Arcane Tower vs Chess Defence
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Arcane Tower
Embark on a challenging roguelike adventure as a brave wizard. Explore randomly generated maps, compete in daily challenges with global leaderboards, and learn from top player replays to defeat evil and uncover ancient secrets.
- Randomly generated maps
- Challenging roguelike mechanics
- Daily challenge mode
- Global leaderboards
- Watch top player replays
- Single-player adventure
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Evil reigns throughout the kingdom, darkness obscures the landscape. A brave wizard is determined to put an end to all of this. But there's only one way. The Arcane Tower keeps the powers and secrets required to defeat all the evil. Arcane Tower is a roguelike game with mechanics carefully designed to make every run challenging, interesting and incredibly fun. Key features: * Maps are randomly generated, meaning every run you play will be different from every other run you've played. * Daily Challenge! Every day a special map is generated, the same for everyone in the world. Compete in the daily leaderboards! * Watch other players: after playing a Daily Challenge, you can watch replays of the top players to see how they got their score.
Chess Defence
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Defend the board. Command chess heroes. Survive the zombie horde. Chess Defence blends classic chess piece movement with wave-based tower defense. Place your King, Queen, Rooks, and more on an 8×8 board — then reposition them with real chess moves while zombies march from the far rank. Every piece attacks along its chess lines. Every wave demands a new tactic. HOW IT PLAYS • Deploy chess heroes and fight escalating zombie waves • Move pieces using legal chess rules between attacks • Charge piece-specific skills by defeating enemies • Unlock Valor Shot, Cannon Barrage, Phantom Guard, Royal Rally, and more • Win with smart positioning — not just bigger numbers GAME MODES • Campaign — hundreds of levels across a growing world map • Queen's Gambit — lead a lone Queen through a narrow assault • King's Nightmare — hold the King against threats from every side • Earn 1–3 stars per level and climb Star Rank for bonus chests LONG-TERM PROGRESSION • Upgrade 6 heroes (Pawn to King) with cards and gold • Level up unique skills for each chess piece • Open victory chests packed with cards, gold, and rewards • Complete daily and weekly quests plus 200+ milestones • Push forward — new levels always beat farming old ones WHY CHESS DEFENCE? • Tactical depth without needing master-level chess skill • Short sessions: clear a level in minutes, upgrade in seconds • Skill, placement, and timing always matter Download Chess Defence and turn the chessboard into your last line of defense. Terms Of Use : https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Chess Defence at Free against Arcane Tower's $1.99. Chess Defence also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). Arcane Tower's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and ads (none vs shown). On device support and iOS requirement 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
Chess Defence is free to download; Arcane Tower costs $1.99 up front. Chess Defence sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Arcane Tower asks for nothing beyond the download.
Arcane Tower ships an update every 3 weeks, Chess Defence weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Arcane Tower | Chess Defence |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (5 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 85.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 117 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Diego Cathalifaud | ERDI ACAR |
In-app purchases
Arcane Tower
No in-app purchases
Chess Defence
- Handful of Gems$0.99
- Gem Pouch$4.99
- Gem Bucket$9.99
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- Royal Hero Bundle$9.99
- Legendary Chest$14.99
- Gem Vault$14.99
Questions
Is Arcane Tower free?
Is Chess Defence free?
Do Arcane Tower or Chess Defence have ads?
Which is updated more often, Arcane Tower or Chess Defence?
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