Stream of the Day
Chess gets a roguelite remix
A demo for ‘Just Chessing Around’ is now available, with a launch set for later this year.
Just Chessing Around ditches classic checkmate for chaotic turn-based battles. Players can build overpowered armies and bend the rules of the board.
A free demo for Just Chessing Around is now available on PC via Steam, ahead of a planned fourth-quarter 2026 release.
The title presents chess as a tactical roguelite, a run-based game where each attempt plays out differently through changing upgrades, rooms, and enemies. Instead of protecting a king or chasing checkmate, players build an army and clear boards by destroying enemy pieces.
The game uses familiar chess pieces, but expands their roles through buffs, items, custom characters, and hazardous board layouts. Players can upgrade pieces during a run by placing buffs into five available slots. These buffs can alter movement and attacks, including rooks that ram through pieces and knights that can move across much larger parts of the board.
Items add another layer of disruption. Players can hold up to two items and use them during combat, with options such as bombs and potions that summon ghost pawns. The system gives players additional ways to shift board control beyond standard chess movement.
Runs take players through different rooms with changing environmental conditions. Grass can hide the type of piece standing within, while quicksand can swallow pieces. The game includes minibosses with their own armies, boss battles, and boards with environmental dangers.
Just Chessing Around has new custom pieces, including The Plague Doctor and Jerry. The demo features the original chess pieces and Jerry, along with 37 buffs, seven items, one underling battle, and three environments (grassland, castle, and desert).
The game gives pieces personality through emotion bubbles, which show reactions to player actions during battles.
Where to play Just Chessing Around
A free demo for Just Chessing Around, developed and published by Cabbage Club, is available now on PC via Steam. The full release is planned for later this year (2026).
* Visit the Steam page for ‘Just Chessing Around’ here.
