterans ‧ Built-in opening book and endgame engine — varied openings, precise endgames ‧ A Pro-exclusive “Grandmaster” top level GET STRONGER ‧ Post-game review: every move flagged as best or mistake, so you see exactly where you went wrong ‧ AI coach: instant commentary on the move you just played, with a stronger suggestion ‧ Hints and take-backs: a nudge when you’re stuck, and a way back when you slip AUTHENTIC XIANGQI RULES ‧ Full rules: hobbling the horse’s leg, cannon screen-capture, flying general, no facing generals, repetition loss ‧ 10×9 board, river and palace — the real thing BOARD THEMES ‧ Classic wood, free ‧ Pro unlocks Ink, Jade, and Day / Night starry themes SHARE & IMPORT GAME RECORDS ‧ Export any game to Chinese notation and share it with friends (Pro) ‧ Paste a record to import and replay any great game PRIVACY & OFFLINE ‧ Fully offline and standalone — no registration, no sign-in ‧ No personal data collected, no tracking, no ads ‧ Independently made by Intoxicated Child Studio Play Xiangqi with an AI under the stars

About

Dragon River

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Cross the river. Guard the general. Claim the Jade Mandate. Dragon River turns traditional Xiangqi into a cinematic 3D battlefield while preserving the rules and tactical clarity of Chinese chess. • Play offline against three AI difficulty levels • Face a friend in local two-player mode • Choose tactical, cinematic, orbit, or top-down cameras • Use legal-move guidance, move history, undo, and saved matches • Choose from 15 languages • Tune graphics quality for your device No account and no cross-app tracking. The free version shows limited non-personalized ads; rewarded videos during a match are optional and start only when you tap them. One optional purchase removes every ad permanently. Your settings and saved matches stay on your device.

Screenshots

CelestialChess2 screens
Dragon River3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: CelestialChess at none against Dragon River's shown. Dragon River's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CelestialChess ships an update every 2 months, Dragon River every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 3 level
CelestialChess versus Dragon River: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCelestialChessDragon River
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 10 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB37 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperKuo-Tsun HuangHaosheng Li

In-app purchases

1 purchases

CelestialChess

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$0.99
1 purchases

Dragon River

One-time1
  • Permanent Ad Removal$4.99

Questions

Is CelestialChess free?
CelestialChess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Dragon River free?
Dragon River is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do CelestialChess or Dragon River have ads?
Dragon River shows ads; CelestialChess does not.
Which is updated more often, CelestialChess or Dragon River?
CelestialChess ships an update every 2 months, and Dragon River every 10 days. Most recently, CelestialChess was updated on November 8, 2026 and Dragon River on November 6, 2026.

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