Chess Ultra on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information

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Introducing Chess Ultra; the most breathtaking chess game ever made. Experience stunning 4K visuals, seamless online multiplayer, Grandmaster approved AI and full VR compatibility.

Chess Ultra is a strategy, chess and indie game developed and published by Ripstone.
Released on June 21st 2017 is available only on Windows in 8 languages: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish - Spain, Dutch, Russian and Portuguese - Brazil.

It has received 2,135 reviews of which 1,596 were positive and 539 were negative resulting in a rating of 7.2 out of 10. 😊

The game is currently priced at 12.99€ on Steam, but you can find it for less on Gamivo.


The Steam community has classified Chess Ultra into these genres:

Media & Screenshots

Get an in-depth look at Chess Ultra through various videos and screenshots.

System requirements

These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.

Windows
  • OS *: Windows Vista
  • Processor: 2.0 GHz Dual Core
  • Memory: 4 GB RAM
  • Graphics: NVIDIA Geforce GTS 450 or AMD Radeon HD 6750
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Network: Broadband Internet connection
  • Storage: 12 GB available space
  • VR Support: SteamVR or Oculus PC
  • Additional Notes: This will ensure the game will run at 1080p at 30fps. These specifications do not reflect VR, see Recommended Requirements for more details

User reviews & Ratings

Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.

Sept. 2025
I mean... chess is a fantastic game, it always has been for generations of humans, and Chess Ultra certainly does it justice. Playing it is very pleasant, I love the music tracks, the backgrounds, and the atmosphere is immersive, relaxing, elegant; things I never thought I'd be saying about a chess video game. The variety of chess sets is appreciated, especially the beautifully rendered Isle of Lewis pieces (how I have always longed to own a set of those...) I appreciate the inclusion of ELOs, however, I’m very disappointed by the lack of detailed statistics, like post-game reports highlighting blunders and suggesting improvements and alternative moves. Accordingly, I don’t feel like this game offers much in terms of improving your chess skills, unlike Chess.com, which remains my favourite platform for virtual chess. Along with the fact that online multiplayer is no longer available for this game, Chess Ultra feels like a missed opportunity. I would recommend it for seasoned chess players who don't feel a need to improve their playing abilities as it's a novel and satiating way to play chess solo. However, it offers little for novices who want to hone their chess skills or absolute beginners who want to learn how to play.
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Aug. 2025
One of the classiest ways to play chess online There are three main quretions that people have on their minds when thinking about buying a chess-simulation game: How huge is the playerbase? How strong's the AI? How's the look-and-feel? I'm going to answer those questions here. Appearence The graphics and music are just brilliant and make every game a wonderful experience. There are different settings with different soundtracks. DLCs contain either an extra setting, or extra pieces, or both. Pieces can be combined freely with any settings. If I've got it correctly, the pieces are 3D scans of handmade artistic pieces. Some preset camera perspectives are weird and effect disturbing reflections of light, but the camera can always be adjusted freely and locked where one wants it to be. AI When setting up a game against the AI, you are to select from some 12 different AI opponents that go from "Novice" to "Grandmaster". I'm not a grandmaster, so I can't tell if the Grandmaster AI really is as strong as it pretends to; but I began as a Novice, and I can tell that the Novice AI was a lot easier than my old chess computer's lowest level and I found it just to be perfect for learning how to play the game. The most important skill to develop at first is not to lose one's pieces due to silly mistakes. ( "Oh, I didn't see THAT!" ) Low-level AIs in Chess Ultra take care of that; instead of affording to be tricked with amazing strategies, they reward defensive playing by intentionally wasting their pieces from time to time as when there hasn't been contact for a while. Their advance from level to level is both, smooth and challenging. Playerbase Even though I usually don't have problems finding matches, this game's playerbase of course can't be compared to those of networks such as chess.com. However, anywhere I'd always recommend to any online player to look for some chess mates to play against regularly rather than to always go for matches against random players as in all online-chess games there's the problem that some pitiful players cheat by either having chess programs tell them what to do or, when they have their better days, not move their pieces at all, trying to force their enemies to give up. I'm quite sure they know exactly what to do with an Elo that's above their true skill and thus will connect them to players that are far too strong for them. All the same, Chess Ultra allows it to easily add Steam players to one's friends list; so a good experience with a random player doesn't have to be a one-off. Price As for the price, I got the game when it was reduced by 50%, which happens regularly a couple of times a year. Some of the DLCs I found to be too expensive even then, so I got only the ones I really wanted to have; but that was worth it. In need of guidance? The game doesn't include a chess course - only some puzzles of the sort "Mate in X turns" that have been taken from famous chess matches. To players who know the basic rules and want to learn how to actually "play" chess, thinking like a chess player, I recommend learning one standard ouverture for white and one for black and reading these two classic books by Jeremy Silman: "How to Reassess Your Chess" and "Silman's Endgame Course" . Even reading the first 30 pages of the first one made my Elo jump from 1300 to 1400.
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May 2025
8.5/10 Recommended purchase price: Less than $30 USD I was just looking for a chess game that I can quickly open and randomly play a game. This is it. I open it, its looks nice, the graphics are clean, and the music is calming. The CPU adjusts up and down to your skill level based on how well you play. That's it. It's a chess game, there's nothing wrong with it.
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Dec. 2024
I like the different skill levels, that after the game is over you can go back in time and make a different move, nice mood and music.
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Oct. 2024
This is a masterpiece, a work of art. Mesmerising to play. I'm not a fan of simple crude grids, spamming games and research to memory, making hard work and petty immature competitive, Personally this is what i feel like chess should really be. Elegant, cultural, sophisticated, scholarly, beautiful. Best chess game ever made.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Chess Ultra is currently priced at 12.99€ on Steam.

Chess Ultra is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 12.99€ on Steam.

Chess Ultra received 1,596 positive votes out of a total of 2,135 achieving a rating of 7.23.
😊

Chess Ultra was developed and published by Ripstone.

Chess Ultra is playable and fully supported on Windows.

Chess Ultra is not playable on MacOS.

Chess Ultra is not playable on Linux.

Chess Ultra offers both single-player and multi-player modes.

Chess Ultra offers both Co-op and PvP modes.

There are 10 DLCs available for Chess Ultra. Explore additional content available for Chess Ultra on Steam.

Chess Ultra does not support mods via Steam Workshop.

Chess Ultra supports Remote Play on TV and Remote Play Together. Discover more about Steam Remote Play.

Chess Ultra is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.

You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for Chess Ultra.

Data sources

The information presented on this page is sourced from reliable APIs to ensure accuracy and relevance. We utilize the Steam API to gather data on game details, including titles, descriptions, prices, and user reviews. This allows us to provide you with the most up-to-date information directly from the Steam platform.

Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.

Last Updates
Steam data 17 October 2025 14:35
SteamSpy data 19 October 2025 18:59
Steam price 29 October 2025 04:45
Steam reviews 27 October 2025 15:46

If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about Chess Ultra, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.

  • SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about Chess Ultra
  • SteamCharts - Analysis of Chess Ultra concurrent players on Steam
  • ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Chess Ultra compatibility
Chess Ultra PEGI 3
Rating
7.2
1,596
539
Game modes
Multiplayer
Features
Online players
13
Developer
Ripstone
Publisher
Ripstone
Release 21 Jun 2017
VR VR Supported
Platforms
Remote Play
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