Comparison

Five Elements Chess vs Drop Duchy

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

Head to head
About

Five Elements Chess

Engage in strategic spell duels with this match-three game. It blends elemental theory with puzzle mechanics for a unique gameplay experience. Enjoy both local and online player-versus-player battles.

Highlights
  • Match-three gameplay
  • Five Elements theory integration
  • Deep strategy
  • Zen-inspired visuals
  • Local PvP
  • Online PvP
Features
Read full description

Five Elements Chess is a spell-duel game that combines the Five Elements theory and match-three gameplay. Features • Simple rules, deep strategy • Calm, Zen-inspired visual style • A balance of strategy and luck that anyone can enjoy • Local and online PvP

About

Drop Duchy

Experience a unique blend of deckbuilding, puzzle, and rogue-lite gameplay. Build a realm by strategically placing tiles, gather resources, and lead your troops to reclaim enemy territory. Each run offers a fresh challenge with procedural generation and meta-progression.

Highlights
  • Deckbuilding, puzzle, and rogue-lite gameplay mix
  • Strategic tile placement for resource maximization
  • Real-time strategy combat and territory reclamation
  • Procedurally generated game experiences
  • Meta-progression with over 90 challenges
  • Over 110 unique cards for deck building
  • Three playable factions: The Duchy, The Order, The Republic
Features
Read full description

[TRY BEFORE YOU BUY!] A beloved PC game, now coming to mobile. Metacritic: 83. Very Positive on STEAM - 90%. Drop Duchy takes the iconic geometric puzzle gameplay we all know and love and gives it a fresh perspective: instead of simply clearing lines, you build a realm. A mix of deckbuilding, puzzle and rogue-lite, designed to hone your appetite as a block-stacking tactician. Place tile pieces as you would in a block-dropping game, but align them to maximize their activation rules. Set the right structures next to lush forests, wild rivers and grassy plains to pull out maximum resources and units. Then gather your troops, reclaim the regions under enemy control, and storm the enemy fortress along branching, decision-filled paths. Let your castle take too much damage and the run ends - but defeat is not the end: jump straight back in with a new strategy, and use the experience gained to unlock even more content. Grow in power with over 110 unique cards, trade with markets and guilds, and climb a meta progression of over 90 missions tied to three playable factions: The Duchy, The Order and The Republic. Adapt, conquer, and keep the action moving! FEATURES * An original mix of puzzle gameplay and real-time strategy * A brand new game experience with each run thanks to procedural generation * Play with Factions: The Duchy, The Order, The Republic * Meta progression: over 90 challenges designed to help you through your journey * Build the perfect deck with over 110 unique cards * An elegant and charming art direction to please your eyes * An engaging and ever-evolving soundtrack to please your ears * Choose your path between lakes, glades, forests, villages, guilds… and more!

Screenshots

Five Elements Chess4 screens
Drop Duchy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Drop Duchy at free against Five Elements Chess's free with in-app purchases. Five Elements Chess's advantage is review sentiment (82% vs 61%). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Five Elements Chess sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Drop Duchy sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Five Elements Chess holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 103 and 57 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 82% of Five Elements Chess's written reviews are positive against 61% of Drop Duchy's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Five Elements Chess versus Drop Duchy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFive Elements ChessDrop Duchy
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (103 ratings) — better4.6 (57 ratings)
Positive reviews81.8% of reviews — better60.9% of reviews
Number of ratings103 — better57
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size280 MB1.1 GB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperBeijing Jiao Dian Chuang Yi digital technology Co.,Ltd.Doghowl Games Ltd.

Customer experience

Five Elements Chess

All ratings103 ratings
Positive97.1%
Neutral1.0%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive81.8%
Neutral4.5%
Negative13.6%

Drop Duchy

All ratings36 ratings
Positive86.1%
Neutral5.6%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews23 reviews
Positive60.9%
Neutral8.7%
Negative30.4%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Five Elements Chess

One-time3
  • Time Skin Pack$1.99
  • Five Elements Chess full game$3.99
  • Seasons Skin Pack$3.99
2 purchases

Drop Duchy

One-time2
  • Base Game Offer$8.99
  • Base Game$9.99

Questions

Is Five Elements Chess free?
Five Elements Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Drop Duchy free?
Drop Duchy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Five Elements Chess or Drop Duchy?
Five Elements Chess is rated higher. Five Elements Chess averages 4.8 out of 5 from 103 ratings, while Drop Duchy averages 4.6 from 57 ratings.
Do Five Elements Chess or Drop Duchy have ads?
Neither Five Elements Chess nor Drop Duchy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Five Elements Chess or Drop Duchy?
Five Elements Chess ships an update weekly, and Drop Duchy weekly. Most recently, Five Elements Chess was updated on November 1, 2026 and Drop Duchy on November 5, 2026.

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