Shogi Lite vs PocketShogi
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Shogi Lite
A digital adaptation of the ancient Japanese board game, offering a strategic challenge similar to chess. Players can capture opponent pieces and redeploy them on the board, adding a unique tactical layer to gameplay.
- Classic Shogi gameplay
- Piece capture and redeployment
- Two-player strategy
- Similar to Chess and Xiangqi
- Digital board game adaptation
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“Shogi” is a classic board game that has been popularly played for the past 1000 years. It is similar to the games of chess and xiangqi. One unique feature of “Shogi” is it allows players to use the captured pieces.
PocketShogi
Play Shogi against a computer with 20 difficulty levels or challenge a friend on a single device. Save up to 100 game records and utilize various in-game features for a comprehensive Shogi experience.
- 20 computer difficulty levels
- 2-player local versus mode
- Save and resume game records
- In-game move assistance
- Adjustable game settings
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○ Game with COM Computer thinking level is 20 levels. Even beginners are able to fight at the same time from beginners, even advanced users can be satisfied with the broadest strength of superlatives. ○ 2 P versus opponent It is a mode to play against the other by using one terminal and alternately pointed by two people. Even if there are no shogi boards or pieces, you can play with other people immediately. Also, 2P game mode can be used not only for the game but also for entering game records. ○ Save and resume function of game record You can save the game record during the game or at the end of the game. You can save up to 100 game records. You can read the saved game record at any time, you can resume from the middle of the game and reproduce the game record. ○ Function in game "Pocket Shogi" has many functions that are useful for the game. ◆ Hands can be set from flat to 2 drops ◆ "Masato" "Injection" in the game ◆ Toggle sound effect on / off ◆ Toggle Wang Warning ON / OFF ◆ On / off switching of the latest display ◆ Switch between one character piece and two character piece ◆ Turn zoom on / off by tapping (C) SilverStarJapan
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Shogi Lite at 4.6 against PocketShogi's 2.0. Shogi Lite also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (12 vs 1). PocketShogi's advantage is review sentiment (67% vs 55%). On price, update cadence, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Shogi Lite holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shogi Lite has 12 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 55% of Shogi Lite's written reviews are positive against 67% of PocketShogi's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Shogi Lite ships an update every 6 weeks, PocketShogi every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Shogi Lite | PocketShogi |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (12 ratings) — better | 2.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 55.4% of reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 12 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 191 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Shigeo Mimura | SilverStarJapan |
Customer experience
Shogi Lite
PocketShogi
In-app purchases
Shogi Lite
No in-app purchases
PocketShogi
No in-app purchases
