Games Like Chessality

Chessality will have a free open test between 6th-15th of August!

Greetings all! We would like to invite you all to join Chessality's open public test! The test will take place between the 6th of August to Sunday the 15th of August! We will be posting more information and updates on Twitter, Chessality's forum, and discord! Play with your lichess account in VR vs other lichess VR players and lichess non-VR players! Any questions are welcome on the forum/discord!

About the Game

Chessality is bringing "over-the-board" (OTB) chess to you!... and much, much more! One of the most classic strategic board games can finally be properly played, enjoyed, and studied in VR! Enjoy realistic/cartoonish environments on fun, exciting, and heart-pumping single and team battles! Feel the intensity of OTB competitive play by joining official Chessality tournaments placing you in a competitive VR environment dedicated to tournaments. Have fun with your friends on team battles for fun and for serious climbing of the ranks! This game is aimed at both casual players, enthusiasts, dedicated chess players, and modders who enjoy customizing their game's visuals.

Features Complete

WIP Features planned for release

DLC information

Yes, there are some DLCs planned. However, all chessmen/chessboard skins will also be complete freely available to be downloaded from our website and can be "side-loaded" using the available feature of loading custom models to Chessality. These won't be shown to your opponent (if they are using VR) but are fully available to you.

Feature requests

Any cool ideas or integration requests? Tell us! We are very open to ideas!

Will a non-VR version be available?

As of right now, there is no plan. Although there is code implemented for debugging without using a VR headset, one of this project's goals is to bring emphasis to OTB chess and add a meaningful and replayable VR game to your library. We don't want to downplay the VR in this game by offering a non-VR option. Furthermore, there are already several very well accomplished 2D options of the game.

Release date information

Originally planned for December 2020, but now the plan is around may-august 2021. We feel very safe about these range dates to release the game as actually, the gameplay is quite very well polished, and most original features for release are ready. However, further advertisement, artwork, and environmental polishment seem in order before release. The actual feature list is much longer than described, and the planned feature list is even much longer. Due to the almost pure focus of the client, server, integration of third-party services, game mechanics, and aesthetics development, almost nothing has been done on artwork and advertisement until now.

Want to help?

We would gladly accept any free help you can offer! Especially artwork and advertisement ;)

Author personal notes

Yes, 2D digital chess is incredible and offers very convenient playability/portability. However, 2D digital chess doesn't 100% translate your skills to OTB chess, nor OTB is efficient as training on 2D digital chess. Chessality is probably not a true replacement for over-the-board chess nor a true upgrade from 2D digital chess, but just another way to play the game. I will try to offer as much functionality and realism for true hard-core OTB players and offer the convenience of the digital world to more casual players while trying to keep the core values of chess to the best of my abilities as a human. "Without the element of enjoyment, it is not worth trying to excel at anything." – Magnus Carlsen "Every chess master was once a beginner." – Irving Chernev "No one will regret the time dedicated to chess, as it will help in any profession." – Tigran Petrosyan "You must lead your opponent into a dark forest where 2+2=5 and the path out is only wide enough for one." – Mikhail Tal "If you wish to succeed, you must brave the risk of failure." – Garry Kasparov "The winner of the game is the player who makes the next-to-last mistake." – Tartakower "****, I didn't see that!" – Most players (probably)