Hand example showing chess gameplay

Strategy and a bit of Luck

GoblinChess is a new type of chess game where we introduce cards to the gameplay, and some chaos if you want.

Global Release: April 11, 2026

Today, we are officially launching on:

The game is now available globally across the following platforms:

  • Windows: Win 10 and above.
  • Mac and Linux: Fully supported via Steam.
  • Steam Deck: Verified and optimized for Steam’s handheld console.
  • iPad: Fully optimized for the iPad experience.
  • iPhone: While the game is playable on iPhone, please note that it was designed for larger displays. Some details may be difficult to see on smaller screens.

Online is Easy

Your first online game, start to finish, in four easy steps:

  • Pick a Name: Pick a username and nothing else. No email required
  • Play Online: Immediately find opponents through the lobby system or via direct challenges
  • Move Your Pieces: Alternate between playing spell cards and moving pieces
  • Win Conditions: Achieve checkmate, stalemate, timeout victory or something else. There are ten ways to end the game, similar to modern chess.

A band of orcs got trapped by the goblins. The evil goblin king is a great chess player, and to make it extra bloody he forces the prisoners to act out a game on a life-size board made of stone pillars. The king likes to cheat by using magic, but so do you!

Features

Despite its playful appearance, GoblinChess is a serious chess game:

  • Traditional Chess Foundation: In the beginning of the game only standard chess pieces exist on the board
  • Spell Card System: 10 spell cards that can alter gameplay, each player starts with five random cards
  • Multiple Game Modes: Classic and Chaotic variants with different time controls. Choose between, online, robot or local play.
  • ELO Rating System: Standard chess ranking system for anyone playing online
  • Modern Chess Rules: Supports everything you'd expect from competitive chess, e.g. en passant, repetition draw (3x), stalemate etc
  • No In-Game Purchases: You pay a one-time price for the client, if you choose our official GoblinChess.com client (the one shown in the video above).
  • Open Data/Free Platform: This game has an unusually sound long-term foundation. This has interesting implications for the technically inclined, read more at Github GoblinChessChromiaBackend.

Online or Off?

Online Play

Challenge players from around the world in real-time matches, or use automatic matchmaking based on rating.

Local Play

Play against a friend on the same device. No internet required, only bravery.

Built in robot

Too shy to play against a human? No problem, there is a child-friendly robot you can play against. No internet required.

Classic or Chaos?

The game can be played in one of two modes:

Classic Mode

Traditional chess emphasis on few random events and a lot of strategy. But even in classical mode a degree of randomness is introduced, since a player cannot know what cards they and their opponent will get.

Chaos Mode

More unpredictable gameplay, since the result of every attack is determined by rolling dice. Introduces a big portion of luck, making far-reaching calculation hopeless.

Cards of Magic

The cards are described in great detail here Game Cards.